What's the strangest technique you've used to get your child to sleep?

[ElleOhElle]

As I stood leaning into 1yo DD's cot gently tapping the bidge of her nose I started to wonder what other weird and wonderful techniques parents are using in a bid to get their DC to sleep.
Would love to hear your stories.......

Lady, my nephew used to enjoy watching Eddie Izzard as a baby.

Love these posts, R2peepoo. If you write your lyrics, I'll illustrate them......we could be the next julia donaldson and axel schrieffer (sp?) of Gruffalo fame! Hahaha

I think R2 needs to make an album, I'd buy it, and my youngest are 15!

Makescakes
Just for you

Feet are a funny shape
And need special clothes
So we buy you coloured socks
To cover up your toes

They were the very first thing
That you learned to lose
Hidden under sofas
Or stuffed in Daddy's shoes

Carefully we roll them up
And wash them as a pair
But somehow you ensure
That one is never there.

My life was transformed by Baby sleeping bags (growbags my DH used to call them), I had pemie twins, and was up umpteen times each night, so was a living, breathing certified Zombie! The first night we used them, I woke up next morning without a single distubance, and went into their room in a total panic thinking I had somehow killed them, only to find they had both slept through for the first time ever! Also, I always used to sing the welsh lullaby "hush, my baby" which I had sung with my choir- the boys still ask me to sing it if they are feeling unwell, and they are now 11!!

Love your work R2PeePoo!

For DS, I have a little song I sing to him but it's not as inventive as those on here already. Just "Time to go to sleep now, my baby sweet baby" type stuff.

For DD (now 4), she used to keep calling us up the stairs as she had "itchies on her back" which the progressed to other itchy things, including "itchy teeth" at one point.
So now we do "itchies" before going downstairs. It evolved into a routine of rubbing/dancing hands on her back to "Big big spiders, big big spiders, little little spiders, little little spiders, itchy, itchy itchy itchy, go to sleep". When DH does it, it sometimes has "snakes" and it has now evolved into her picking 3 things as diverse as "Dora, Diego, Swiper" and "Walking candy cane, Walking lollipop, walking freezie" to "Green Goblin, Spiderman, Hulk" preceding the "itchy itchy itchy itchy go to sleep"

Good times!

Awesome stuff R2, love your work! :-)

Made me smile when I really needed it x

R2 you have lost your true vocation of a child song writer there

I used to have to throw a muslin square over DS1s face when he was aroun1 to get him to sleep. It's probably against the law now.

I solved DS2s middle of the night waking using the Wake To Sleep method

Try this?

Warning: containing swearing

My DS went to sleep as soon as the hoover was turned on,Health visitor had to see it to believe it,as he got older he loved hoovers,taking old ones apart and using his toy one.strange child

When DD was about 9 weeks I discovered she would actually sleep somewhere other than on my chest as long as I held her arms and legs still so she didn't keep waking herself up (I gave up swaddling as I never did it well enough and within a minute a hand would snake up out of the swaddling blanket in front of her face!). I used to put her in a carrycot on the floor and kind of lie in it almost (gently) holding her limbs down and possibly her dummy too.

Sounds terrible but she was quite happy. I, on the other hand, probably look deranged!

R2 you are my absolute idol. I luffa you. I will make you a felty thing of your choice if you will make me a song about weasels or mooses.

Do you feel like a performing monkey at all?

See profile for felty things, and I lifts you, not luffa you, obvs.

LUFFS

Oh dear, marmalade vodka is quite strong

Ds used to only have a daytime nap if I played Mario kart on the Wii

I got very good at Mario kart

Nothing very weird but DS has to have a bottle before he'll go down for a nap and sometimes if he isn't closing his eyes I have to pull the bottle out of his mouth and put it back in. I have no idea why it works but as soon as I put the bottle back in his eyes start closing.

Oh weasel you are clever
And very very sweet
You squeak along the hedgerows
On your tiny little feet

Some people say that you are mean
And bad to have around
But they haven't seen your shiny eyes
Or heard your squeaky sound

Your fur is brown, your body long
Your legs are oh so short
Of all the smallest carnivores
You are my favourite sort.

Brilliant....is there no end to your lyrical genius!? I'm thoroughly enjoying waiting for the next request! :)

Oh R2 I love those songs! You have a wonderful gift!

Best weasel poem EVER.

What would you like to be made from felt...it is yours....name ANYTHING

Am loving the songs!!!

My DS would only go to sleep if we played Ironman by Ozzy Osborne. I ended up carrying a CD around in my bag for emergencies.

He is 9 now and funnily enough really likes heavy metal music!!!

Who finds the subartic waste
Very much to their taste?
Can move across the snow in haste?
The moose!

Who attack more people than the bear?
Cover their intelligence with their cow-like stare?
Drawn on the wall of the caveman's lair.
The moose!

Who grow antlers large and wide?
Who don't ever come inside?
Who find it very hard to hide?
The moose!

Just don't mention pemmican......

R2 you are very talented!

I did get to a stage with DD (3.8) when I read her 3 stories, talked about what she had done that day and what was on the agenda for the next day, then sang her 3 lullabies (classics not my own). I've used audio books a lot. With DS (20mnths) I often put the Gruffalo on REALLY LOUD if he is having a screaming tizwoz and doesn't want to nap.

Wow R2 - fab songs!