Starting A Bedtime Routine

Its easier to get your child on a schedule or to sleep if you have a routine. This lets your child know that soon it will be time to sleep, and no longer time to play. I started a bedtime routine when my little girl was about 3 weeks old, and it took. It just happens that 1 am was her dedicated bedtime. She went to sleep, because she knew it was bedtime. Now, Emma, wouldn't sleep in her own bed.. ever. But, after starting her bedtime routine, she would sleep in her own bed. Then 3-4 hours later she would wake up to eat and wouldn't go back into her own bed. Eventually, she slept through the night and grew out of that. 

Its very easy to make a bedtime routine. Basically, you need to do the same thing every night. You can do this starting from a newborn, or wait until their a little older. Whenever you feel it is time to put them on a schedule.

Here's how you do it:

First: Pick a bedtime.

Now, this is completely your choice. Different families have different lives, so different times work better. Until after a year old, your baby should sleep 10-12 hours at night (depending on the child), so think about the time that they will be wanting to get up when you make their bedtime. For instance, if you have to drop your baby off at a baby sitter or daycare, or take other kids to school, pick the time you would need to get the baby up and work backwards, allowing them 10-12 hours of sleep. In my case, her daddy work late a lot, so we kept her up a little later, so she could see him before going to bed. I choose to put her to sleep at about 8:30, and then she wakes up at about 8:30. Now remember, this is the time you put your child in their bed asleep, not when you start your routine.

Second: Choose Your Routine.

This is the same thing you will do every night. It's good to spend quality time with your child doing these things. You can pick one or two things or more. Try it out and do what works for you. I'll list a few suggestions to get you thinking, but it can be anything you like.

Routine Ideas:

Getting a bath

Reading a bedtime story

Putting on lotion (maybe the nighttime one?)

Saying your prayers

Getting a bottle

Eating dinner (if they are old enough)

Giving mommy/daddy/brother/sister/pet hugs and kisses

Changing into bedclothes

Sleeping with the same blanket

Sleeping with the same stuffed animal

Getting rocked to sleep

Getting sung a lullaby

Cleaning out babies nose

Cleaning out babies ears

Cleaning belly button (after the umbilical cord falls off, its still dirty for a little while)

Saying good night to a stuffed animal

Snuggling with mommy or daddy

Rocking in the same rocking chair

Eating dinner together

This was our routine

1. Eat dinner: usually rice cereal or a vegetable (or both)

2. Clean out nose: she was a very stuffy baby

3. Bath: this is what helped me a lot, I noticed she fell asleep easier after a bath, so I started giving her one every night. She cried, and I think that is what made her tired, but eventually she grew out of that. 

4. New diaper and lotion: I used the Johnson's bedtime lotion and a face lotion

5.Clean out ears: babies get ear wax too, and comes right out after you take a shower. Plus they sell baby q-tips (which, I love!)

5. Bed Clothes: I made the decision when she was 1 month old, that the sleepers with the feet were just for bed. 

6. Reading a bedtime story.

7. Saying our prayer: She had this bunny that when you pressed it, it said a bedtime prayer. so every night we said goodnight to the bunny and said our prayers.

8. Getting a Bottle/Nursing: this was done in the same rocking chair, with the same blanket and a stuffed animal to cuddle with.

9. Singing lullabies: she loved this, she would actual "sing" with me until she fell asleep.

This routine took about 2 hours every night, yes its long, but then she was all snug in her bed! 

Once your baby is fine with the nighttime routine, you can make a nap time routing. Just let it be very simple and quick. Maybe reading a story or getting rocked to sleep? And let dad or big brothers or sisters help out! Maybe they can help with the bath, sing a lullaby or read the bedtime story?

Good Luck! Comment or Email me for any questions! :)

How To Get a Baby To Sleep Alone

When my baby was born everyone told me that you cannot spoil a baby, that you cannot hold them too much. Well, I don't know if that's true, but I do know that my little girl did not sleep in her own bed until she was almost 4 months old! She was perfectly content being held or sleeping in bed with mommy and daddy. 

