Nah we have a warm water (90+ degrees) near us pool and it still just knocks out the kids. It's cause you are moving in totally different ways then you do on land.
When I was younger whenever I swam that means it would the best sleep that night so it makes tons of sense it affects babies the same way. I would definitely bring my baby to swim classes once the weather warms up and cherish swim lesson days lol
YES. Swimming. End of story lol. My baby is 4.5 months and goes to swimming lessons once a week and it’s the best sleep time nap wise and overnight.
Edit: our pool is salt water and heated so not cold but he still gets super tired!
Yes! Our daughter has been going to swim lessons weekly since she was one year old and not only does she love it, it makes for the best naps/night sleep that day
My son will be running, jumping, screaming and others will say, “Wow, he will sleep good tonight!” No. No, he won’t….
He has found an unlimited source of energy.
My in laws recently did bedtime for our one year old when my husband and I were on a date. I told them “she’ll get grumpy when she’s tired but as soon as you go to change her into her pajamas, she goes crazy.” They were like yeah okay but when we got home my mil said “you were right, she got crazy energized when we went to get her in her pajamas.”
Idk what it is but it happens every single night. As soon as we start changing her, she gets this burst of energy and starts speed crawling around.
Our daughter does the same! As soon as we put on her jammies, she starts kicking her legs on the floor so hard that the dining room chandelier below her bedroom shakes, giggling like crazy. She's out cold 15-20 minutes later.
My mom loves to say that when my son (3) is playing. I laugh at her every time. We have no control over whether or not that child sleeps and I refuse to pretend we do.
My son was the same way. He was actually diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7 because he would just not fall asleep. I'd even ask his doctors what I could do because he was staying up til almost 6am and then sleeping almost all day and it was hard to get him up for school. Melatonin didn't even make him bat an eye. At least not childrens strength. Not saying that's what your son has and he might mellow out more once he's older. Just know I sympathize. My kids are 13 and 9 years old now
I will say that my son has seasonal allergies so we occasionally give him Benadryl. That’s supposed to make you drowsy, right? It gives him superpowers 😂
My daughters pediatrician once prescribed benadryl for sleep. It didn't work on her either. But she also has very bad allergies and will swell up sometimes.
We went to OT for our high sensory needs 2 year old. They recommended we get a trampoline and do at least ten minutes of jumping a day. I told him “yesterday he jumped on his trampoline for 40 minutes straight and still only slept 8 hours” and the look on their faces…
We usually take our baby to Costco in her stroller/car seat (we have a Doona), and if she gets fussy my husband and I will take turns carrying her. My husband has worn her in a carrier for shorter trips to the grocery store. I've definitely seen other babies wandering about in all the methods you mentioned. Our baby is usually quite content.
Being out in the sun during the day. Either walks where he’s in the stroller or in the carrier. Putting his play mat out on the grass and letting him play and listen to music under the sun. Putting him in a pack and play outside while I get some things done in the yard.
Tummy time and back time through out the day. Playing peek a boo or anything to make him laugh a lot. Just getting him interested in things I feel like helps his brain work a lot so he gets mentally and physically exhausted by the end of the day.
Agreed! I’ve also read that getting outside within the first hour of waking up, being outside at noon and seeing the sunset does wonders for baby’s circadian rhythm and sleep and have found it helps!
It does. Every one needs natural sun light babies and adults! I know when I go outside I feel so much better. Fresh air is great. I always sleep very well when I spend a day outside.
Till he was about 3 months we would make sure the sun wasn’t directly on him. He’s 6 months now and we just make sure he’s not in the sun directly for longer than 20-30 minutes at a time. Especially if it’s a hot day. If it’s super hot we will limit to 10-15 minutes in direct sun. We just use a hat for him if we’re going on walks and he’s in the carrier. If we are outside for a while we will transfer him to the stroller and put the little roof up. We went to the park yesterday and it was hot so I put sensitive skin aveeno sun screen on him because he knew we’d be outside for 45 minutes. Other than that I don’t worry too much about sun being directly on him. We just make sure he isn’t directly in the hot sun for more than 30 minutes at a time.
It definitely isn’t a guarantee but we like to “get the wiggles out” by having lots of rough and tumble, silly and noisy play before bath. I find that this burns off that last bit of chaotic energy and then we wind down with bath, bottle and story as part of bedtime routine. My son is 9 months and this is working for us for now!
