Good habits

[Sunny88888]

What good habits did you start when your babies were born that you still do now (whatever age your children are)?

Not born, as they were too little, but from three months in I aimed for a 7 bedtime. They didn't sleep through for ages but have gone down at 7 to this day.

Not drank anything other than milk or water (to my knowledge).

Nothing else!

They change so much over time that you can't set any "everlasting good habits"

My rules are no sweet things unless a good amount of dinner has been eaten & never give in.

Bedtime is always 7pm, unless on a very rare occasion a play date has gone on a bit.

Water rather than juice
A book at bedtime
No sweets except for occasional treats...this one was obviously NOT from birth

A good bedtime routine. We started at a couple of weeks old. He was a shit sleeper but we persevered. He is nearly 5 and the kernel of the routine is the same. Bath, teeth, story and bed. There used to be a breastfeed in their before. All with dim lighting and quiet voices. (That doesn't always happen now- he was belting out Xmas songs in the bath). But we have genuinely never had a fuss about bedtimes.

Reading books. There was a time when I read to him for over an hour a day. We read to him as a baby. Not just baby books but whatever. Still read a lot to him. We have 'family reading time' on weekends where we read a book or the paper with a cup of tea and he curls up with a book and hot chocolate. Our house is quite literally overflowing with books (and someday I am going to inherit my Dad's 3000+ book collection. Gulp). Books and reading take up a lot of our spare time but it is definitely a habit one has to cultivate.

I second reading to them; I don't think you can start this too early, as the sound of your voice will comfort.

We've always eaten round the table together.

I also believe positive language is a must. Foster a 'can do' attitude, laced with compassion for others.

Oh yes that's a good one! I actually don't use the word "no"

It's not now, or later, another time. No just becomes a negative meaningless word so yes agree on positive words

I never give into a tantrum. This has worked well with my eldest, as when she now tries it I ask her "does this EVER work?" and she says "no" and calms down. DS is stlll a work in progress though!

All food must be given a "good try" - i.e.: not just poking your tongue out and making very brief contact with it - before you can announce you don't like it.

Some great ideas, thanks all. It would be amazing to teach them not to have tantrums.

The only ones I've managed to stick to in a decade are reading to them and water only. Everything else fell by the wayside.

Best habit is to not stress yourself over good/bad habits. You can do the best bedtime routines you want but if your kid is a non sleeper (I have one of each) they won't give two shits. You will just be annoyed that it doesn't work.

Enjoy your baby, get to know their likes and dislikes and go with the flow. You will not make a rod for your back or create bad habits. You will respond lovingly to your child's needs at that time.

Disclaimer - lots of people will disagree with me!

I agree ODog I tried to get great bedtime habits, I tried so bloody hard, nothing worked. Now I try to do the best job I can. My son is incredibly head strong and intelligent, he does things his way regardless. I can't beat myself up any more over his bedtime issues. My one good habit is reading to him or making up a story every night, and insisting on pleases and thank you's and he always takes his shoes off indoors!