When Emma was a few days old she started not wanting to be put down, at all! She woke up the second you put her down, she screamed when she got a bath or a diaper change and she hated the swing we had bought her. Every baby is different. Some won't mind being put down to sleep, and others like mine, just aren't having it. If this is how your baby is, just know that you are not alone! I must have tried everything until she finally started to be alright with laying in her own bed. I remember being excited for her to even lay in her bed for 15 mins by herself, it was just THAT bad. 

There was one morning when Emma was about a week old and she started crying and her dad picked her up, I was asleep. He woke me up and I begged him to hold her for a few more minutes (I averaged about 3-4 hours of sleep a day, so I was desperate), but he had to leave to go to work. then he said, "She wants you anyway". He handed her to me and she instantly stopped crying a fell asleep on my chest. I was very reluctant, to be the "co-sleeper parent". But like I said, I was desperate. So, she slept with me for 4 hours, the longest she had slept ever!  Through out the next day, I tried to get her to sleep alone, and when I got really desperate, I gave in. 

I was nursing at the time, so I would lay on my side, and lay her next to me and nurse. I would burp her and then she would fall asleep next to me. Sometimes I would fall asleep while I was nursing. I was so nervous about her laying with me that I would wake up every hour. I had to lay on my side because of nursing her, and even after nursing, there wasn't much room left. It was kind of uncomfortable, but I was getting some much needed sleep. After I caught up on a little sleep, we started to really try and get her to sleep in her own bed. At 4 months old she finally, slept in her own bed for 8 hours. By 6 months she was completely on a schedule: 2, 2 hour naps a day and bed for 12 hours a night. It might have took me longer than it will take someone else, but I'm proud of having a sleeping baby in her own bed. 

These are some of the things I tried. If one doesn't work for you, try another one. Just don't give up! Everything a baby does is a phase, so enjoy the cute one's and remember that the tough one's won't last long!

1. Make a Bedtime and Nap Time Routine

This is the most important thing. Start with a bed time routine, do the same thing every night, so they know what is coming. Then, do something similar for nap time, so they began to make connections with the routine and time to sleep. Younger babies don't need scheduled naps because they sleep so much. But when they are a little older, you can put them on scheduled naps and feedings (which is great!). If you don't pick their bed time, they might make their own bed time and not want to sleep until 2 am. Go here to see my article on ideas for making a routine that works for you.

2. Try a Pacifier. 

Emma, my stubborn baby, wouldn't take one. She tried it for the first few days, but then realized it wasn't giving her milk. She also only took one bottle, The Tommee Tippee Bottles (sold at Babies R Us). Try a pacifier, if you are really set on getting your baby to use one and they won't take it, try a bunch of different brands, the Soothie Pacifiers are one of the most popular pacifiers. The same style comes in different brands, and this is what most hospitals use. Just keep putting it back in their mouth when they spit it out. If they still never take to it (like my baby), at least you don't have to wean them off the pacifier! 

Ways to get your baby to take a pacifier:

1. Soak the pacifier in sugar water in the fridge. 

2. Use a pacifier medicine taker and fill it with breast milk, formula, or sugar water. 

3. Use the bottle nipples as a pacifier. 

3. Swaddle Them

This imitates the womb when they were so tight they could hardly move. Try swaddling your little one, some babies love it and others hate it. Learn how to correctly swaddle a baby here. 

4. Rock Your Baby to Sleep

Remember how your little one kept you up all night kicking when you were pregnant? That's because you moving through out the day would put them to sleep, so they were awake when you wanted to sleep. Rocking the imitates how they feel asleep in the womb. You can try a glider or rocking chair, most people get these for the nursery. You can even bounce you baby in an up down motion while rocking around. Rocking them will put them into a deeper sleep and they might not wake up when you move them to their own bed. 

5. Keep the Lights Low

Try to keep it dark, don't turn on a light when you go to get them from their crib if they haven't slept. Let them know that when it's dark, its time to sleep. You might have to buy black out curtains for the babies room, so that it stays dark. 

6. Keep Them The Right Temperature

Try to cover them with a blanket, or put them in a sleeping shirts for babies. Make sure that they aren't to hot or to cold. Dress them in the right clothes and make sure your temperature in the house follows. We had to close her vents sometimes because it would get too cold in our babies room. Sometimes babies will get overheated when they are swaddled or when they are crying. 

