Comforting/ nostalgic bedtime rituals

[Raisinsandweetabix]

I'm laying here snuggled up with a hot water bottle in bed (had a tummy ache today) and it takes me right back to being 7 years old.... my lovely mum putting us a 'hottie' in our beds during the winter months. So soothing and simple! What are your comforts at bedtime?

My mum used to say night night don't let the bed bugs bite. It's not until recently that I realise how awful a saying it is (and I live in France) 😅

Oops missed a bit: night night sleep tight don't let the bed bugs bite

I second the "hottie". So comforting.

Used to do the Night night sleep tight thing, but then tonight I remembered something else from about 45 years ago. "Up the dancers!" My Mam and Nanna used to both say it when i climbed the stairs to bed. I was out shopping with DD and her friend tonight and I said it to them as we were heading towards some stairs. Lovely memory!

I've just bought DD a heated blanket. Reminds me of when I stayed at my great Aunts and she would put the electric blanket on for me. I also bought a 1940's eiderdown recently for the same reason. Same aunt used to make me Milky Coffee with full fat milk warmed in a saucepan and it would develop a wrinkly skin on top as it cooled.

My mum used to say 'night night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite, nos da, see you in the morning' - a slightly welsh variation but where did the whole bedbugs thing come from?

@RainbowZebraWarrior we uses to go up the 'wooden hill'!

Oh this is lovely.
I struggled to get to sleep as a child, once I was gone I slept all night but really ground it hard to get to sleep to start with. My lovely, lovely mum would sit next to my bed and do (what I now know to be) progressive muscle relaxation so I could relax and fall asleep.
I still do it now and every time I do I sleep so quickly and soundly.
She also used to put my nightie on the radiator for when I got out the bath. I do that with my own children now. It’s lovely.

Ah lovely memories!
My dad used to say up the wooden hill, and always gave us a bedtime kiss and god bless on the forehead.

My mum always used to sing goosey goosey gander to get us to brush our teeth for the right amount of time too 😆. And rub the bed to warm it up before we jumped in.

DH says up the fairy dancers to DC at bedtime.

My DPs used to say, "sleep tight, roll right and don't let the bed bugs bite." My dad sometimes gave us a piggyback or a fireman's lift up the stairs. We always had hot water bottles too. When it got cold we had brushed cotton sheets as well. This was in the days before duvets.😃

I've just bought my DD brushed cotton sheets for the winter. Really reminded me of mine when I was little. Mine were pink and lemon. I think we may also have had some of the candy stripe ones too.

Probably an odd one but we lived in a pub for all my life until I moved out after uni
So I would fall asleep hearing the sounds of sort of muffled voices, glasses being collected, laughter etc
Went back home one Christmas and was out like a light hearing the same noises!
If I can't sleep now I put a podcast on so low I can't make out what they're saying and I fall asleep

'Time to climb the big wooden hill to go and visit bob' was a favourite of my parents when growing up. I now say the same thing to my DD when it's bedtime 💤 🥰

Up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire! Mum tucked me in and gave me a kiss after I'd said night to dad. If it was a Friday or Saturday night and dad was playing snooker, I would get in bed with mum, fall asleep and dad would carry me to bed when he came home. I was very young. Night night sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite is familiar and I used to say it to ds when he was small. When you're a child bedbugs sound very cute and almost mythical! Loved our hottle bottle too, still do! Not so much a bedtime ritual but a morning one. I used to wake early, get into mum and dads bed. Dad would wake up and I would regale him with tales of what my teddies had been up to!. I had an extremely vivid imagination and woild recite these stories to my dad (and mum) for about 20 minutes with him intejecting here and there! W even have an audio recording somewhere from when dad secretly recorded my storytelling! Happy days.

Always god bless from dad too.

My grandma would make me (atheist parents) say my prayers when I stayed with her.
Gentle Jesus meek and mild, look upon this little child. Pity my simplicity and suffer me to come to thee, amen.
Then we'd say God bless, followed by the names of as many people I could think of I order to stall for time 😂.

Lovely lovely memories! Up the fairy dancers is so sweet.

What a wonderful thread! Lovely reading all the rituals & memories of childhood.
Thanks @Raisinsandweetabix 👏🏻

We had "climb the wooden hill to the land of nod."

On very cold nights Dad would put hot water bottles in our beds and mum would make us "Magic Milk" which was milk warmed in a saucepan with some honey and cinnamon and had magical properties that meant you went to sleep easily. 🤣

I still make my DDs magic milk if they're not feeling great or struggling to get to sleep.

My mum used to say
Good night, sleep tight,
Don't let the bedbugs bite.
Sweet dreams,
Pleasant repose,
Half the bed
And all the clothes'.

For my grandchildren. Bath, story if they want one, or quiet reading until lights out. Goodnight kiss and cuddle if they want it, night night sleep tight, see you in the morning light.