We all have some things to do before going to sleep, by doing it every night it becomes a routine. Something our reflexes will remember and never forget doing it.
Before my little girl sleep, she has a routine to follow. Sometimes I forgot it but she will keep bugging us with her dad if she saw that we are busy with our mobile phones and forget the routines.
She will ask for her milk
“Mom, I will drink my miiiiiiiiilllkkkk...!”
She will shout in my ears asking for her milk if sometimes forget to prepare it, she keeps bugging us like she never drinks milk for a year.
After giving her milk she will be busy sucking it and I can feel the joy she had while she drank it, and I was like “my little girl feels like she's still an infant happily feeding herself ”.
The prayer
When my daughter learns how to speak fluently, I think at two years old I started teaching her how to pray. It was just a short prayer, to let her memorize easily.
“Lord, Thank you for this day. Look after us when we sleep, also look after grandma (my mom), Tita, Tito (my siblings) mamala & papalo (my partner's parents). Keep us safe and healthy. In Jesus Name. Amen.”
That's what I teach her in our native language. I just make it short to make her memorize easily. When I let her pray, I also act like praying with her until she memorizes it. Then, it became a routine to her that she will pray right after she drinks her milk.
“Mama! Let's pray🙏 !!!”
She will shout at me again if I forgot to remind her to pray. She will not pray if I don't pray with her, so I must pray with her, or else she will not sleep lol.
Let's love and kissed 😘
“Mama, Papa let's love and kiss!”
She will tell us that right after she prays, even if I am busy with something I have to stop what I am doing to join the love and kiss. We will three embrace each other (love), she understands that embracing or hugging each other is love then kiss. We will shower her with kisses and I love you, after that, she will do the same to us.
“I love you, mom and dad! I love you family”
She will tell us that, and my heart melts every time she does that. I was just amazed at her young age she already pictures out that we are family, that we need to love each other. Probably because she has seen it on youtube kids' video about family, that there is mommy, daddy, and a baby.
Cuddle with her stuffed toy “Ellie”
Before the stuffed toy “Ellie” came she likes embracing her small hot dogs since she was an infant, I bought her new hot dogs with the same size because it was too old, but I didn't throw the old ones since she will still look for it.
We have a lot of stuffed toys in our bed when we sleep, from teddy bears big and small, panda Spongebob, Patrick the starfish, Pikachu, and many more. Our bed is very crowded with that stuffs.
Then just recently her dad buys her again new stuffed toy which is “Ellie”, it's an elephant stuff toy that's why we named it Ellie as she was fun of watching Pocoyo on Youtube then Pocoyo has an Elephant friend. Her Ellie is very fluffy and cuddly so she likes to cuddle with it until she falls asleep.
That's her routine before sleeping, I am glad she will always remind us to do it because it is our best bond ending the day. If she can do that all, she then sleeps soundly and secure. My heart is full every time we do it because that's the thing I never experienced when I was a child, and I am glad I have a very clever and sweet child.
How about you what are your kid's routines before going to sleep? Or what is your routine if you don't have a kid yet?
Just Dede to Mommy Yen haha. Also goodnight to his PapaChing and love and kiss and also every morning he will say murneng haha. Labbbb kisses hihi. Hindi ko pa sya natuturuan magpray bago matulog. Kapag Lang nakain kami.