7. Stay Quiet

Never yell at your baby. If you get frustrated walk away, take a few deep breaths and come back. They can't help it, they don't know what to do. If your baby won't sleep don't talk to them, or to someone else. Don't talk on the phone or watch tv if you rock them. Try to stay quiet and talk them in a low soothing voice letting them know that its ok. 

8. Play Music

We didn't have a cd player and cd.. but we did have an old phone and an sd card. So we have a phone that plays music in her room constantly. You can get the baby lullaby songs, or the baby classical music. We played Enya for a while, because she has really soft music that I used to play to help me sleep when I was pregnant. Music can help sooth the baby. If you want, you can even record yourself singing your babies favorite lullaby and play that. It would be just like you were in the room singing to them.

9. Sing to Them

I am a terrible singer, but my baby doesn't think so! :) She loves to be rocked and sung to sleep. You can sing anything, but learning lullabies isn't so bad either. I even made up my own song for her. After you lay your baby down keep singing. Sing until you slowly walk out of the room. If they start to cry, move into their eye sight and keep singing. It might take a while, but staying in their eye sight lets the know that they are still safe in the crib. 

10. Make Their Bed Soft

Baby mattresses are hard, and it is not recommended to lay them on pillows or anything that can conform around their face and be hazardous of suffocation. But, they do sell mattress covers, that go under the sheet and makes the crib bed softer. With the bassinet, you can wrap the mattress in a soft blanket, but make sure there are no ends sticking up.

11. Make Them Full

If your baby is fairly less than 4 months old, nurse them, or bottle feed them. Some babies fall asleep eating. Let them be completely full and then try to get them to sleep. For older babies, try rice cereal. Some people put it in their bottle before they go to bed, because it helps them stay full longer. This isn't recommended, its more recommended to have them learn that they are full from a spoon. But you can do what is best for your family. 

12. Lay Them on Their Side

Some babies like to lay in different positions. Try laying your baby on their side and see if they will sleep better in a new position. 

13. Lay Them on Their Tummy

This is what worked for my baby. I would rock her to sleep and then lay her on her tummy, when she would start to fuss I would pat her back/bottom, and she would go back to sleep. Eventually, I had to pat her less and less, but at first, I might stand there for almost and hour before she would finally fall back asleep and stay asleep. If you do this, make sure your baby can hold their head up enough to turn it to the other side. The first time you try this, I recommend watching them on a camera screen baby monitor or going into the room every 15 mins, just to make sure that they aren't laying face down on their mattress. 

14. Prop Their Mattress Up

For some reason babies sleep better when laying at an angle. Even in the hospital they prop their beds up at an angle. You can put some blankets under neath the mattress (crib or bassinet), but just at a small angle, nothing dramatic. 

15. Put Mommy's clothes in the crib or bassinet

A baby knows it's mommies smell, and it comforts them. Put the clothes you wear that day in the crib (yes, the dirty spit up on clothes that you wore that day). If they are clean, they won't smell like you. If you wear perfume everyday, you can even try spraying a little on the clothes before you put it in the babies crib. I have done this several different ways: putting it above or next to the baby, laying the clothes flat underneath the baby, wrapping the baby in the clothes and rolling the clothes up in a log style roll and laying them next to the baby. This method tries to trick the baby into thinking that you are still there.

16. Warm Blankets

Babies love to be warm. You can put a blanket, towel, their bed sheet, or even your clothes (from #15) into the dryer and try to wrap them in it, lay them on it, or roll it up in a log style roll next to them. I felt very silly putting a shirt that had spit up on it into the dryer, and then into my babies crib, but if it helps both of us get some sleep I would be a very happy mommy!

17. Lay a Pillow Next To Them

If you put a pillow or a rolled up blanket next to them, it helps to trick them into thinking that someone is still laying with them.

18. The Cry It Out Method

I personally, don't believe in this. When Emma got out of the hospital she had jaundice, so she had to be on a bellibed (looks like a baby tanning bed) all day. The longer she was on there the more she hated it. But the doctor simply explained to me that crying doesn't hurt her, and that she would eventually stop. The truth is: Hearing them cry hurts you more than it hurts them. Babies need to know its bed time, and that they are not going to be held all the time. Put them in their bed asleep, if they wake up leave them for 5 -10 minutes. If they stop, or sound like they might be falling asleep but the cry again, start counting all over. If you have to go get them, put them back to sleep, and do the process over. It might take a week or so, but eventually, they will stop crying so much. But at least they know you will always come back for them. 

