Bedtime rituals for the little one

Since I do have a baby of my own, I invited one of my friends to write this post. Here’s what my friend, Anita, a new mom with a cute six-month baby girl ha to say about her fun bed time rituals that ensure that the little one gets deep good night’s sleep.

It’s very important for your little one to get good night’s rest. After the bundle of energy that she has throughout the day, she needs to just sleep a deep sleep to be recharged for the next day, and stay healthy and happy. Here are some of my favorite Bedtime Rituals that help my little one get a good night’s rest:

Swing and lull

The little one loves to slowly lulled into sleep, in her tiny little swing. The slow movement helps gradually sooth her, makes her drowsy and dreamy. Often after a nice little slow swinging, I find her easily slipping off into a nice sleep. And it becomes fun when she is in a playful mood because she starts chuckling and playing along! She tries to move her body thinking it will make the swing go faster or she tries to fall this way or that, and make it tougher for me to move her around :)

Rhythmic sounds

I read somewhere that babies heard loud noises when they were in mother’s tummies and are not only used to it, but actually enjoy it. And I’m sure this is what lullabies are such a hit with the little ones. I make these soft rhythmic sounds when my little sweetheart is dozing off and it instantly seems to calm her. I feel that there must be something to the rhythm of the sound and her feeling at peace. Added to that the connect with my voice must be building a sense of familiarity with the mother. The comfort of hearing the same voice over and over, must be a reassuring factor for her too. and then of course is the fun part – she responds with those tiny gurgling sounds, she laughs, whines or demands attention based on her mood. She tries to imitate me, sing songs and say things in her cute little alien language – all making me roll into fits of laughter. Here is an adorable video for you..

Getting the baby to sleep is never easy but over a period of time, I have made it fun for both of us. My activities and her responses have made our fun bedtime rituals not only engaging but also ensure that she gets a good night’s sleep, only to wake up refreshed and happy! I would love to hear on Canary’s blog on what all of you readers have to say about this – would love to hear your feedback on my rituals as well learn some more rituals from you. You can share them here too with the baby's best friend Pampers :)