our family grace: bedtime

I'm so sad that this is our last One Year and Beyond Link-up...but fingers crossed and we could do round two!

real life iPhone photo of Bug during naptime. yes, her nursery is a mess. it is what it is.

Today's toddler battle is all about bedtime. Bug's bedtime has changed over the past few months. We've gone from having a late bedtime, to an early bedtime, and then to a bedtime right in the middle. Why do we switch so much? To try and find what fits for Bug.

I originally wanted her bedtime to be around 7:30. But she didn't appreciate that, and I found that she would be up more throughout the night and she didn't have a restful night of sleep. It ended up being rougher on both of us, because I would be the one that was up and soothing her.

Then her bedtime seemed to center around 9:00. That was not going to fly for this mama. I had stuff to do and I needed to get some sleep too. So we battled with the 9:00 o'clock bedtime for a while.

Finally, we settled on an 8:00 o'clock bedtime. This seemed to sit well with both Bug and me. We start our bedtime routine at 7:00 and start off with a sink bath. She loves her sink baths and I let her play for as long as she would like, normally around 15-20 minutes. After that, we get our pajamas on and grab a blankie and paci. Then, we turn off all the lights and cuddle on the couch. At this time she brings me book after book to read or stuffed animal after stuffed animal to cuddle with. It's generally a quiet time that we just share together. When 8:00 o'clock comes around, I tell her it's time to go to bed and off she goes to her room. This is a new thing, but by her going to her room on her own, it shows me that she really is ready for bed and helps with the transition. Once we're in her room, we'll either rock and pray or I'll sway with her and pray. Then it's time for goodnight kisses and I lay her down in her crib and ask her to "dream big for Mommy." I think that's her favorite part because she always smiles, nods enthusiastically, and giggles.

Bedtime really is such a sweet and special time. I personally love putting my little girl to bed, and I hope she wants me to tuck her in for as long as possible!

Now, we're trying to transition to her from her crib. Originally, we were going to go with a toddler bed and that seemed to be working out well. Then she got sick for a month and reverted back to her crib. Now whenever I attempt to put her in the toddler bed she freaks out. So we're thinking about switching game plans and moving her straight to a twin bed...I imagine our bedtime routine will change when we make that transition. Also, it'll change once little guy gets here. But, I'm hoping and the plan is to still set aside time for Bug and I to enjoy bedtime, just the two of us.