"She is sleeping like a baby" they say that whenever a patient is on the recovery path and that phrase reassures the relatives , because sleeping like a baby means sleeping a sound sleep with no disturbances no turmoil a carefree sleep BUT what if the baby herself is unable to sleep like a baby ?what if the baby does not get ample sleep, is constantly disturbed at night , has to get up frequently to get her nappies changed ,Result she is finicky ,cribbing, irritated, groggy and absolutely unmanageable and this takes a load on her health ,her growth is marred .
Sleep is one very important factor contributing to a babies growth it is as important as proper and nutritious diet.
There are two very important facts that relate sleep to a babies physical and emotional health A baby grows in height during the period he/she sleeps ., this has been proved through studies .
.Another simple truth is that the mind relaxes during sleep .and the baby wakes up rejuvenated .
This precisely is the reason why all over the world in every language , every country we have what they call LULLABIES every mother sings lullabies to her child . So that the baby relaxes and snoozes off listening to the rhythmic sound of music .It is almost like a ritual for babies all over the world "to have a lullaby sung by the mother , or nanny or whoever be the person in charge " Its the same for my baby too She has a vast collection to chose from and I am her CD to be switched on and off at her behest.
Come bedtime and after a warm-water sponge-wash and a soothing massage ( I don't actually give her a massage at bedtime I just apply some olive oil to her limbs massage is a pre-bath ritual) I tuck her into diapers my brand being "Pampers Bay Dry pants" and then both of us cuddle into the bed . I ask her "Kaun sa gaanaa gaaoo or kaun sa gaanaa sunegi ? (which song should I sing Or which song do you want to hear)" and then I start off all the famous hindi film lullabies "Dhire se aja re ankhiyan mei" she says" no" to it , then I shift to "meri rani beti bhoojhe ek paheli" again its a "no" then follow a few more with rejections and finally its " Nanhi Pari soney chali" and YES this is always the one she settles for . The effect of the previous lyrical interactions together with this her favourite one sends her off to dreamland almost immediately . Then I close the door and walk out where everyone is sitting with bated breath. On seeing me come out everyone relaxes and life gets back to normal . But still everyone is careful not to laugh loudly or not to increase the volume of the TV .
We are so careful not to disturb a babies sleep , we see to it that no sound is made which will disturb a sleeping baby .Phones and doorbells are put on the silent mode so that no noise reaches the sleeping baby's ears Even the most difficult of husbands and in-laws oblige where the cause is their babies sleep .
BUT there is one enemy , one inconsiderate friend "The call of Nature" . The urge to pass urine or even to pass stool .Now I call this both an enemy and a friend because though it disturbs the babies sleep acting like an enemy ; it is also an important biological function so important for the babies health .
Every mother finds it a Herculean task to keep the baby dry and comfortable at night --every baby passes urine during the night and this not only disturbs his/her sleep it also causes the danger of the baby catching cold due to exposure to wetness for long..
This is a universal problem and this is where after much research companies decided to bring out nappies which would help the child remain dry by absorbing the urine. One of the best brands for this product is the New Pampers Baby Dry Pants it not only keeps the baby dry on the outside it also takes care of the inside too . This is mainly because of the magic gel layer which absorbs up to five glasses of liquid all throughout the night . Not only this, Pampers Baby Dry Pants also has baby lotion which keeps the baby's skin soft and moisturised and protect it from rashes --and she/he is happy and rejuvenated after a good nights sleep,, all set to bring smiles into the family's life.
This is my entry for the Bedtime ritual contest on indiblogger and the link is as follows
http://www.rewardme.in/tag/Pampers.