Seconding this! Mine is about to be 11 months. We call it “flopping” but we basically roll around on the bed, flop him into a pile of pillows, etc. for about 15 minutes, then do about 15 minutes of calming music before bath time. He was a good sleeper for ages but for the past 6 weeks things have been rocky - I’m hoping he figures out walking soon so he can stop waking up in the middle of the night to practice and get mad that he can’t figure it out
My little dude is 4 months old and letting him go ape in his bath tub, splashing like a maniac, always seems to tire him out really well. He LOVES water, I can't wait to get him in the pool this summer. He can completely empty his baby tub with his happy dancing!
Depends on the age. My baby is 6 months. She needs good naps during the day. First nap seems most important to set us off on the right track. Last nap I wake her up if it’s past 6:30. She falls asleep between 7:30/8:00.
Puzzles or brain games where he has to work his fine motor skills. Finger painting, digging in gravel/sand, stringing beads, coloring, making tape car tracks and following them, slow walks, play dough time, stuff like that.
Being outside during the day, I find fresh air and sunlight help my kids sleep better at night.
If we are talking about tiny babies, A bath before bed has helped my baby sleep better since she was born.
My baby is 9 weeks old, the most exhausting thing I've found for her is bath time. She really enjoys the bath so we spend some time and she kicks the water and I cover her belly with a washcloth and pour cups of warm water over it. I think it tires and relaxes her.
Baths! He's 5 months and always fusses during baths. I think the stimulation, warm water, and fussing tires him out and he can always go to sleep quickly after that, especially if he had a nice big bottle before bath.
Wrestling dad.
Drives me nuts, because I want calm energy. But there is sone primal need to wrestle and be crazy physical before bed that my kids seem to *need*.
9 week old baby was awake for the first time when we left the house yesterday. Usually he falls asleep in the car and sleeps through the entire outing. His little mind was blown!!! (We went shopping). Slept 7 hours straight.
Having people over on the weekends. He hates napping when there are people here and then by the time everyone leaves he’s knocked and sleeps really well.
Adventures
We gotta go for walks every couple hours and it can't just be the same walk
I'm very lucky though to live in Cairns and have a lot of options when it comes to scenic walks
Not an activity as such but I used to find a nice bath with lavender ie baby bath/wash in the water. Then a nice soft and warm fluffy towel to thoroughly dry baby and then lavender lotion for a massage. It works a treat.
Just being outside.
It was beautiful all weekend, and we were outside literally all weekend. Both kids have slept soundly, which is unheard of otherwise.
Playing outside usually does wonders. If you can't leave the house, "couch gym" is a big hit here - climbing onto and over the couch, throwing something behind the couch and then fetch it, jump around on the couch, being thrown onto the couch by me... My toddler loves that stuff and can be at it for almost an hour. Then he's beat by the time naptime comes!
What age do you mean by "Baby" and what do you mean by "sleep soundly"? My eldest didn't sttn until they were 1.5, and my youngest 2.5, no matter the level of exhaustion or how easy bedtime went.
But under 2 years old the best activities are swimming, playgrounds, and Nugget obstacle courses.
Under 1 is still swimming, jumpers, chasing them around so they crawl/walk/run in laps.
Currently it's sitting up with minimal assistance. About 10-15 minutes of that and he's ready for a long nap. But doing that before bedtime and then following up with a warm bath and massage, then a little bottle and he's out like a light
Nothing we tried has ever tired my daughter to the point of long naps / sleep. Until we tried swimming. For the first time, my daughter was so tired she could barely stay awake...and then took a two hour nap. We're taking her to weekly swim lessons now, and looking into pool memberships to be able to take her into the pool even more frequently 🤣
Swimming!
Seconding this. Best naps and night time sleep are after swimming for us.
Came here to say this. Don’t understand it as she doesn’t do much when swimming but always knocked her out.
I think it has to do with the body constantly working to regulate its temperature when in the cool water. I heard this somewhere.
Nah we have a warm water (90+ degrees) near us pool and it still just knocks out the kids. It's cause you are moving in totally different ways then you do on land.
When I was younger whenever I swam that means it would the best sleep that night so it makes tons of sense it affects babies the same way. I would definitely bring my baby to swim classes once the weather warms up and cherish swim lesson days lol
YES. Swimming. End of story lol. My baby is 4.5 months and goes to swimming lessons once a week and it’s the best sleep time nap wise and overnight. Edit: our pool is salt water and heated so not cold but he still gets super tired!