19. Car Rides

This may be the most overused new baby fear, that you will have to drive them around in the middle of the night. Emma would fall right asleep in the car and most of the time, she stayed asleep in her car seat when we carried it in somewhere. She would cry when you slowed down or stopped at red light. I would be lying if I said I didn't drive her around a couple times at 3 or 6 am. Car rides work, but use them as a last resort. You don't want your baby getting dependent on falling asleep like that.

20. Let Them Sleep With You

Many people love co-sleeping. I wasn't comfortable with it, it made me more nervous and woke everyone up a lot more. I won't lie. She would spit up on my bed, kick me, and one time she leaked through her diaper and I woke up with my face laying on a wet bed sheet. The only good thing was that she slept a lot longer, I didn't have to get up through the night and that I knew she was safe. She also learned to fall asleep on her own, which may have helped her in the long run. 

DIY Garbage Disposal Cleaner

This is such a great an easy way to clean your garbage disposal. It will leave your sink smelling fresh! I keep these in my freezer and use them once a week or if I put a lot of food down the garbage disposal. By blending the ice it keeps the blades sharp, the vinegar cleans it out, and the lemon leaves a fresh scent that you can smell right away! 

What You Will Need:

An ice cube tray

1 lemon

Distilled White Vinegar

How To Make:

1. Cut the lemon in small enough wedges where it can fit into the ice cube slots in your ice cube tray (its fine if it sticks out of the top)

2. Place the lemon wedge into the ice cube slots and fill with the white vinegar.

3. After they are frozen, place one in your garbage disposal and turn on (Blending the ice keeps the blades sharp). Use one ice cube every week to keep it clean and fresh smelling! 

Photo: cutoutandkeep.net

Loaded Baked Potato Soup for the Crock Pot

This is a great weeknight soup. It's inexpensive and it goes in the crock pot!

This makes enough for about 3 servings, so you may want to double the recipe for more to eat. 

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 lbs of russet potatoes, washed (not peeled), and diced into 1/2inch cubes

1/2 of a large yellow onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic minced (or 2 1/2 teaspoon of jarred garlic)

32 oz (4 cups) of chicken stock or broth

8 oz of cream cheese, softened

Salt and Pepper 

Optional Toppings:

Cheddar Cheese

Crumbled Bacon or Bacon Bits

Green Onions

Directions:

1. Combine the potatoes, onion, garlic, and chicken stock into the crock pot

2. Add salt and pepper to taste

3. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours

4. Combine the softened cream cheese and about 3/4 of the soup in a blender, and blend until smooth.

5. Pour the blended soup back into the crock pot and stir (this allows the soup to still have some hunks of potatoes in it!)

6. Serve with any of the optional toppings

Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted and Photo From: mamalovesfood.com

Chicken Tortilla Soup for the Crock Pot

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of our favorite meals to eat. Its super easy to make, and it goes in the crock pot. The toppings are just suggestions, you can use whatever you like. This recipe makes enough for 3-4 (depending on how much your family eats), so you may want to double it for more people. 

Ingredients: 

2 large boneless skinless Chicken Breasts

1 can of Diced Tomatoes

1 can of Diced Tomatoes with chilies

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of corn, drained

1 small can of tomato paste

1 envelope of taco seasoning

Topping Suggestions:

Sour Cream

Cheddar Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Directions:

1. Combine the diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with chilies, black beans, corn tomato past and taco seasoning in the crock pot. 

2. Put the chicken breasts on the top (don't stir)

3. Cook the soup on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 3-4 hours

4. About 30 mins before you are ready to eat, take the chicken breasts out and shred the meat, using two forks. 

5. Put the chicken back into the soup and stir

6. Let the soup cook for 30 more minutes

7. Top the soup with sour cream and cheddar cheese and serve with tortilla chips

Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted and Photo Source: theredbirdlife.com

Sausage and Rice Casserole

This is a favorite at my house for dinner. Its an easy weeknight casserole, that only has four ingredients. We usually serve this with a salad or some kind of vegetable. It works great to make ahead of time and freeze to give to someone else or to just have it ready to put in the oven when it needs to be cooked.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of sausage

