Top Tips For A Successful Bedtime Story

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TomTom have recently conducted a study which shows that 65% of parents believe that reading to their child is important for their progression, yet a third of parents never read their child a bedtime story.

I personally find this incredibly sad, as a bedtime story is such a wonderful part of childhood and not only helps to develop the parent-child bond, but also fills a child's head full of calm thoughts before a good night's sleep, and can model not only an excellent writing style and good vocabulary, but help them to process many everyday situations and explore solutions for it.

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"All Was Quiet…" 'Gruffalo's Child' Pyjamas (Review)

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The Summer in Britain is a tricky one when it comes to children, particularly at night. They're either too hot and become sweaty, or the temperature plummets at night (like it has done in the past week) and then they are left cold and shivering in the middle of the night.

When The Boy was a baby, I spent a long time seeking out the lightest tog duvet I could find for him, and combined with either a bodysuit or a t-shirt that would be all he'd have on at night. As he's grown older, his bedding has changed to a duvet and therefore so have the types of pyjamas he wears; he wears a short pyjama set from around May until the beginning of September, when he switches back to long sleeves and long legged nightwear. [Read more…]

What's The Point Of A Bedtime Book?

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For the past four years, since The Boy was six months old, we've had the same bedtime routine every night; no electronic devices or television from 5.30p.m. onwards, dinner, play a calming game, upstairs for a bath (every alternate night), pyjamas, first book, brush teeth, kisses and cuddles good night from the adult not doing bedtime, second book, lights out.

I feel very strongly that children's minds need to 'wind down' at the end of the day to enable them to sleep peacefully, and for me that means no stimulation from a television or a mobile device. Setting a peaceful tone and giving children the opportunity to make sense of their days and the world in which they live.

As a baby, the consistency of our bedtime routine sent The Boy silent signals about what the time of day was and what was going to happen. As a school-aged child the routine is just as important, but for very different reasons.

Reading good quality fiction is an essential tool for many reasons; not only is it a bonding experience between the child and the adult, but it also helps develop the child's imagination and their vocabulary. The Boy is an early stage reader who is progressing really well with the amount of words that he is beginning to recognise by sight. Children learn through modelling and exploration; seeing an adult decode words, using expression and fluency, recognising punctuation and using it appropriately, are all important skills that children pick up from story time. Doing all of this at bedtime enables the child time to process what they've just witnessed.

It also sends them off the land of nod with lots of lovely ideas for dreams!

According to a survey of 35,000 8 – 16 year olds by The National Literacy Trust, only 28% of children read daily in 2012. This genuinely shocks me, although I can see how the busy lifestyle of working parents makes it difficult to fit in, I don't feel that it is impossible; surely bedtime reading is the perfect time to read together? Both Mr. TBaM and I love reading and have heaving bookshelves, we can't imagine The Boy not wanting to do the same!

To help us with our bedtime routine of nurturing a love of reading, Marks and Spencer sent us a wonderful selection of books along with some warm, brushed cotton pyjamas (in a lovely presentation box complete with a cuddly teddy).

Marks and Spencers bedtime

The Boy has really taken to the First Readers books which are designed to be read with an adult (one page an adult, one page a child) and thoroughly enjoys trying to read some of the words on 'our' pages. And as for the pyjamas? How cute and cosy does he look?

I was sent the pyjamas and books to help support this reading and writing project with The Boy, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gro-Clock (Review)

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Earlier this year on twitter I expressed mild irritation concern at The Boy's inability to stay asleep in the early hours of the morning. He was going through a phase of waking at around 5.30am and not going back to sleep; we were all exhausted and life was becoming quite unbearable! Many, many people stepped forward and suggested a sleep training clock, and The Gro Company stepped in to send us a Gro Clock to try out on him.

Words cannot express how grateful I am to the wonderful folk of twitter and the ingenius person who invented the Gro Clock, for changing my son's early morning sleeping habits.

The Gro Clock is a small white clock made up of a circular display with digital images on it. During daytime or 'waking' hours it shows a yellow screen with an overlaid image of a smiling and awake sun, but at nighttime or 'sleeping hours' it displays a soothing blue screen with a snoozing star to remind a stirring child that it's still sleepy time. The adult sets the acceptable waking time in the clock and, once the nighttime button has been pressed to change the screen from the sun to the sleeping star, the display will continue to show the sleeping star (with miniature countdown stars around the outside edge) until the clock has reached the time set. At this point the sun wakes back up and takes over the display with the yellow background again.

With the clock comes a wonderful story which explains the way that it works via a setting of a pig who lives on a farm and is grumpy because he doesn't have enough sleep. This is a wonderful story, beautifully illustrated and it really explains to the children the important of getting enough sleep.

