Emerald Baby is now offering a blog where you can read articles for your ‘Baby At Bedtime’. We welcome you to offer your ideas, suggestions, comments and experiences with others. A new article will be posted frequently to start the discussion, however, wherever you take the discussion as it deals with ‘Baby At Bedtime’ is most welcome!
Try a Bedtime Baby Foot Massage!
What better way to get your little one relaxed, calm and ready for sleep than to give those cute little feet of theirs a massage!
Here are some great tips and ideas…
1. Whether your little one is two months old or two years old, a foot massage can be the perfect way to connect with them and help them feel nurtured and taken care of.
2. You can use lotion or oil. You can even try some scented oils. Read over our previously posted blog; “‘Your Baby’s Nose Knows”.
3. 
Instead of using your whole hand or palms, you can use just your thumbs for soft, direct, controlled pressure.
4. 
Try to stay calm as your giving your little one a massage. That way your baby won’t get distracted by any tension or anxiety your feeling. Those emotions will surely get passed on to them.
5. 
Dim the lights and have the baby lullaby music playing so the transition from massage to bed is smooth. (If you haven’t yet, put a dimmer on your nursery wall switch…easy to do and you’ll use it ALL the time!)
6. Make sure both you and baby are comfortable. Use as many soft and snuggly blankets as you need. 
As always, have fun with it!
Emerald Baby wishes you and your little ones…sweet dreams!
Put Some Spring in Your Baby’s Room
A change in the season is a perfect time to change up your little ones room, even if it’s just little bit. Spring is here and what better time to celebrate than with bright, sunny decor for your little one’s room! Your mood is probably lighter and brighter so why not pass that on to their room as well! Try these tips and ideas…
1. Always think soothing and relaxing.
2. Never think busy or over- stimulating.
3. Always think simple – like simple shapes and simple borders
4. Never think really bright ANYTHING.
You can add some spring artwork to change up the scenery. 
You could try some different lighting or a new lamp. 
You can even invite in a new stuffed animal friend! 
Have fun with it and remember…Emerald Baby wishes you and your little ones Sweet Dreams!
Try Interactive Bedtime!
Here’s another way to make bedtime fun for your little ones. Try some variations on your routine with these suggestions…
1. Grab some books that have pictures and objects and ask some learning questions instead of reading out loud. How many objects are on this page? What color is the ball? Where’s the nose? This is a great way to work with them. 
2. After a few books… sing a song. The alphabet song; Twinkle Twinkle, and a classic favorite….”Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes’. This is almost guaranteed to get a few giggles, especially if you wiggle the ears and toes as you go. 
3. Pull your framed pictures off the wall or dresser and point out family members, or the eyes and ears in the photos. Use their own face in the photo! 
Have fun with it!
Emerald Baby wishes you and your little ones…Sweet Dreams!
Through Your Baby’s Eyes
Whether your little one is still in a crib or perhaps transitioning to a toddler bed with their crib mattress, have you thought about checking out their nursery from THEIR perspective?
In order to really determine if your baby is looking around and seeing what you think they are seeing, try kneeling down or squatting down to their level and taking a close look around.
Where’s the nightlight? Can they even see it or is it blocking their line of vision, or being blocked, leaving them in the dark anyway? OR, is it glaring in their eyes when they look in that direction?- Where is the bed or crib location? Are they tucked so far in the corner of the room that when they look around they only see blank walls. Perhaps there is a picture of an animal whose eyes are staring right back at them possibly startling them in the middle of the night. Try calming wall decor like this from Emerald Baby .
- What’s the room temperature? Warm air rises, so, how warm is it at your child’s level in the room. Standing where you are in the room, it may feel fine. Once you kneel down, now how warm and comfortable is it? Consider a ceiling fan for reverse circulation or a small space heater.
Are they sleeping with stuffed animals? Do they have a few stuffed animals so their crib feels cozy or do they have so many animals that their crib or bed is cluttered? If you think your little one is a little cramped consider rotating a handful of those stuffed little friends .
Bath…then Books…then Bedtime
Little ones respond well to routines. Bedtime can be the trickiest time of all and probably the best time to set up a routine and stay with it.
Try these tips for a smooth bedtime ritual.
1. Get them excited! Yes! First, have those bath toys ready to go so it’s not “Time for Bed”, but, “Time for Bath”. From bubbles to toys to a floating set of the alphabet, the start of bedtime becomes fun and educational.
2. Get them prepared. As your toweling them off you can let them know they’re going to bed soon and it’s “Time for Pajamas”. They may have favorite pajamas or you can let them choose between a couple sets. They’ll feel like they’re part of the decision.