1 box of Chicken Rice-A-Roni

1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup or 1 cup Sour Cream

2 cups of Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350º

2. Cook the rice according to the directions on the box.

3. Cook the sausage, the rinse and drain.

4. In a bowl, combine the cooked rice, cooked sausage and the soup

5. Transfer mixture into a casserole dish 

6. Top the casserole with the Cheddar Cheese, trying to keep it even

7. Place in oven for about 15 minutes until all the cheese has melted 

Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted and Photo Source: you-can-make-that.com

Baby's First Painted Pumpkin

So Halloween was coming up and I wanted to make a great 1st pumpkin for Emma. 

I had the idea to do a pumpkin with her initials on it and her hands and foot prints.
I'm not a big fan of carving pumpkins, its too messy and not little kid friendly. So I decided to paint her pumpkin so she could help with it! I love painting pumpkins, we will be doing this every year from now on.

What you will need: 

Ribbon

Base color paint (Pink)

Writing color paint (White)

Paint Brushes

Glitter Paint

Pumpkin

You can choose whatever colors and ribbons you want to use! All the products I used were bought at t craft store (besides the pumpkin). 

I started by painting the pumpkin pink and letting it dry, then I repeated until it had about 3 coats of paint on it. Next, I painted the stem of the pumpkin. I used a silver glitter paint that I found at our local craft store, but any color will do. Then, I took a pencil and very lightly drew the outline of her initial, the letter "E". I painted over the pencil with the white paint and tried to make all the lines even. I had to put a few coats of the white so that the pink wouldn't show through. Then Emma got to help. I put her in her high chair and painted her foot with the white paint. Then, I pressed her foot onto the pumpkin. I didn't come out perfect, so I took the paint brush and went over it, and put more coats on it. Then, I painted her hand and did the same process. Any mistakes can be fixed with more pink paint to touch it up. Once all of that was done, I added some polka dots to the back and princess swirls in the top around the stem, again doing multiple coats. Then I tied the ribbon in a bow on the top (picked out to match the paint). 

It was a great first pumpkin! It's something that even though she was only 9 months old, she had a hand (and foot) in making. :) She kept trying to pick it up, but we left it on the table out of her reach. She loved getting picked up to look at! 

You could also do a fake plastic pumpkin as a keepsake of your babies 1st pumpkin. The real pumpkins are a lot cheaper, though. Good Luck! :)

Happy Halloween Everyone! :)

Please comment if you used this as an inspiration for your own child's pumpkin, or post a picture of the completed project! Thanks for visiting! :)

Spinach and Chicken Alfredo Lasgana Roll-Ups

Ingredients:
8 Lasagna Noodles
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 10 oz package of frozen, chopped spinach [thawed] 
1 Pint of Part-skim Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Tsp of Salt
1 Egg
1 Container of Garlic Alfredo Sauce [or homemade recipe below]
2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. Spread 3/4 of the Alfredo Sauce onto the bottom of a 8X12 baking dish

3. Cook the noodles according to package directions, drain the noodles and then put them in cold water after they are done, to keep them from sticking to each other and to cool them off. [I usually cook 1 or 2 extra noodles, because some will break]

4. In a large sauce pan on medium-high heat, heat the oil, and cook the spinach until tender

5. Remove pan from heat and stir in the shredded chicken, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, salt and egg

6. Lay the noodles flat on the counter [use wax paper to clean up easier]

7. Put a small layer of the chicken and spinach mixture on each of the noodles

8. Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining Alfredo Sauce on top of the roll-ups and top with the mozzarella cheese

9. Cover the pan with foil

10. Bake for 30 minutes, so that the cheese is melted and bubbly

Enjoy! :)

Homemade Garlic Alfredo Sauce [recommended]:

1/2 cup of butter

3 oz of cream cheese

2 tsp of minced garlic

1 cup of milk

salt and pepper 

2/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Directions: 

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add the cream cheese and whisk until melted and smooth

3. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 mins, stirring often

4. Add the milk and the salt and pepper to taste, let cook for 10-15 mins until the sauce starts to get thick

5.  Take off the heat and whisk in the parmesan cheese until smooth 

Recipe Adapted and Photo From: fabfatale.com