The Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Routine Put to Te...

This is the second part of my post on Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Routine. For the first part, click here.

I put the Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Routine to test on Z. I wanted to know if this still works for preschoolers or if we could get some benefit out of this routine. Here is my story.

Step 1. Give him a warm bath or punas using JOHNSON´S® Baby Bedtime Bath.

I never give Z a bath at night even when he was a baby. He rarely sweats a lot so I was contented on giving him a once-a-day bath. I never even give him a punas at night. I’m one of those moms who thinks a little dirt here and there could actually be good for him. If something falls on the floor I say, “Of course dear, you can still eat it.”

Now that he is five, however, everything changed. He became three times more active! Just before the sun goes down you can find him outside playing with our neighbors. I let him play all he wants because he’s an only child and the interaction with other kids would be good for him. The downside is when he comes home he is so sweaty, his hands and feet are black, and even his knees are black from all the playing. He is so dirty that even I can’t take it anymore.

Z was not so keen on the idea of him taking a bath at night. He quickly retorted, “Naligo na ako, di ba?” (I already took a bath, right?” but I was prepared for a battle. Knowing how he loves taking a bath with warm water I quickly prepared a warm bath for him. That and I think his not-so-good feeling with the dirt and grime from too much playing outdoors made him relented. I told him we’re not going to use his usual soap anymore but the Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Bath . I know it’s designed for babies but there’s never a grime too tough to remove with gentle scrubbing. So with that Z came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and squeaky clean. He must have loved it so much he never objected for a bath at night ever since.

Step 2. Give him a soothing massage using JOHNSON´S® Baby Bedtime Lotion.

I know that massages are for babies. It’s also for my husband who comes home tired after a night of hard work. I wasn’t sure how it would benefit my five year old. Would he even keep still while I massage him – I didn’t know.
Not to give up that easily, I put step 2 into action. As soon as I dressed him up after taking a bath I told him I would massage him with his own lotion. He was interested and obliged. I massaged his chest, his back, his arms, and legs. He was attentive the whole time. I found that this was the perfect time to talk to him.  So while I was giving him a soothing massage I also asked him questions about anything. If normally it’s hard for him to focus when I was asking him about certain things because he wants to play, play, and play during this time we can definitely engage in a meaningful conversation. Now I know that massages are perfect for my five year old. It’s definitely a perfect mother and son bonding moment.

Step 3. Time for some Quiet Time

After massaging him with lotion, we start our third step but before that I put Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Powder on him. Reading books was what we did for step three. I already shared to you Z’s favorite book, Goodnight Moon. That’s not the only book we read at night. Z likes this part of the bedtime routine so much that we read three books. It’s great that he likes it so much but I have to be honest here. No matter how I love him so reading the same books every night makes me bored. At one point I was afraid I was going to fall asleep first before he did so sometimes when I’m particularly tired I say to him, “Maybe we can just read one book tonight, Z.” Or sometimes I just breeze through the book so that we can finish faster.

Something happened though that is worth sharing. It was Monday and we were only at Day 3 of doing our bedtime routine. I had just finished reading the book, Go Dog Go, and since it was already the third one I breezed right through it and finished reading it out to him in half the time.

I was hoping he wouldn’t notice how I “cheated” him on the third book.  After I finished reading , I closed the book shut  and looked at him. I was hoping he wouldn’t let me repeat it.  He was silent for a second or two and then  he took the book from me. He opened it and the next thing he did really SURPRISED me that it took  me a minute before I was able to grab the camera.

That’s my son “reading” the book from memory.  I was so stunned that’s why I couldn’t get the camera fast enough. Hearing him read that book brought tears to my eyes. You might be wondering why I was emotional.  It’s because if there’s one thing you still don’t know about Z it’s the fact he doesn’t want me to teach him to speak English. I already tried lots of times but every time I start he would make me stop. So this is the first time I’ve heard him trying to speak in English and also trying to read a book on his own. It made me realize that even though I didn’t put much thought on our reading time he was very much into and he was really listening attentively. That is the benefit the bedtime routine gave us. Aside from a perfect bonding time for the two of us I realized it was also the perfect opportunity to teach him something. I was able to teach him to read and speak English in the most natural way with both of us not even realizing it. That’s why I am now a certified believer of the Johnson’s bedtime routine. You might think I’m just trying to promote their products but those certainly set the mood for our routine. Z had no problem voicing his opinion on how he loves using all three. I also love how good he smells because of it – sweet-smelling like a baby. That plus the simple bedtime routine made our nights much more productive and meaningful. It didn’t help Z sleep better because he was already sleeping right but the gems we discovered from our experience made me conclude that the bedtime routine is not only for babies and toddlers but is perfect even for older children.