I always heard when Noah was an infant how important a bedtime routine was. Newborns don’t really have any sense of day or night, but was told to try to develop a habit early and they would eventually adapt to it. Our nighttime routine has changed a little bit since Noah is now in full throttle toddler years, but there have been some things that have stayed consistent. We have consistently read to him since he was 6 weeks old, there isn’t anything cuter than a book in his chubby little fingers!

After dinner, our bedtime routine starts around 6pm with “quiet time”, which means he gets a choice of show. We really like Dora the Explorer (lot’s of Spanish too), Daniel Tiger and Thomas the Engine right now. At 6:30pm, we have a bath, brush our teeth, read two books and sing two songs. He is usually in bed by 7:30pm, with the noise machine on (This is an absolute must! We even travel with it for overnight trips). We try to stick with it and he is now reminding us if we forget any part (that’s the cutest). I think whatever your nighttime routine is, it’s important to be consistent. Toddlers are so observant and will definitely notice when part of your normal routine is missing.

He started sleeping through the night at 13 weeks and has been sleeping around 12-13 hours a night (we did sleep train him, but that’s a whole other post). But we are lucky! Who knows what baby #2 might do. All babies are so different and go through so many stages. It definitely depends on our night, but it’s so helpful to have a clear routine to make sure we all get a good nights sleep.

Our Delta Glider is a favorite of mine. We have such a small room and it’s narrow enough to fit, but still comfortable to sit in for hours and nurse.

Our favorite books: 

Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?  by Brianna Caplan Sayres, illustrated by Christian Slade

For any vehicle-obsessed little ones (I hear the word “truck” in one day more than I can count) can expect repeat requests for this story at bedtime. From diggers and dump trucks to tractors and cranes, sweet rhymes about familiar bedtime routines gently lull trucks (and kids) off to sleep.

My Big Animal Book by Roger Priddy

Two-year-olds love animals, and this giant board book might be his favorite. It groups animals into various categories such as pets and farm animals. Toddlers will recognize their favorite animals and learn some new ones too. Noah loves to point and quiz me, just to make sure I didn’t forget any of them 🙂

Where is Baby’s Belly Button by Karen Katz.

We actually got this for a baby shower gift and was one of the first books to read to him. This not only teaches primary and secondary body parts, the lift-the-flap book is the best part of it. This is apart of a series and they are all engaging.

Pirate Pete Polly-Potty Training for Boys 

If you have been following me for awhile, you know we have been trying to potty train  (but really that can be a whole other conversation or two itself) Noah for awhile. It hasn’t been easy, but Noah is at least entertained by pressing the cheering button when he attempts to go. Maybe it helps, but either way, it’s his potty reading material.

Teeth are Not for Biting by Elizabeth Verdick

Our nanny (when I was working full time) bought this for Noah. Yes, we went through a rough biting phase. I have to say, I think this book really helped. The visuals really showed Noah how it can hurt other children and he has grown out of it. Although, it’s frightening for parents to have to deal with it. This book is a must for all biters.

Our favorite bath toys:

Surprisingly, we’ve had all these toys since he was younger. We got many of them from our registry. I found bath equipment was best for gifts because it’s one of those things people love to buy you and you may not always want to buy for yourself.

This bath kneeler is nice when we are having longer baths and I found that it’s nice when grandparents watch Noah. They love this! It keeps the shampoo and wash organized nicely, folds up and keeps everything in one place.

The toys all came together with washcloths and a container that works as a rain shower too. He loves the toys and has played with them since he was 6 months, he still isn’t bored with them. Although, he is now adding more and more toys to the bath.

You can see some other bathtime and baby things here.

Although our routine might vary from day to day, these is an outline of what our night looks like. In a few months, it might all change when Noah sister arrives, but we will figure it out 🙂

Thanks for reading and you can follow me on Instagram here. And as always, thank for reading,

Until next time…

Christine

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