The Boy took to the clock very quickly and it has become firmly embedded into our bedtime routine. He understood the point of it very quickly, and it took around a month for him to realise that if it was still blue then it wasn't time to be awake. We did have a random week early on where The Boy would wake up and rather than go back to sleep he would lie awake waiting for it to change to yellow. As he had no idea how long it would be (and sometimes it was an hour!), this was a particularly infuriating point of the training. However, it then took a month for him to train himself to go back to sleep, with consistent reiteration from us that if the screen was blue he had to close his eyes again. Once he'd understood it and 'got the hang of it', then we were able to change wake-up time from 6 o'clock to 6.45am. This took another month as we took it very slowly and only changed it by an extra ten minutes or so each week.

We're now eight months on from starting to use the Gro Clock and I could not recommend it strongly enough to parents of toddlers or older children! Every time we go away (even if only for one night), the clock comes with us. It is so reassuring to hear The Boy tell me that he saw the clock was blue and so he went back to sleep!

The Gro Clock is available from a variety of high street stores or online directly for £29.99.

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Days 62-68 of Project 365

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62-68 of 365

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62. Shoot! (These are the seeds we planted a week ago in our gardening play table. They've really shot up, which means that I now have to find somewhere to move them to so they can acclimatise to the outside temperature. However, look to the back, the middle seed label was written by The Boy.)

63. The Sands of Time (We went for a long walk and cycle along Cardiff Bay Barrage today and played in the pirate play park there. We were the only people in the park for quite some time, which meant that The Boy had free rein over the sandy, sunken, pirate ship.)

64. Lick! (The first ice-cream of the year down the beach! The Boy had an eye-test today and he was meant to have eyedrops to test for a stigmatism, however because he held so still and was compliant during the test, he didn't need the drops which I was very relieved about. As a result it meant we were able to nip down to the beach and enjoy an ice-cream on the pier with nana.)

65. Bed Fellows (The Boy looked so peaceful when I went to check on him at midnight, so calm and serene. Oliver Monkey is never far away, and the week wouldn't be complete without a sleeping photo!)

66. Bubbles at Bathtime! (We had an extra long bathtime tonight where we had the bubble machine out, a pot of bubbles and the underwater light – all to remember a special little girl who loved bubbles.)

67. Catch The Pigeon! (Remember the Wacky Races song? Our weekly cycle ride along the pier was just like a scene from that today. The pier was deserted aside from a few elderly couples having their 'daily constitutional' and one or two brave pigeons. I say brave because once The Boy saw them he was determined to scare them away, something that made the grannies and grandads chuckle at!)

68.Splat! (We've been to Nymans for a National Trust event today as we are helping to promote the 50 Things To Do Before You're 11 and ¾ campaign. More to follow on this, and I've had to add this photo in at the last minute so please forgive any editing errors in this post!)

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Achieving Sleep

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I make no secret of, or apology for, the fact that we nursed The Boy to sleep until he was gone two years old. Yes that was a long time, and yes I do (partly) wish we hadn't, so you at the back over there reading this with your judgemental face on can cut it out! Walk a mile in my shoes and all that!

It didn't start out that way; I intended for him to go to sleep independently from the word go but babies make a habit of falling asleep in your arms. And in my defense he was always put down fully awake in his cot at bedtime, he'd fall asleep under the mobile and everything was fine and dandy. A series of colds over the course of his first Winter saw us slip into the habit of nursing him to sleep and, in all honesty, it was just too damned lovely to break the habit.

However, one day enough was enough, and with the advice of a sleep expert (from Pampers originally) we developed a routine to get him to go to sleep by himself without the use of the dreaded controlled crying that I detest so much. This started to go well but unfortunately she was no longer at hand to help out and that's when I found Jo Tantum on twitter. I actually think she may have found me first and I glanced at her profile thinking she was more than likely one of those people using twitter to promote and not actually help. How wrong I was! I asked a question to the general twitterverse one day and she answered it. Ever since Jo has helped me out with queries about sleep training, potty training and reassuring me about whether to start night-time training or not. She's friendly and non-judgemental, genuinely.

I want to share some information with you about babies, parents and sleep that has been collated by BabyHuddle. Their survey has shown that "nearly 70% of parents are rocking their babies to sleep in order to get some well-earned rest." I can completely understand that, although I will hasten to add that The Boy was never a bad-settler at bedtime. However, the hands-on approach (like mine) seems to be the preferred option for new parents rather than a non-contact approach like "pushing the pram round the house, driving the car around the block and singing nursery rhymes."

Now being honest, I would rather not be walking around the block or driving around and around (like my own parents had to) at midnight, and luckily I never needed to (before the nursing began). However, The Boy's mobile was a Godsend and it was the reliable method to help The Boy get to sleep, even now.

Jo (who has written ‘Baby Secrets’) says:

“Rocking a new baby to sleep is beneficial for bonding and breastfeeding, but as your baby gets older it leads to the baby needing that same sleep prop every time they want a nap in the day, or in order to sleep at night. If they wake up in the night, they will need that rocking again then, and since the parent is the one who has provided it, it usually leads to sleep deprivation and exhaustion in Mum and Dad, not to mention a bad back as your baby gets older and heavier!”

And she's right, because it took us a long time to break the habit of nursing him to sleep. We did manage to through the programmes and support we were given by two sleep experts. And not one tear was shed (apart from mine at my baby growing up)!

