B is for Bedtime

B is for Bedtime: In all of my classes and internet research, the best solution I've heard for getting your little one to sleep better is to develop a routine. Ours is working pretty well now. Deviation results in a very restless night.

Bath: splishing and a' splashing! We give Alex a nice warm bath before tucking him into his pajamas. He gets himself all tired out, and we get him cleaned off from whatever he's done that day.

Bottle: We're trying to wean Alex off of using bottles. However, a bottle of milk (or formula) after he's warm and cozy works wonders towards getting him to go to sleep. The other benefit is that he doesn't wake up hungry in the middle of the night quite so much.

Blanket: I'm afraid we're heading towards the security blanket phase. Peeling his fingers off of their firm grip on his blanket is near impossible. He hasn't seemed to select one blanket above all others; we have several of the same type of material which helps. Even on the hottest night, Alex still loves to curl up with his blanket even if he isn't using it as intended. I love cuddling up with him right before bed time in our glider chair.

Binkie: Also trying to wean Alex off of the pacifier. Again, there is a simple question of preferences: screaming child who won't sleep or a less stringent policy on weaning?

Bucket (car seat): When all of the above fails to send out little prince to dreamland, we go for a car ride. Luckily, he fits in the carrier still, so we can easily bring him inside when he's asleep. Moving him from the bucket to the bed is absolutely adorable because he clings to us when we move him. We've been able to phase this part out more as Alex has begun to recognize the routine.

Bed: With a heavy sigh of relief, we settle in our small munchkin. He flops promptly onto his stomach with no chance of sleeping on his back. Sometimes, he snores. I get a lovely symphony, as I periodically get to enjoy the melodious sounds of Adam, Ari (our dog), and Alex… all snoring.