babycare | The Snazzy Mom Blog by Arushi Garg

This post was sponsored by JOHNSON’S, as always opinions are my own

Like many parents, I too strive for the perfect bedtime routine for my son. After all, we all want calm evenings and some time for ourselves and with our partners. And over the last 2 years I have realized having a consistent bedtime routine for my toddler has now become a cornerstone of our family routine.

I started to establish a sleep routine very early on with my son when he was as young as 3 months old. Earlier it involved crib training and getting him used to sleeping in his nursery. And now it is about maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, a relaxing bedtime routine and a soothing sleep environment to help my son achieve healthy sleep. He sleeps for an average of 12 hours every night and wakes up at 8am on weekdays and around 9am on weekends. Yes! We get up late on weekends.

We follow a routine that has been put together by a predictable sequence of events that we consistently follow in the same order every night. It has evolved as our son is growing but the basics remain the same.

Bath Time has been central to our bed time routine for the last 2 years. My son loves his bath time as it is calming, soothing and helps him relax. We love JOHNSON’S bath products and have been using them for the past 2 years. They are an integral part of our daily routine as well. Their products have been free from parabens and phthalates since 2015 and now all their washes, shampoos, lotion and creams are even gentler without sulfates and dyes!

I love using the Head-To-Toe baby wash and shampoo. It is pediatrician-tested and pH-balanced to baby skin. Also, it is ultra-mild and gentler on my son’s sensitive skin and eyes and lathers well. Containing over 90 percent ingredients of natural origin*, this sulfate-free and dye-free baby wash & shampoo is gentle enough to cleanse my toddler’s sensitive skin. The Johnson’s No More Tears formula makes it tear-free and as gentle to your baby’s eyes as pure water. In my previous blog post, I shared how you can make the bath time a fun and safe experience for toddlers.

After bath we move towards the wash basin to brush my son’s teeth and get him to try to pee one last time before he puts on his diapers and PJs. Somehow my son doesn’t enjoy getting his teeth brushed and it’s a struggle every day to get him to open his mouth and use the brush. I am hoping this chore will also become as easy bath time soon!

Vir is not yet potty-trained but he has started to use the potty seat sometimes. This is another experience I will hopefully share a post on soon with all my readers.

Once the bathroom chores are completed I massage Vir with JOHNSON’S baby lotion made with coconut oil. I love how it absorbs quickly and has a calming scent. I love to use it on my skin too. That fragrance makes me nostalgic.

At this age, our bedtime routine also involves the process of putting on PJs and Vir likes to select which color he wants to wear. We also love to read a good-night story and these days we are using the Moonlite story projector to make it more engaging. We make it a 20 to 30 minute special and exclusive time with my son for reading, snuggling, and being together. He loves to sleep with his stuffed toys Pooh and Pluto that provide him comfort in his crib and have been with him since he was a baby. And when it’s time to sleep, I kiss and cuddle him once more before turning off the lights. We use a nightlight too so that his room is not completely dark.

Bedtime routines work best if you reserve the hour before bedtime for quiet play. This will lower your child’s activity level and prepare his nervous system for relaxation. Running, playing, tickling games, and even watching action-packed TV shows or videos make peaceful transition to sleep especially difficult.

Aside from relaunching their washes, lotions and haircare product, did you know JOHNSON’S recently launched a new collection, CottonTouch™? The lotion is made with real cotton and is lightweight in texture and absorbs quickly. The wash has a velvety lather that is easy to rinse and leaves no unwanted residue and cleans the skin without leaving the skin dry. I highly recommend getting these products from a store near you and experience it for yourself.

For 125 years JOHNSON’S mission has been to create the gentlest baby products in the world. And recently I had an opportunity to go to New York and experience these products and the story behind them from the company’s baby care experts and scientists! It was such an insightful experience to learn more about the company’s mission and their CHOOSE GENTLE campaign. No doubt JOHNSON’S has truly perfected products so gentle that they can be used for every age and stage of a baby’s life! I love their range and recommend all my readers to go and try the new redesigned washes, lotions and hair care products. To learn more visit www.Johnsonsbaby.com or head over to Target to shop JOHNSON’S latest products.

