Little ones can benefit greatly from making associations and having established routines. Having routines is particularly important when it comes to rest. If you are struggling with transitioning baby into a nap routine that works we put together this handy chart to give you some idea how much and how often babies and toddlers generally sleep. As you put together a pre-nap routine for your little one we wanted to share with you a few ideas.

Help Baby Gain Control

By teaching your little ones signs for bed, tired or sleep you can help her reduce the stress associated with unnecessary naps and provide her with some control, it also equips you as a parent to give baby visual queues associated with nap time.

A Nap-Friendly Place

A good way of signaling to baby that it is time for nap is to try as much as possible to always have nap-time in the same location. Make it a place that is quiet and has dimmed illumination. We have incorporated several elements to our nap room we have a lighted mobile that creates soft reflections on the walls and we also use a sound conditioner similar to the one available in yesterday’s posted giveaway.

Go From Whisper to Signs

We have three go-to storybooks for our nap routine. We begin by quietly whispering the story without the book and gently place baby on their bed, as we continue the narrative we sign some of the elements of the story. Don’t be surprised if baby begins to sign while sleeping as their brain develops language skills.

Babies are soothed by white noise, and Marpac has been creating sound conditioners that help babies – and their parents – get restful nights’ sleep for decades. We love the high-quality Marpac Dohm and Dohmie sleep conditioners. Your child’s Dohmie will do an excellent job blocking out sounds from other parts of the home and outside that could disturb your baby’s sleep. A restful night’s sleep is so important for growing children, the Dohmie can help your baby develop good sleeping habits from a young age. Something cool about Marpac is that all their sleep conditioners are made by hand in the USA.

Our friends at Marpac are giving away two Dohmie Sleep Bundles Valued at $49.95 so we are going to have two winners!

The Dohmie serious sleep baby bundle includes everything you need to help your little one get the restful sleep necessary for healthy growth: the Dohm-NSF sound conditioner by Marpac (the Official Sound Conditioner of the National Sleep Foundation), to help babies fall asleep and stay asleep; a “Sleep 101” guide from the NSF; and an original “Buddy the Bee” storybook, to help you and your baby “find your ZZZZs” with a soothing bedtime tale and routine.

The Dohm uses electromechanical technology to create the naturally soothing sound of rushing air without digital loops or recordings, and has been proven to effectively block noises at a broad range of frequencies. This noise-buffering ability means that neighbors outside, parents watching TV, or siblings playing in the next room won’t disturb your sleeping baby. Adjustable tone and volume make it possible to create the perfect soothing sound, especially helpful for the nap and bedtime needs of newborns, toddlers and children. Its compact size makes it easy to throw in the diaper bag for a familiar sleep setting no matter where you are.

A consistent sleep-friendly environment is critical in creating healthy, serious sleep patterns for infants, and in providing restful nights for mom and dad too.

Want to enter more giveaways? Follow these links:

Uh Oh Bands Giveaway

Little Giraffe Giveaway

Guava Lotus Crib Giveaway

AngelCare Baby Monitor Giveaway

Trumpette Sequin Bag

3Marthas Playful Plane Gift Basket

Wubbanub Duck & Dog Pacifiers

Kazam Training Bike

Blooming Bath

Trend Lab Gift Set

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

When it comes to stylish baby bedding and decor, Trend Lab has your baby covered. We love their creative designs, especially their Dr. Seuss themed bedding sets like One Fish Two Fish and Oh! The Places You’ll Go. Their CribWrap Rail Covers prevent babies from chewing on the tops of their cribs – an excellent addition to any bedding set. Trend Lab also makes attractive cloth diapers, diaper bags, storage caddies, hampers, and more, in a wide variety of motifs. You can buy Trend Lab products in many different retailers, including Babies R Us, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Target, and Dillard’s, among others.

You Can Win the Hello Sunshine Valued at $103.95 by Trend Lab Gift Set which includes

Hello Sunshine 4-Pack Bib Set by TrendLab

Set features four bibs each with fun, modern prints on the front and terry on the back. Bib patterns include: one gray and white chevron print; one mini starburst print in shades of gray mixed with sunrise yellow and white; one sunrise yellow and white dot print; and one abstract wood grain print in shades of gray with sunrise yellow accents. Each bib measures approximately 8 in x 12 in with Velcro closure. Coordinates with the Hello Sunshine collection by Trend Lab.

Hello Sunshine 4-Pack Burp Cloth Set by TrendLab

Set features four burp cloths each with fun, modern prints on the front and soft terry on the back. Burp cloth patterns include: one gray and white chevron print; one mini starburst print in shades of gray mixed with sunrise yellow and white; one sunrise yellow and white dot print; and one abstract wood grain print in shades of gray with sunrise yellow accents. Each burp cloth measures 13 in x 10 in. Coordinates with the Hello Sunshine collection by Trend Lab.

Monkey Stuffed Toy by TrendLab

This endearing patched monkey is made from soft cotton and is embellished with embroidery. Stuffed monkey prints include: a gray and white chevron print; a sunrise yellow and white dot print; a sunrise yellow and gray pinstripe and solid glacier gray. Monkey sits approximately 10″ tall. Monkey Stuffed Toy coordinates with the Hello Sunshine Collection by Trend Lab.