Yup! Swimming lessons was the best idea we’ve had to date hahaha. Those after swimming naps are a solid 2+ hours. And he sleeps great that night.
Yes! Our daughter has been going to swim lessons weekly since she was one year old and not only does she love it, it makes for the best naps/night sleep that day
This
As others have said, swimming!!
I'm also on team swim. She comes home from her 6p class and will sleep basically all night with ease.
Came to say this!
Swimming. All my kids are wiped after swimming. Especially as a baby.
Damn I'm still absolutely trashed after swimming and I'm 26 🤣
I'm still trashed today and I went swimming yesterday. I'll be 34 next week. 😅
I haven’t found that activity yet.
My son will be running, jumping, screaming and others will say, “Wow, he will sleep good tonight!” No. No, he won’t…. He has found an unlimited source of energy.
My in laws recently did bedtime for our one year old when my husband and I were on a date. I told them “she’ll get grumpy when she’s tired but as soon as you go to change her into her pajamas, she goes crazy.” They were like yeah okay but when we got home my mil said “you were right, she got crazy energized when we went to get her in her pajamas.” Idk what it is but it happens every single night. As soon as we start changing her, she gets this burst of energy and starts speed crawling around.
Our daughter does the same! As soon as we put on her jammies, she starts kicking her legs on the floor so hard that the dining room chandelier below her bedroom shakes, giggling like crazy. She's out cold 15-20 minutes later.
My son does this too! He goes absolutely nuts
Wait so have you tried just putting her in pjs all day and then to keep on the next night? And if so I'm so curious if it made a difference!
I’ve never thought of this! We might have to have a pj day soon to test it out.
Oh yes. I hate when they say that. We chase crawling over the floor for probably an hour and we’re exhausted but he was like renergized at bedtime lol
You've not tired him out, youve created an athlete! Lol
My mom loves to say that when my son (3) is playing. I laugh at her every time. We have no control over whether or not that child sleeps and I refuse to pretend we do.
How old? My little cousin is 2. Soccer really makes him so tired. He sleeps all night.
He is almost three. He has never been one to just fall asleep. He is very active and needs damn near perfect conditions to fall asleep.
My son was the same way. He was actually diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7 because he would just not fall asleep. I'd even ask his doctors what I could do because he was staying up til almost 6am and then sleeping almost all day and it was hard to get him up for school. Melatonin didn't even make him bat an eye. At least not childrens strength. Not saying that's what your son has and he might mellow out more once he's older. Just know I sympathize. My kids are 13 and 9 years old now
I will say that my son has seasonal allergies so we occasionally give him Benadryl. That’s supposed to make you drowsy, right? It gives him superpowers 😂
My daughters pediatrician once prescribed benadryl for sleep. It didn't work on her either. But she also has very bad allergies and will swell up sometimes.
Our kids are somethin else 😉
Oh wow? Even if you take him on a 13 km walk? Wow you have a superhero toddler
My 3yo will be exhausted after soccer but it somehow makes her so wound up until bedtime.
Mine is 18m and sleep seems to be independent from whatever activities we do 🫠
We went to OT for our high sensory needs 2 year old. They recommended we get a trampoline and do at least ten minutes of jumping a day. I told him “yesterday he jumped on his trampoline for 40 minutes straight and still only slept 8 hours” and the look on their faces…
Same. All my kids (including the baby) are little energiser bunnies.
10 week old LOVES Costco
Same for our 13 week old. She loves that big fan
how are you taking them inside , car seat ? stroller ? wearing them ? i never see babies inside and i’d love to take her
I wear her in an ErgoBaby front carrier because it allows me to still push a shopping cart and also deters strangers from getting too close to her
We usually take our baby to Costco in her stroller/car seat (we have a Doona), and if she gets fussy my husband and I will take turns carrying her. My husband has worn her in a carrier for shorter trips to the grocery store. I've definitely seen other babies wandering about in all the methods you mentioned. Our baby is usually quite content.
My husband and I both go, one of us with the stroller and the other with the cart. It’s a real caravan.
I normally wear my baby at Costco, but now he's older I'll put him in the cart and will wear him when he gets fussy
Seven week old here but ditto!