*Since there is no regulatory definition of “natural,” they follow the only independent international standard for naturals in cosmetics—the International Organization for Standardization. According to this standard, “natural origin” refers to ingredients that are more than 50% from natural sources, such as plants or minerals.

XOXO

This post is sponsored by JOHNSON’S®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a working mom, especially one who travels every month, I often feel guilty about missing some remarkable moments with my son. So, I have made special rituals to combat this guilt. From going on long bike rides with my son in the evening after I pick him up from the daycare, to singing his favorite nursery rhymes during his bath time, I make sure I am present and am making the most of every moment when I am with him.

My son looks forward to his bubble bath every night before he goes to sleep. He holds my hand and climbs up the stairs chanting, “bubble bath mama,” till we reach his room. We have introduced a waterfall station and a few bath toys to make this experience more fun. From rubber ducks, to boats, a funnel, spoons, cups—I got him some bath crayons too.

I believe sticking to a routine, such as a bath before bedtime, has been very crucial in sleep training my son. I always bathe him before sleep when he isn’t too hungry and not too full. This daily routine has become a special bonding experience for both of us as we make it more interactive by singing songs, practicing ABCs and counting together. I love to see my son giggling and splashing, and honestly it takes away all my stress after a long day. So instead of rushing through it like a chore, we take advantage of bath time by turning it into a fun and sensory activity!

As a long-trusted brand for me and my husband, we’ve been using JOHNSON’S® baby products for a very long time with our son (I too use these products). The company has recently redesigned all of their washes, lotions and hair care products and reduces the ingredients in their portfolio by more than 50%, including sulfates and dyes!

The baby shampoo is our favorite! I love the tender fragrance and how it rinses easily.

The gentle formula helps keep my son’s hair soft, shiny, manageable and clean, while maintaining a fresh smell. Personally, I cherish nothing more in this world than wrapping my freshly bathed son in a towel and inhaling that soft, damp, fuzzy head. Not only does the shampoo make my son’s hair shiny, but also enhances the post-bathing and sleeping routine experience for us.

I would also like to point out that within these 2 years, I have realized there are different safety concerns involved during bath time. Apart from ensuring that we use gentle bath products on our child, we also need to avoid any bathroom injuries. Here are a few tips I use:

Supervision– I never leave my son in the bathtub unsupervised. If there was something to attend to immediately, I would wrap him in a towel and carry him with me.
Slips and falls: With an active toddler, there is hardly any sitting involved for more than a few minutes. Also, with soapy water there are chances to slip and fall and so I installed a no-slip mat on the bottom of the bathtub. Cushioned water faucet covers are a must as well, to avoid any head bumps. Also, we always make sure the toilet lid is closed to avoid any accidents.
Water temperature: Now that my son is two years old, he can turn the faucets, so I am working on teaching him how to start the cold water and not turn it over all the way to hot. However, monitoring during bath time is always important—even if they understand the differences in the faucets.
Toiletry storage: Although most of the medicines and products have child- resistant caps, they are not childproof. I always make sure that the toothpaste, shampoo, soaps and other products are in a hard-to-reach cabinet with safety locks and latches.
Door lock safety- Recently, my son learned how to turn the door locks. From that moment, we realized we needed to keep a close watch during bath time, so he doesn’t lock himself in the bathroom. I recommend attaching a latch on the door that is to your height, so that your child doesn’t get locked in the bathroom when/if you aren’t around or turn your back for a minute

I hope these safety tips help you prepare for the fun toddler stage, where bath time turns into an exciting activity. Thankfully a brand like JOHNSON’S® has been providing safe products that are formulated and designed with baby in mind for over 120 years and has taken away one bathing worry off parents’ mind. Did you know JOHNSON’S® is the 1st baby skincare company to study how baby’s skin develops from birth and evaluates products across different skin ethnicities and continents? Also, JOHNSON’S® has been leading science and setting global standards in baby skincare by developing high-quality products that are safe and extensively tested.

Happy bath time!