Read these 10 Sleep Time and Bath Time for Baby Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Baby tips and hundreds of other topics.
If you are going to be at your current house for the long run, then you might consider non-permanent decorating when first getting the nursery together. Of course it's exciting to get the baby's room ready and decorated just right, but try not to use too many permanent items. You can get a great looking nursery with a flexible design that will easily transition into a toddler's and later an older child's room.
Use removable wall stickers and keep the wall colors light so they can be easily painted over. Also, don't go overboard with the furniture and just stick to the basics, once your child is a toddler you can start stocking the room with new dressers and shelves that reflect his style.
If you buy a convertible crib that later becomes a toddler bed, try to get it in a light wood color or white, this way it can be painted later to match the room decor you and your older child will decide on.
Some babies love to sleep and do so very easily. Others can take a long time or may be tired but too restless to fall sleep. A good tactic to calm them down and get them relaxed is to rub their forehead. This doesn't always work, but it's worth a try and it does seem to calm babies.
Rub their forehead very softly in a circular motion, you can also sing to them while doing this. Try it for a few minutes and most likely your little one will be very relaxed and more susceptible to sleep.
In the beginning your baby won't know how to put the pacifier back into her mouth once it falls out. So you may find yourself getting up a couple of times a night when she awakes because her beloved binky has dropped out to the side and needs it put back in. But don't despair, soon enough she will figure out how to get the binky back into her mouth anytime she needs it. You may start to see her trying to do this by the age of four-five months or so.
When she learns to grab her own paci a good idea is to place 4 or 5 of them in the crib, this way when she's half asleep in the dark and the binky falls out, she can grab around and feel for one; with a few of them in there, chances are she will find one. As she grows accustomed to this she won't cry out anymore for you to go fetch the paci for her, but she will happily get it on her own.
Nursery decorating can be a lot of fun. There are so many ways to decorate it, though, that you may not know which way to go. One easy way to get a great baby room is to pick one already made up fromt the store. But if you prefer to have fun and come up with an original room, here are some ideas:
These are just a few ideas to make it easier, you can pick from these or add your own touches to them or make your own theme. You can find most of the items like themed wall paper, wall stickers or spot rugs on the Internet. Just do a Google search and you'll get quite a few to choose from.
Naps are very important for babies and toddlers. In the first months of life a baby will spend much if his time sleeping, this is necessary and it is good for him to replenish his energy as he uses lots of it at this stage. From 1 to 3 months babies should sleep about 15 total hours and get 3 naps during the day. From 3 to 9 months they should be getting about 14 hours and napping twice daily. Then from 9 to about 16 months they should sleep 13 to 14 total hours with two naps. From 16 months to 3 years babies should be sleeping 11 total hours with just one nap. These are general figures as each child is different so adjust it to what suits you and your baby best. Also keep in mind that the total hours of sleep include nap time hours.
You will also find that when your baby gets his naps he will sleep better at night. When babies get overtired they tend to get cranky and find it hard to calm down and fall asleep.
Most babies love baths, splashing and playing with the water is a great way for them to learn not to be afraid of it. Another way to add to the fun is by getting a few good toys for the bath. Not only can bath toys make for a playful time, but the right ones can also help with the baby's development.
Here is a list of some toys that will keep your baby entertained while learning all through bath time:
Bath time can be a fun and educational time that your baby will always look forward to.
Creating a completely safe baby nursery is essential before bringing your baby home. The following is a list of things that you can do to ensure a safe baby environment:
These are just a few ideas to get you started on safe and secure baby nursery. The best way to analyze a room for safety is to get down on the floor and crawl around looking for hazards, just as your baby would.
Babies do not need to be bathed every day. They don't really get dirty except for when they go to the bathroom, but they do that in a diaper and they get wiped multiple times a day so the area stays pretty clean.
It's up to you when you want to give baby a bath, but there is nothing wrong in doing so twice or three times a week. As the baby gets older and starts walking, then you may need to increase the frequency of her baths. Once babies start walking and playing outside they are more prone to getting themselves dirty, especially if they like to get into everything.
Of course, once they start to go to day care or pre-school, then it is a good idea to implement a daily bath.
It's fine to bathe your baby in the kitchen sink or the baby bathtub until she's simply too big to fit. By then she should be able to sit up on her own and you can start using the big bathtub. It's a good idea to get some non-slip mats to put down the floor of the tub so your baby stays put without slipping. Also, don't fill the tub too high with water; keep it to the level of her belly or so.
It's also a good idea to get some floaty toys to keep the baby entertained while in the tub. You may also want to get a kneepad for yourself so it's more comfortable as you kneel over the tub.
And of course as you well know, never, ever leave your baby unattended in the tub or near any water.
Bath time is fun for many babies. They like splashing the water and playing with their bath toys. Of course, you probably have the little plastic tub and all the baby shampoos and soaps for a thorough bath. But when you are in a pinch and need baby cleaned fast you may not have time to get all those things set up.
A good and fast way to get the baby clean is to put him right in the kitchen sink. Just lay a couple of towels town and sit the baby right on top of them; turn the water on to lukewarm and go to town! This way you can get him cleaned quickly and easily when you are in a hurry to go out, or if he's had a diaper explosion and you need a quick cleanup.
*If your bathroom sink is big enough you can use that one as well.