Hello Sunshine Multi-Patched Blanket by TrendLab

Patches of fun, printed cotton are displayed on the front with cuddly gray micro plush on the back. Blanket patches include: a sunrise yellow and gray pinstripe; an abstract wood grain print in shades of gray with sunrise yellow accents; mini starburst print in shades of gray mixed with sunrise yellow and white; a sunrise yellow with white dot print; a gray and white chevron print; and a gray and white dot print. Blanket measures 32 in x 40 in. Blanket coordinates with the Hello Sunshine Collection by Trend Lab.

TrendLab’s Hello Sunshine Security Snuggle Blanket

The Hello Sunshine Security Snuggle Blanket features a cotton patterned duck attached to a soft cotton backed micro plush blankie which offers soothing comfort for your little bundle of joy. The fashionable color palette of gray, sunrise yellow, black and white is one everyone will love! Blanket measures 15 in x 15 in. Security Snuggle Blanket coordinates with the Hello Sunshine collection by Trend Lab.

Hello Sunshine portable Storage Caddy by TrendLab

This lightly padded caddy features a gray with white dot print base with mini starburst print top in shades of gray mixed with sunrise yellow and white. Sunrise yellow and gray pinstripe handles and sunrise yellow with white dot trim adds the finishing touch! Caddy has 8 outer pockets and a removable “T” separator for maximum versatility. Keep diapers, wipes and other necessities tidy while traveling from room to room. Caddy also functions as an organizer for crafts, picnics, pet supplies, etc. Measures 13 in x 9 in x 7 in. Coordinates with the Hello Sunshine collection by Trend Lab.

One of our favorite books for signing with babies and toddlers is Five Little Monkeys. We have a really awesome video tutorial to sign Five Little Monkeys with baby. Check it out!

We hope you are loving all the sweet gifts and prizes our partners have shared with us. If this is your first time participating in the Baby Sign Language May Giveaway Extravaganza here are the quick links to other open activities:

Uh Oh Bands Giveaway

Little Giraffe Giveaway

Guava Lotus Crib Giveaway

AngelCare Baby Monitor Giveaway

Trumpette Sequin Bag

3Marthas Playful Plane Gift Basket

Wubbanub Duck & Dog Pacifiers

Kazam Training Bike

Blooming Bath

a Rafflecopter giveaway

When we have a little one around we quickly realize that bath time is a great opportunity to capture their full attention and engage baby in conversation and learning. There is no denial that most babies love water and they adore new discoveries such as bubbles and buoyancy. We have found that teaching baby sign language during bath time can be easy and conducive to extra quick learning. This is how we did it:

First Things First

Because baby sign language is about teaching baby to communicate their needs and wants to reduce meltdowns we first worked with signs that we identified and relevant and important. This is our list:

Water

Wash

Cold

Hot

In

Out

Bath

These signs made us feel very comfortable knowing that baby could communicate issues of discomfort associated with water temperature or specific needs during her bath. We loved it so much each time she would sign water and point at the faucet for us to allow more water to flow into the tub.

Time to Have Fun

Just after she turned 14 months old we had all the basics of baby sign language down to a science and she was starting to become verbal. During this time we began teaching her more fun and complex signs that would make bath time extra interesting, together we worked on these signs:

Soap

Bubble

Duck

Swim

Shampoo

Rotate Props & Toys

We love bath toys! To avoid clutter and keep baby focused we decided from the start to establish a rotation. We would introduced a themed set of plastic toys and work on our signs and words. Once baby learned a group of signs we would move on to another set. Using this method we learned our fruit, sea creatures and family members.

Yesterday we shared with you a very lovely gift from Blooming Bath. If you have not entered their giveaway click here to get your super easy entries.

The Blooming Bath is one of the most adorable, convenient products you can get for your baby. It’s a flower-shaped bath cushion that conforms to any sink, and it was invented by a somewhat unlikely source – four fathers. The dads’ unique sense of style and usability has gotten the Blooming Bath featured everywhere from The Ellen Show to The Today Show to the Cool Mom Picks blog and more. It’s easy to use, clean, and store, and the plush material makes it an awesome floor mat for your infant, too. It’s available in several different boutiques, as well as the Blooming Bath website.

Cute, cuddly and convenient way to bathe your baby. Blooming Bath is made from incredibly soft, plush materials — providing a safe, soft, and unbelievably adorable bathing experience for the most important person in your world.

We have one Blooming Bath in your choice of color if you are the lucky winner

Retail value of $40

Do you have a Blooming Bath for your baby?  If so, consider teaching them some of the following signs! Bath  Water  Wash Hands  Undress

So far we have over $1,000 in prizes and over $4,000 to come in the next few days. If you have not entered the prior Baby Sign Language May Extravaganza Giveaway you still have time. Here are the quick links:

Uh Oh Bands Giveaway

Little Giraffe Giveaway

Guava Lotus Crib Giveaway

AngelCare Baby Monitor Giveaway

Trumpette Sequin Bag

3Marthas Playful Plane Gift Basket

Wubbanub Duck & Dog Pacifiers

Kazam Training Bike

a Rafflecopter giveaway