i know i’m begging for trouble whenever i bring the up topic of odin’s sleep habits, but i’m going to tempt the fates again. odin has been doing a fantastic job going to bed at night and staying asleep until his next feeding time. i know every child is different and there’s lots of theories about what works and what doesn’t and i suspect that which strategy works depends a lot on your own child’s temperament. in any case, we’ve become big fans of having a very consistent bedtime regime that we call “The Four Bees”.

there’s no set time to begin “The Four Bees” process; in fact, odin tells us when to start and that’s often the trickiest part. usually in the late afternoon or early evening, he’ll get a “glassy” look in his eyes and start to look off in the distance. at that point, he’s usually not fussy or even yawning, but he’s definately telling us that he’s ready for the bedtime ritual. from what i’ve read the “glassy” look is a common sign that many parents miss and it’s far too easy to try and finish whatever your doing; but be warned(!), if you don’t start the bedtime process at precisely the right moment you’ll find yourself with a fussy, overtired baby instead of a sleepy, happy baby.

tonight, odin got the “glassy” at 6:50 p.m. which is 40 minutes earlier than normal, but rather than finish dinner it was time to start the The Four Bees.

the First Bee is a bath. he doesn’t get a full bath every night, but the process of running the water and the smell of a hint of lavender that gets dropped in the water ( you can see the bottle of lavender in the lower right corner of the picture ) lets him know that sleepy time is fast approaching.

as you can see by the time we start The First Bee, he’s already yawning, so it’s important to keep quiet and keep the talking to a minimum. only humming is allowed during The Four Bees!

so, if The First Bee is a bath and The Fourth Bee is a bed – what are The Second and Third Bees?