what is the best way to relax an infant (8months old) so they will get ready for bed?

Answer 1

You should have some quiet time before bed. Maybe a bath, then you can massage lotion into them (babies LOVE massages!), then snuggle for awhile. Talk quietly to them, or sing them a lullaby. Being quiet and restful yourself will make the child quiet and restful as well.

Answer 2

I agree with the warm bath routine! It works like a charm....we love the Johnson and Johnson bed time bath. My youngest is 21 months old and this routine still works for her. We keep soft music playing in the background and dim the lights around the house after dinner. She gets a little time to play with her sisters and then it's upstairs for a warm bath followed by a baby massage with the same lotion as the body wash. After the lotion we put on pj's, grab a pacifier and sit in the rocker, read a book or 2 and she is totally relaxed and ready to crash. When she was 8 months we substitute the book for a bottle and she was usually asleep midway through the bottle!

After 3 girls I've found that routine is the best method for having anything work and follow through is equally important!

Answer 3

Routine is key.. get in the habit of doing the same thing every single night. It may take a while for your baby to get use to it but stick with it. We begin by turing off the main light in the living room where he plays and just using the lamps. I think dimming the lights just helps him know it's getting close to bed time. I do it unconciously now around 6:30 or 7. At around 7:30 we give a bath with the Johnson & Johnson's Bed and Bath wash. Then we go to his room, where all we have on is his lamp. I powder his little bum and give him a massage with the J & J bedtime lotion, then put on his jammies. Then my hubby comes and reads him Goodnight Moon (same book every night) and I give him his bottle. Usually he goes to sleep with his bottle and then I just lay him down but I always rock him a little and sing to him before I lay him down. I don't think that's always necessary because most of the time he's already alseep but I still like to do it! BTW, my son is 6 months old. We started this routine when he was about 4 months.

Answer 4

Well, babies are creatures of habit. So the old bedtime routine works best in our house. My son is 7 months old and for him starting about 30 minutes before his bedtime we go into a quite room and I nurse him and rock him. Then I give him a warm bath, then I sing him the same nursery rhymes every night while he is in his crib and once I'm done with his songs I give him his bear and a kiss then turn out the light. He is usually asleep in about 10 minutes. p.s. his bed time is 8 pm.

This also works for my 2 year old daughter. We have never had trouble getting either of them to sleep through the night.....So Far! Hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Answer 5

I have a 7 month old and we have a "night-time routine".... we eat dinner at about 6:30 (which is usually oatmeal and a gerber fruit cup), then he plays until 7:30... when we do a bath (even if he isn't dirty, he loooooves playing in the tub)...then we go straight into the nursery and put on p.j.'s and then do bottle (I used pumped breastmilk). He falls asleep during his bottle every single night and then I slip him into bed. Any variation in his routine and he's a mess though...especially if I were to skip his bath for some reason. Good Luck...just keep fine-tuning it...you'll get there!

Answer 6

With my son I gave him a bed time(just when ever he seemed tired) For my son it was 8:30, at 8 i gave him a warm bath and read him a story( a page or to is fine, a baby wont have much patience.) After a while his body will get tired at the same time every night allowing them to drift off to sleep easily. If the baby used a pacifier this is the best time time break them from it. They will sleep better without it

Answer 7

I don't know about an 8mo old but I switched my 4 mo olds bath to the pm. I use that Calming Bath from J&J(i think Equate makes an off brand) and I play his mobile in the bkgrnd. I aso try to keep things like lights dimmed and surroundings calm about 2-3 hrs before Im ready to lay him down. Good luck,it can be a hard battle.:)

Answer 8

Definately a warm bath and try adding Johnson and Johnson lavender and chamomile aromatherapy bath liquid. Massage after, always talking in a quiet, soothing voice. Keep lights low. Cuddle up and read a short book, sing, or just talk. I have also heard it is okay to add a bit of chamomile tea to a bottle, if bottle feeding or drink it yourself if nursing.

Answer 9

A warm bath usually works well. When you apply the lotion, you can do a baby massage. Put on some "white noise" or play some classical music very low. Dim the lights down. Hope that this helps!!

Answer 10

best thing to do to get your child ready for bed is a hour or so before bed time start turning the lights down. tv off keep noise to a minumum . maybe soft music. bath time ,read a book. my son when he was a baby loved it when i would sing to him. read a book with him. just the calm darkness in the house would start to get my little one sleepy.