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Narrate your life.
When you are around them, just explain what you are doing and why, what you can see/hear etc.
Describe your memories of other times a similar event hapened and how it was the same or different.
Ask questions of them and then pretend they have answered(if they are not speaking yet). Be a little theatrical, showing a range of emotions and tones, but mostly light and cheery.
This expands vocabulary, models socialisation/conversation, and increases your bond.
These have worked in the past.
Holding baby upright, I would bounce-pivot left and right, and be tapping out a random set of beats on baby’s leg or back.
The beats would either be 1,2 or 3 taps, trying to mimic a random-number-generator, with no recognisable pattern.
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If baby was restless, vocal, and possibly overtired (plus you were sure that feeding has occurred and baby is freshly changed), I would sometimes break through the crankiness by increasing the pivot back and forward speed greatly(and safely). Once baby quietened with the faster speed and taps, I would slow it back down.
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Other than that, try driving to sleep. Should be 10 minutes or so.
- Make sure to use the drives sparingly. Try not to get baby conditioned to needing a car ride in order sleep.
I have heard from someone else that it can become an addictive sleep primer.
The other tip I forgot, is that they need to be full of food. If they are very tired/irritable and not going down, offer their 3 favourite foods + some milk. After eating their fill, this should trigger a whole bunch of sleepiness.
If they are obviously tired, but fighting to stay awake, a short trip in the car usually works in 5-10 minutes. I had a rough bitumen road route all mapped out until it was resurfaced.
I’ve heard the washer on spin cycle can work, but that is probably for younger ages who can’t climb out of a bassinet.
The push to stay awake usually comes from having other people over or some high interest event happening. I black out as many windows as possible and turn off all lights. You can try the same music, prior to bedtime, as a sleep-cue, like a Riff-Raff etc. Try playing a technical monotone podcast or DIY-vid audio, might work.
Sleeping with mum or dad’s worn shirts can help, providing a comforting scent etc.
When lying down in the same room, playing a game of “I’m going to get to sleep first” can often start things off on the road to sleepytown.
Good luck zzzz (c:
Cheers (c:
We’ve had lots of fun watching these.
Remembered another one, I like these farm animal videos from Robert Höck
Morph - plasticine people
Red & Blue - plasticine duo
AEIOU - sand art, violin players
The Blue Marble : a one marble path chain reaction (and similar marble runs)
Kapla collapse, or Kapla domino - sticks constructed and deconstructed
Marble race vids
‘Thomas Train set’ videos - real life train sets
I take a clothes peg and clip it on a leaf in the garden. Then carry baby about 5m away and turn back to the peg. Zigzag walk back towards the peg, while prompting “where is it?” When she sees the peg and smiles, we move in close and she grabs it off the leaf. Repeat on a different tree.
It’s called The Peg Game :^)
In a similar style are:
Captain Underpants
Dogman
Ook and Gluk
Some fart joke level stuff, but generally wholesome.
Screen them first, checking out a library copy.
Also, the Sid the Science Kid series is very wholesome. They have a bunch of books released too