As promised, today's blog post is dedicated to our nightly bedtime routine for Maddox.
I guess I should start by saying that we currently don't bathe him every night because he really doesn't get THAT dirty. We typically bathe him on Sunday and Wednesday nights and have been for a while. I've been tracking his sleep patterns and it honestly doesn't appear to effect his sleep either way! I know a lot of parents use bathtime as a way to start off their bedtime routine, but so far we haven't found it necessary. When did you start using bath time as your bedtime routine?
Typically Maddox eats on a two-hour schedule during the day right now. He usually eats around 7-8ish and then we let him "nap" in the living room for a couple hours until he eats once more before we go to bed.
If he eats around 8, I make Andy get Maddox down to his diaper and wake him again around 9:30-10, which is the beginning of our routine. Andy always feeds him the last time of the night and I pump while they're doing their thing.
After this part is over, I usually take Maddox in for a diaper change and then I rub him down with nighttime lotion. I then try and burp him a second time and then swaddle him in a swaddle me sack. I love those because they are SO easy and keeps the legs free for him in case he needs to move in the middle of the night (and they come in super cute designs).
Once he's swaddled, I typically turn him on his side while I'm holding him, with his tummy touching mine. This helps get out any bubbles and helps settle his tummy. I carry him into the bedroom like this and then continue to hold him this way.
After he's in the bedroom, I rock him for a minute or two--five if he's fussy. Also if he's fussy, I give him his pacifier and shush him and pat his butt until he's calm. Lately though, he's been going down like a rockstar (knock on wood?!) and I don't have to do much patting or shush-ing.
I know lots of other people use singing or books for their bedtime routines. When did you start using those? I'm not opposed but I don't really know Maddox would appreciate or understand this as part of his routine.
And yes, he's still in our room in his rock and play. And he is ROCKING it right now. Last night he slept SEVEN. HOURS. IN A ROW!!!! I could keep up with this. Too bad teething is on the horizon soon right?
Finally: my new favorite baby item. I've mentioned before how much I LOVE wearing Maddox and how well he does with it. As much as I loved wearing him in the baby Bjorn, I worried often that it didn't bunch him together enough and was too cold. I had been searching for a while for something different and follow several people on instagram who also love baby wearing (check out CoconutRobot on instagram) and was totally inspired!
And thus, my love for Sakura Bloom was born. I knew even before christmas that I wanted one, but that price was NOT something I loved. I found another site that made customized ring slings and was interested in those, but this particular site only took so many orders at a time and I missed out. I ended up buying a ring sling from etsy that is grey, but it too is custom-made and hasn't come in yet. And two days later, Sakura Bloom announced that they'd be having a flash sample sale!! Even though I'd already bought a sling from etsy, I couldn't resist. So I logged on the day of the sale and got SUPER lucky (these slings sell SO SO SO quickly, like within minutes) and I happened to snag one before they sold out. It's not grey like I had originally wanted, but it's a Sakura Bloom so I'm still happy! I got notification last week that it was on its way and then today it arrived! I couldn't wait to try it on, and I'm clearly not the only one who enjoyed it! :)
What are/were your favorite baby items at this stage?
PS-how is it possible I have a nearly three month old?!?!