3. Get them relaxed. Yes, now it’s time to snuggle up with them to read stories, look at pictures and point out different objects along the way. Depending on the size of the book, you may have to go through two, three or even four books. That’s okay just set a limit and stick to it.
4. Get them sleepy. Now it’s time to snuggle them in bed with lots of hug and kisses. Will they go there willingly every time? Probably not , but now you have a routine and the longer you stick with it, the sooner they know this is what to expect.
Start a new collection of books with the first in Emerald Baby’s Precious Series! The collection of twelve books has begun with Soft Kisses!
Think Stimulus For Your Baby
Babies love stimulation. When it comes to the development of your baby, exposing their senses to a variety of new experiences will enhance and facilitate their intellectual development.
Some types of sensory stimulation include:
Auditory – From hearing a parent’s voice to being lulled to sleep with a sweet lullaby, what your baby hears can comfort, soothe and stimulate.
Visual – From bright vibrant colors to shiny objects, what your baby sees enhances development through intrigue and stimulation.
Tactile – From soft, brushed fabrics to squishy animals and food, what your baby feels creates fun, curiosity and stimulation.
Stimulate your baby with the perfect Baby Stimulus Package…
by Emerald Baby.
You can visually stimulate your little one with bright, vibrant colors and a variety of animals in Soft Kisses and complete the package with original orchestral music as found in Precious Lullabies for auditory stimulation.
Your Baby’s Thoughts…On Music
Here’s something you may not have known about your little one…
…that by the age of nine months, babies can distinguish between individual types of music. Babies can actually notice the different keys that songs are in.
You also may not know…
1. Some of the music pathways actually affect the way your baby thinks.
2. Listening to any kind of music helps build music-related pathways in the brain and music pathways in our brain are similar to the pathways used for spatial reasoning.
3. Music can have positive effects on your babies moods that may make learning easier.
Think about giving your little one the variety of music it notices, and adding to your nursery’s music collection. Here are some lullaby cd’s you might want to try….
Tricks for Middle-of-the-Night Sleeptimes
1. Stock up on night-light light bulbs. If your little one awakens in the middle of the night and their comforting night-light has gone out. They may get scared and start crying. Making sure you have extra light bulbs on-hand will help to avoid that situation.
2. Keep water in a sippy cup in their crib or within reach. Little ones get thirsty in the middle of the night and having a full sippy cup of water handy will help keep spills to a minimum and still meet their needs.
3. Stock up on their favorite blanket. If your little one has a favorite, can’t-sleep-without blanket, you may want to keep a couple more on-hand. If one is in the wash or just not within reach, you can reach for another to give your little one the extra comfort they want.
Tricks for those Tricky Sleeptimes
Sleeptime can be a challenging time for you and your little one. When you’re feeling a little sleep deprived yourself, try these tricks to help alleviate what can become a tricky part of the day or night:
1. Layer your crib sheets. Place another waterproof pad on your clean crib sheet followed by another clean crib sheet over it. Repeat. This way, when your baby is all wet in the middle of the night, you don’t have to fuss with changing sheets. Just peel off the wet sheet and waterproof pad. You will already have another clean sheet ready to go! When your little one is still really little you can do this with layers of receiving blankets and slightly smaller waterproof pads. You’ll find there is only minimal tucking on the edges.
2. Keep one of their favorite toys, stuffed animals, or blankets in the crib. This will give them something to look forward when it’s sleeptime. They will get excited to get into their crib where something familiar and comforting is waiting for them.
3. When your picking out a CD player for your nursery so you can play lullabies, make sure it has a repeat button that will repeat the WHOLE CD, not just one song on the CD.
If any of you readers have a sleeptime trick you would like to add, please share it with us!
Perfecting Your Baby’s Nursery
You want to get the nursery perfect for your little one.
Here’s some ideas you may not have thought of…
Pictures - you can surround the room with pictures of mommy, daddy, grandparents and any other loved ones. There’ nothing better than letting your baby see and know the special people in their life.
Plants - you can improve the air your baby breathes by putting a green, living plant in the nursery.
Pastels - think soft, soothing and comforting colors. As your little one adjusts to their new surroundings, bright colors can overstimulate and agitate.
Position - crib position is so important, yet, so personal to each baby. You will know you found the perfect position when your baby is content. Consider the following:
- Your baby’s head pointed north, baby’s feet pointed south
- Your baby’s crib perpendicular to the wall instead of lengthwise
- Your baby’s crib away from the corners of the room to avoid a closed-in feeling.