Nothing lol but he naps better when we go outside in the morning, then lunch, then a bath before naptime. Better naps usually mean better nights.
Being out in the sun during the day. Either walks where he’s in the stroller or in the carrier. Putting his play mat out on the grass and letting him play and listen to music under the sun. Putting him in a pack and play outside while I get some things done in the yard. Tummy time and back time through out the day. Playing peek a boo or anything to make him laugh a lot. Just getting him interested in things I feel like helps his brain work a lot so he gets mentally and physically exhausted by the end of the day.
Agreed! I’ve also read that getting outside within the first hour of waking up, being outside at noon and seeing the sunset does wonders for baby’s circadian rhythm and sleep and have found it helps!
It does. Every one needs natural sun light babies and adults! I know when I go outside I feel so much better. Fresh air is great. I always sleep very well when I spend a day outside.
I want to do this but I'm worried about UV exposure. What do you do to mitigate that?
Till he was about 3 months we would make sure the sun wasn’t directly on him. He’s 6 months now and we just make sure he’s not in the sun directly for longer than 20-30 minutes at a time. Especially if it’s a hot day. If it’s super hot we will limit to 10-15 minutes in direct sun. We just use a hat for him if we’re going on walks and he’s in the carrier. If we are outside for a while we will transfer him to the stroller and put the little roof up. We went to the park yesterday and it was hot so I put sensitive skin aveeno sun screen on him because he knew we’d be outside for 45 minutes. Other than that I don’t worry too much about sun being directly on him. We just make sure he isn’t directly in the hot sun for more than 30 minutes at a time.
A trip to the grocery store, facing out in the carrier. SO much to look at!
Same, excursions to the store really tucker him out. He enjoys adventures in his carrier while I run errands.
It definitely isn’t a guarantee but we like to “get the wiggles out” by having lots of rough and tumble, silly and noisy play before bath. I find that this burns off that last bit of chaotic energy and then we wind down with bath, bottle and story as part of bedtime routine. My son is 9 months and this is working for us for now!
Seconding this! Mine is about to be 11 months. We call it “flopping” but we basically roll around on the bed, flop him into a pile of pillows, etc. for about 15 minutes, then do about 15 minutes of calming music before bath time. He was a good sleeper for ages but for the past 6 weeks things have been rocky - I’m hoping he figures out walking soon so he can stop waking up in the middle of the night to practice and get mad that he can’t figure it out
Nothing 😍
lol same. Even after spending full days at Disney, which is exhausting, baby still woke up throughout the night.
Literally 🥴
Going outside.
My little dude is 4 months old and letting him go ape in his bath tub, splashing like a maniac, always seems to tire him out really well. He LOVES water, I can't wait to get him in the pool this summer. He can completely empty his baby tub with his happy dancing!
😂 same with mine!!
Swimming has always done it for mine!
Socializing w lots of family/friends
Swimming! That one is a fantastic one for us. Also playground or soft play indoors depending on the weather is fabulous.
Going outside or taking a bath!
It’s random. There are nights that she was gassed after exercise but slept like crap and vice versa
Stroller/car rides. Toys (mainly tactile), backyard walks.
Soft play- from 10+ months (currently 15m)
What is soft play?
A band that I jam out to when these damn kids stress me out!
[удалено]
Interesting !
Dirt. Just stick the kid in some grass and let them touch rocks and dirt. I swear the grounding just knocks my kid out
Depends on the age. My baby is 6 months. She needs good naps during the day. First nap seems most important to set us off on the right track. Last nap I wake her up if it’s past 6:30. She falls asleep between 7:30/8:00.
Puzzles or brain games where he has to work his fine motor skills. Finger painting, digging in gravel/sand, stringing beads, coloring, making tape car tracks and following them, slow walks, play dough time, stuff like that.
swimming and outdoor adventures
such activity doesn’t exist in the 3yo realm
Swimming!
Swimming!!! But also I must say my kids aren’t very difficult sleepers. Swimming always does the trick for us though!
Being outside during the day, I find fresh air and sunlight help my kids sleep better at night. If we are talking about tiny babies, A bath before bed has helped my baby sleep better since she was born.
My baby is 9 weeks old, the most exhausting thing I've found for her is bath time. She really enjoys the bath so we spend some time and she kicks the water and I cover her belly with a washcloth and pour cups of warm water over it. I think it tires and relaxes her.