I'd like another baby and the question that has crossed my mind is, "Would I do bedtime differently?"

"Yes!" is the answer. While The Boy now goes to sleep by himself, if he wakes in the night he is ill equipped to get back to sleep without one of us nipping in and reassuring him; we're all a bit shattered to be honest!

More on the survey can be found on blog.babyhuddle.com. You can follow Babyhuddle on twitter or Facebook.  To find more on ‘Jo Tantum’s Spaced Soothing Technique’ visit www.babysecretsltd.com or follow @jotantum for free advice on twitter.

Goose Bedding (Review)

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I seem to post a lot of photos of my son asleep in his toddler bed; mainly because I can't believe how quickly he is growing and changing, where did the last three years go? However, it's no wonder that I was asked to review a duvet set, and more recently a bedding set.

The Boy was sent a feather duvet and pillow set from Goose, who have created a range of feather and duck down bedding for our little goslings!

I'll put my hands up now and admit to having always disliked sleeping under feather duvets, mainly because my one main experience was in my inlaws' house and I always found that the feathers slumped down to the bottom of the cover overnight, leaving my feet boiling and my shoulders freezing.

However, when I read about the 'technology' behind Goose bedding, I was happy to give it a go and be proven wrong. Anything to try and keep The Boy sleeping longer in the morning, and for us to regain the hours of sleep that we crave.

I'm a big fan of sleep and will happily sleep anywhere, but it transpires that for us to get the best quality sleep (which is after all what we want for our little ones to help them grow) we need to maintain an even body and skin temperature. It seems obvious when stated, but clearly when we get too cold or too hot it disturbs our sleep and we either throw off the duvet covers or try and snuggle in more. In the middle of the night, when our body temperature drops, this is even more important. The natural materials (like the lightweight 100% cotton casing and 100% down fillings) used in Goose bedding result in reduced moisture levels (approximately 80% of perspired moisture during sleep is transported through the duvet and evaporates; the duvet acts like a filter in a way), helping to maintain the right temperature and a better quality, deeper sleep. And because they use natural materials, they are more breathable; down fillings offer three or four more air circulation than synthetic fibres, making it lightweight, breathable and allowing moisture (and nasty bacteria) to escape more easily.

With a family history of eczema and asthma, allergies are something that concerns me. However, most allergies come from house or dust mites (or rather their excrement), but they are nigh on impossible to avoid with modern living arrangements. The advantage to Goose duvets in this case, is that dust mites do not feed on feather or down. The tightly woven casing of the duvet works as a barrier preventing the house dust mites from penetrating the fabric, and stops the down from sticking in little (human) bodies while they sleep.

children's duvets

The photo on the right looks a little odd, but I wanted to show this to you. When I help the duvet up to shake it out, the light shone through and I realised that at regular intervals all over the duvet outer, there are small sections sewn together which obviously hold the shape correctly. Furthermore, they prevent the feathers from working their way down to the bottom. Impressive.

Both the pillow and the duvet are fluffy and plump, much softer than the normal bedding that The Boy has on his bed. We put them on his bed on Friday night and it's like a miracle; he has slept soundly every night since, waking up after 7.30am each morning! The Boy is obviously very comfortable while asleep, and I've noticed that the pillow retains its shape really well during his nightime gymnastics (which are also less as he sleeps more soundly).

I like the plumpness of the bedding, the quality feel to it, the fact that it's breathable and helps him to sleep better. It's also machine washable, making it practical with a pre-schooler. The duvet is perfect for his toddler bed, measuring 120x150cm, and is a 4 tog duvet which is great for all-year round bedding.

And what better review point can I make than highlighting that my son is sleeping longer in the morning?

The Goose down duvet (4 Tog) measuring 120x150cm costs £48 and the feather & down pillow measuring 57x35cm costs £18. Available from Goose Bedding and Not On The High Street.

I was sent this set for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Cosy & Cute Children's Bedding (Review)

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I took great pride and pleasure in designing The Boy's bedroom, aiming to make it an attractive place to be that was soothing and would nurture his imagination. It's painted in muted colours but still bright and attractive, and every leaf was painted with love.

We were recently asked if we'd like to receive some new bedding for his recently converted cotbed, and I was more than happy to select this beautiful toddler bedding with a farmyard design.

We love it! It fits perfectly in with the design of his bedroom; bright and colourful, fun and friendly.

Made from 100% cotton, the set includes a duvet cover measuring 120x150cm and a toddler/cotbed-sized pillowcase. The pillowcase is printed on both sides, the duvet on one side. It fits The Boy's bed perfectly and he is snuggly and cosy tucked up in side. Machine washable and easy to iron, this is an excellent duvet set which has replaced our previous Hungry Caterpillar favourite!

Children's Rooms.co.uk sell a range of toddler bedding with something to suit every taste: character bedding, gender-specific, gender-neutral, and a selection of plain colours. They also have a range of toddler beds and mattresses at extremely reasonable prices. I'm already eyeing up another set and contemplating The Boy's next big-boy bed.

We were sent these products for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

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