3 Steps to a Successful Nighttime Baby Massage

There's nothing better than a baby who sleeps through the night, but as many of you know, getting your baby ready for bed begins long before bedtime comes.

I've always had babies that slept well & straight through the night early on. I would give them a nice, warm bath, followed by a good massage, some warm jammies, some snuggle time mixed with a full feeding, & off to bed they'd go. Ahhh, makes me ready for bed just thinking about it.

For me, the massage was key. Babies play all day, kicking & squirming, & by giving them a relaxing massage after a nice calming bath always helped to settle mine down quickly.

So today, I want to give you instructions on how to relax your little one with a bedtime massage.

1. Get your supplies ready

Put a blanket or towel under your baby & have your massage oil nearby. Make sure it's warm in the room. You don't want your little nudist to get too cold!

2. Start at the top & work your way down

• Start by rubbing a little oil on your finger tips & gently rubbing it over babies forehead, nose, cheeks, & chin. Work your way down to her neck next making sure to focus on the back of it especially if she's learning to hold her head up.

• Next move down to her shoulders & arms using a gentle but firm downward rub all the way to her fingertips. Make sure you have enough oil so that your hands slid across her skin.

• Now go back to her chest & work your way down to her belly using small circles. Roll her over onto her tummy if she'll tolerate it & do the same thing to her back before rolling her back over. If she doesn't like being on her belly, now is not the time for tummy training. The point of the massage is to relax her.

• Lastly you're going to start at the top of her legs & work your way down to her toes using the same downward rub you used on her arms. If you want you can stop & focus on her feet using small circles on her soles, it's totally up to her.

3. Finishing touches

Now all that's left is to get her dressed & finish up her bedtime routine.

Not only will this massage help relax your baby, but using the oil will be beneficial to her skin by providing it with nutrients & making it super soft.

So I hope you give this a try with your baby. These are the instructions that come with my Herbal Baby Oil in my shop & it would make a great baby shower gift or stocking stuffer!

Get the Skinny on 3 Mainstream Feeding Philosophies

What feeding philosophy do you adhere to? Demand feeding, hyperscheduling, cry feeding, natural feeding, rigid feeding, responsive feeding, self-regulating feedings, cue feeding, parent-directed feeding.

What? You didn't know there were that many different kinds of feeding philosophies? I'm sure there are more. It seems like everyone and their brother has a "better" way of doing things which in turn becomes a new "philosophy" that parents should go by. No wonder parents give up and just wing it. It's all so confusing!

So I want to discuss the 3 main feeding philosophies with you today. Hyperscheduling...better known as clock feeding, attachment parenting or demand feeding, and parent-directed feeding. Two of these are extreme opposites, and one falls nicely in the middle. Which will suit you and your family? Read on and see for yourself.

Hyperscheduling or Clock Feeding
This feeding philosophy consists of setting a specific amount of time between baby's feedings and sticking to it come hell or high water. If you choose to feed your baby every 3 hours then you feed your baby every 3 hours, no exceptions. What if baby's hungry 2 hours after his last meal? Too bad, it's not time! This philosophy was developed because it was believed that babies molded to their environments, and that their bodies would follow along with their feeding times. One word...structure. I'm going to call this Conservative Feeding! This style of feeding is usually better for mom in that she knows when baby will eat. It works for her schedule.

Attachment parenting...AKA Demand Feeding
Demand feeding is where the baby is in charge of when it eats. If she cries...feed her. When she wakes up...feed her. This feeding philosophy is the extreme opposite of clock feeding. I'm going to call this one Liberal Feeding! Its approach is non-structured. Attachment parenting has many facets, but the main idea is creating a emotional bond with your baby so that she gets her comfort and security from you. This style of feeding is usually for the benefit of the baby, not mom, and in some cases can cause you to have a demanding little booger and a very tired mama.