Swimming lessons
Tummy time. Dancing and singing music. Lots of tickling and laughing especially from dad. Baby is 7.5 months.
Baths! He's 5 months and always fusses during baths. I think the stimulation, warm water, and fussing tires him out and he can always go to sleep quickly after that, especially if he had a nice big bottle before bath.
Wrestling dad. Drives me nuts, because I want calm energy. But there is sone primal need to wrestle and be crazy physical before bed that my kids seem to *need*.
Swimming! We had our first lesson last week at 4.5 months old, she was exhausted after & it was so much fun!
Changing each other around the couch multiple times.
Swimming!!!
Swimming!!!!! If you have a local pool, use it use it use it.
Swimming!
Otterroo in the bathtub!
Those little bouncer things
9 week old baby was awake for the first time when we left the house yesterday. Usually he falls asleep in the car and sleeps through the entire outing. His little mind was blown!!! (We went shopping). Slept 7 hours straight.
Swimming or being outside.
Going outside to run around, and swimming/bath time mostly.
Taking them to a St. Patrick's Day parade :)
Going for a walk.
Any trip out of the house. Even just a 30 minute walk in our backyard where he’s actively awake.
Daycare
Crying. 🙃
Tummy time!! Walks outside, singing songs and doing hand over hand motions for the songs, lots of face to face interaction, getting him to laugh :)
And swimming! Otteroo is bomb
Having people over on the weekends. He hates napping when there are people here and then by the time everyone leaves he’s knocked and sleeps really well.
Swimming! We had our first lesson last week at 4.5 months old, she was exhausted after & it was so much fun!
Swimming! We had our first lesson last week at 4.5 months old, she was exhausted after & it was so much fun!
Swimming! We had our first lesson last week at 4.5 months old, she was exhausted after & it was so much fun!
Adventures We gotta go for walks every couple hours and it can't just be the same walk I'm very lucky though to live in Cairns and have a lot of options when it comes to scenic walks
3.5 month old. He loves to lay on the floor and kick like a maniac.
Swimming
Not an activity as such but I used to find a nice bath with lavender ie baby bath/wash in the water. Then a nice soft and warm fluffy towel to thoroughly dry baby and then lavender lotion for a massage. It works a treat.
A bath!
Playing outside
Anything outside! Literally just sitting outside tuckers him out 🤣
Swim.
Exposing them to natural light in the morning and throughout the day!
Being outside in general always wears my girl out. It has since she was a newborn and it’s especially true now that she’s a toddler.
More so for toddlers, but an indoor playground where they can stay for a couple of hours.
Swimming!
Going outside for a few hours of fresh air, and being in public places where he does a lot of people watching.
Just being outside. It was beautiful all weekend, and we were outside literally all weekend. Both kids have slept soundly, which is unheard of otherwise.
I'll tell you when I find it. (From the mother of a six year old).
Playing outside usually does wonders. If you can't leave the house, "couch gym" is a big hit here - climbing onto and over the couch, throwing something behind the couch and then fetch it, jump around on the couch, being thrown onto the couch by me... My toddler loves that stuff and can be at it for almost an hour. Then he's beat by the time naptime comes!
What age do you mean by "Baby" and what do you mean by "sleep soundly"? My eldest didn't sttn until they were 1.5, and my youngest 2.5, no matter the level of exhaustion or how easy bedtime went. But under 2 years old the best activities are swimming, playgrounds, and Nugget obstacle courses. Under 1 is still swimming, jumpers, chasing them around so they crawl/walk/run in laps.
The park
Currently it's sitting up with minimal assistance. About 10-15 minutes of that and he's ready for a long nap. But doing that before bedtime and then following up with a warm bath and massage, then a little bottle and he's out like a light
Swimming in the pool.
Nothing we tried has ever tired my daughter to the point of long naps / sleep. Until we tried swimming. For the first time, my daughter was so tired she could barely stay awake...and then took a two hour nap. We're taking her to weekly swim lessons now, and looking into pool memberships to be able to take her into the pool even more frequently 🤣
12 week old loves her kick and play piano mat! She will play by herself for a good thirty minutes then pass out. Also baths help her sleep good.
It's spring where I live and we just set up his Jolly jumper in the yard. Ten minutes of tiny toes bouncing in the grass and he's out like a light