What is your child's bedtime routine?
We have a 15 mo old boy and he wakes up around 6:30 am. He still takes two naps a day (around 9am and another around 2pm.)We start bedtime at 7pm. We read him a small stack of books in the rocking chair, turn the light off, daddy says the bedtime prayer and then we lay him in his crib. He sleeps through the night wonderfully.
He does have a weather radio in his room that makes white noise and we play a cd when we 1st put him down. We just changed the Beegie Adair Christmas jazz piano http://www.beegieadair.com/music.html to Stacy Jagger folk music http://www.stacyjagger.com/categories/music/music.htm (Listen to Dreamland Tree #7). I think it really helps his imaginations and helps him to feel not so alone.
My son is four, and we do bath then, depending on time, he has play time with Daddy and/or a movie. Then Daddy brushes his teeth and Mommy reads a Bible story. We also practice Bible verses he is learning at church. We all say prayers together, then he turns on his aquarium light and his music, a lullaby CD.
I have a 17 month old. She will be 18 months on the 15th of this month. Our routine is basically the same. We don't have music in her room at night. We still have her in her crib and have a mobil that plays music. I am in no hurry to get rid of the crib and she is small so she still fits just fine. When she goes to bed at 7ish and believe me she is always tired at that time... she will wake up at 6:00 or 6:30 too.
We have been trying to keep her up later (ab0ut 8ish) so she will sleep a little longer so I can work the midnight shift and make a little extra money to get out of debt. I want her to sleep till at least 7:30 when I get home.
Now she only takes 1 nap a day.. so you are so LUCKY to have him take a nap 2 times a day. She needs one because she gets grouchy when she is tired but won't lay down and sleep for nothing but one time.
So you aren't way off from everyone else's schedule. Our only little ritual is that she loves her baths and takes one everynight. She goes under water and opens her eyes and can hold her breath for 11 secons and swims up a storm. This is very unusual for a 17 month old to do this and she has been going under water and holding her breath since she was 12 months at least if not earlier. I think that she is going to be a swimmer... maybe in the olympics... LOL... I don't know!
But a bath is her winding down time although it doesn't seem to wind down... it gets rather wild in there because she wants us to clap at every underwater adventure. But she knows it is bedtime after that. I still give her a bottle. The dr said take it away but that is her relaxing time and she enjoys that before bed so we rock and sing and just have eye contact and smiles with a bottle before bed. She is usually awake when we lay her down but never fusses... she may get up and talk to her stuffed animals in the bed with her because we hear her on the monitor but she will go to sleep on her own. Other than that..... I think that is the normal for that age. I just think that you are VERY LUCKY to have him still take 2 naps. What I would give for Olivia to do that!
I have a similar routine. I put my daughter(2 yrs) and son(11 months) down around 9pm, sometimes alittle early if they did not nap. They get a bath, my daughter loves to take a bath, at 7 pm. Then they watch a movie(usually Mary Poppins). After that I read a stack of books to them and put them down. We play classical music for them while they sleep. I alternate between piano and violin music.
I just had to respond! My kids are both grown (two boys), but their bedtime routine was exactly like your son's!!! My oldest son listened to Vivaldi as he went to sleep and my younger son listened to a children's CD called "Something's Up Down in Bethlehem". They both sill run fans at night for the sound.
The reason I had to respond is you sound like a very interesting person, I love the way you describe yourself! No wonder you have lots of great friends! You and I are alot alike, actually, except I like white wine and I am NOT allergic to animals - and I feel sorry for people who are, but it sounds like you have learned to compensate for not being able to have pets. I bet your son will grow up to be an amazing young man. God bless.