Parent-Directed Feeding
PDF is smack dab in the middle of the previous 2 feeding styles. I'll call this one Independent Feeding. This is a routine feeding or scheduled feeding. It takes the benefits of each of the above philosophies and mushes them together. Mom sets the time between baby's meals {usually every 2-3 hours for a newborn}, but adjusts if baby is hungry sooner. So if a mom wants to feed her 1 month old every 3 hours then she feeds him at the set times. If he wakes up early or shows signs of hunger before the next scheduled feeding session, she goes ahead and feeds him and adjusts the rest of the days feedings accordingly. One word here...balance.

So it really comes down to how you want to parent, and what your schedule is like. Everyone's different. No one's really in a position to judge others although we usually do when someone does something different than us. Why is that? Because we want to feel like we're doing the best there is, that's why! We all want to be considered a good mother.

The idea of being a good mother has changed over the years. Now, you're a good mother based on your method of parenting. You used to be a good mother if you had good results. What the mess?! Doesn't the later make more sense when it comes to judging something...uhhh, results. That's how you evaluate something, isn't it?

I don't know about you, but I've used the parent-directed feeding philosophy with my kiddo's, and I've gotten GREAT results, so I'm giving myself the Good Mother Award in this area!

What about you? Which philosophy do you agree with and why, and what are some examples of how it works for you?

3 Bedtime Routine Musts: Getting Your Tot Ready For Bed

I have two little guys. One is 18 months old & he falls asleep like a champ. My other is 3 years old & it seems that over the past 2-3 months I've noticed a big change in his ability to settle down & fall asleep. He wants to talk, play, get out of bed, & just be plain mischievous! Some nights we follow a bedtime routine & other nights we don't. It all depends on what's going on. What's a mom to do??

Establish A Routine
Whether you have a baby or a toddler, bedtime routines are a must for encouraging a good nights sleep. Studies have shown that kiddos with a fairly consistent bedtime routine have better attitudes during the day {as does mama} & they wake less often at night. How great is that? Getting yourself & your kiddo used to a routine is another thing. Change is tough & being consistent is even tougher.

Routine Basics

1. Decide what 3 things you're going to include in your nightly routine & in what order.
2. No matter what time your little one's "bedtime" is, you should begin your nightly routine 30-45 minutes before "bedtime". 
3. Get everything ready before hand so that the routine runs smoothly as well. Make sure you have everything within reach...pjs, book on bed, scents, etc.

What Should Your Routine Include?
I'm sure there are many different things that can make up an awesome bedtime routine. The main things to consider when choosing activities for your routine is that they are quiet & calming! I'm going to share my 3 below.

Bath
Giving your kids a bath before bed will probably be the most important part of your nightly routine. Baths can be fun & playful, but I'd suggest saving the wild play for morning baths. Night-time baths should be calming & soothing. Make sure your water is warm, have a few simple toys, & make everything smell good! Lavender is the best scent for calming your baby or toddler. You can use bath fizzies or herbal bath teas for the water & use lavender scented soaps & shampoos for washing.


Massage
No matter how old you are, a massage is always nice. After your little one is done with his or her bath, dry him off & put on some lavender scented oil or lotion before putting his jammies on. This way the properties of the lavender can seep into their skin & they can smell them all night long! Make sure to rub it in really well, giving them a mini-massage. It will help them relax. 

Book
Reading is a great activity to do with your child right before bed. Kids love having stories read to them! Just make sure you pick an age appropriate book that's not too long & isn't real exciting. Have your kiddo get in bed, tuck them in, & then read to them. You can spray lavender water onto their bed & pillow to help carry that calming scent. Just make sure it's a natural fragrance & not synthetic! You can also place a lavender pillow in the bed with them too!

Off To Bed
Once you've finished your nightly routine, it's important to keep the distractions to a minimum. Give hugs & kisses, sing your special song, tuck everyone in, turn the lights off, & go. Hopefully it will be that simple & they'll settle in & go right to sleep. If not, it may take a week or so of being consistent with your new routine to get them used to it, but don't give up. The payoff is at the end!

What is your bedtime routine like?