Baby Magic: Gently Rub your Toddler's Temple

Gently rub your toddler's temple to get him to fall asleep.

You can also do this with your baby, but it will be magic with your toddler. Instead concentrate on patting your baby and pumping his pacifier. Use this with your baby as something else to try.

But definitely do this with your toddler! Why a toddler? I think it works best with your toddler because he is used to you touching him, especially in this fashion. He knows you. He understand the gentle touch. It sooths him.

Gently rub his temple and "Shh" him so that he calms down. Again, you don't need to wait for him to fall asleep. Just get him to calm down. He will learn to fall asleep. As a toddler, you should have already taught him this. But if you haven't, then you should begin teaching him how to get himself to fall asleep once he is calm.

That's Daddy Magic.





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Daddy Magic: Turn on your Fan

Turn on your fan to lull your baby to sleep! This is also great for your toddler and infant.

Some babies sleep better than others. We have one baby who slept better as an infant and a baby. Our toddler had more trouble at every stage. Babies are different. That's life.

However, we've learned to turn on the fan. Make sure your fan makes noise, because that is about 80% of the point. The hushing sound is magical! Turn it on the lowest mode, as long as it is loud enough. It's as if you were nearby your baby, hushing him. "Shhh!" Constantly. All night long.

That's great! Why? Because you don't need to do it! Go to sleep instead. =^)

This is a great technique to be used with patting your baby, the pacifier, and the swaddle (see other posts).

The fan will be your biggest fan. That's Daddy Magic!




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Daddy Magic: Pat Your Baby to Sleep

I've mentioned this before, but I use this almost exclusively in the current stage of my baby's growth. So I want to go in depth on this topic:

Pat your baby to sleep!

This is an excellent alternative to swaying and tightly holding your baby.

With one hand, hold your baby's pacifier and pump it gently. Get him to suck on it. I would also use a "Shh" sound or run a noisy fan. This also works much better if your child is in a tight swaddle (see other posts on swaddling your baby).

With one hand you are stabilizing and pumping the pacifier (you can stop pumping as your baby takes over and sucks on it).

With your other hand pat your baby on his stomach/chest. It is best in the middle of his stomach/chest (about the rib cage) but this depends on the size of your hand and baby.

Pat the baby sternly. Don't pat him gently, but if he's making noise or your pat is making noise, then you're probably doing it too hard. =^)

Pat the baby very quickly, depending on how quickly your baby is breathing. At least match the speed of your baby's breath, but you should probably pat faster than that.

Do this for 30 seconds. Count them in your head. Then slow down your pace a little. Your baby's breathing should slow down and match your pace. If his breath doesn't slow down to match it. Go back to the original speed and try again. Honestly, you should persevere through this and keep trying until it works. The reason is because you're training your baby to respond to this type of soothing. He will learn, and it will get easier. Persevere!

So, you slowed down your pace. He will slow down his breathing to match it. Count another 30 seconds. Then slow down your pace again. Count another 30 seconds. Your pace should be much slower. He must match this pace. If he doesn't go back to your second pace. Try again until he slows down with you.

After he successfully slows down to the third pace, stop. You may want to have a fourth pace, but I only use three (if you use too many stages this will take too long, which is against the point of this technique). If he is still breathing quickly and heavily, continue patting him, find his pace, and start there. Try again until he is breathing calmly.

Once he is breathing calmly and sucking on the pacifier, leave. He'll fall asleep. You are only calming him down so that he can put himself to sleep. You are not putting him to sleep. You are teaching him how to do that himself.

Here's why you should do this technique:

(1) It's faster. Like 5 times faster than rocking or bouncing him to sleep.

(2) It's quieter. If you begin pumping his pacifier and patting him speedily, he will be quiet as you vigorously pat him and pump his pacifier. You are in control.

(3) You are teaching him to put himself to sleep. You are teaching him to let you sleep through the night. You are enabling him to do the work for you! He will learn to fall asleep without you, as long as he is calm. If you rock him to sleep, you are teaching him to cry until you come rock him to sleep.

This also works with toddlers, but if you teach your baby this discipline, you won't need to teach him when he is a toddler.

The point is to gradually ween your baby off of the patting and thus, stop (do it less and less). You teach your baby how to sleep through... Baby Steps!!!

This method needs to be used sparingly and in conjunction with the "tough love" method of letting your child cry through the night (see specifics on that in another article).


Pure Daddy Magic!




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Daddy Magic: The Pacifier is only for night time

The pacifier is only for night time!

Well, first you train your infant to love the pacifier. Then you slowly take it away from her. Only give it to her during naps and at night time. Only use it otherwise after you tried everything else.

Train your toddler to hand you the pacifier when she wakes up. Hand it to her when she goes to bed. You are teaching her that the pacifier is only for bed.


Why is this important?

1. You can get her to smile more.
2. She isn't walking around all the time with the pacifier.
3. You won't have to worry about her dropping it or losing it.
4. She will talk sooner because she is able to practice.
5. It will be easier to ween her off of it.
6. It teaches her discipline.
7. It teaches her obedience.

Pure Daddy Magic.

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Daddy Magic: The Toddler Tools

You need tools. Tools are good.

Take one of those snack containers with different departments. Not only are they good for portioning dried formula (for infants and babies), but you can bring a variety of easy-to-get-to snacks.

Bring the portable booster seat. That's an amazing tool!

Take an umbrella stroller. They are lighter weight and easy to haul.

Bring a Pack-and-Play. Teach your child to sleep in one so that your child can sleep anywhere!

Use a pacifier to help your child sleep at night.

Children love digital toys, like the cell phone or Mypod toys for toddlers. They have buttons, make noises, and they have visual stuff.




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Daddy Magic: Teach your baby how to fall asleep

I think a key that many people miss is that you need to teach your baby how to fall asleep.

Your baby doesn't learn anything on his own. You need to teach him how to fall asleep.

The first step to doing this is to lay him down to sleep in a swaddle, with a pacifier, when he is close to sleep, but not asleep. Lay him down when his eyes are half full. He may be more likely to cry sooner for the first few days. Endure this.

After he cries for five to fifteen minutes, try again. Make sure he has his swaddle and pacifier. Then rock him near sleep. And lay him down before he falls asleep. You'll only have to do this a few times.

Gradually lay him down sooner each time. Eventually you'll be able to lay him down, and he will be awake and content. He'll fall asleep on his own.

I know parents with toddlers who still can't fall asleep on their own. What--the???

Don't let this be you!!!! Embrace the Daddy Magic.




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Daddy Magic: Keep your Baby Awake if You want to Sleep!

If you want your baby to sleep for 8-12 hours at night, you'll need to keep your baby awake during the day!!!

After that 12 hours (like from 8 PM to 8 AM), wake up your baby! Keep your baby awake. You'll want to do a short nap (10 AM to 11 AM) and a longer nap (1 PM, after lunch, for at least one hour, up at 4 PM for another feeding).

So keep your baby awake when she is not scheduled to be napping! Otherwise, the schedule isn't going to work.


How to keep your baby awake:

(1) Take him out of the swaddle.

(2) Hold him upright or Lay him on a blanket on the ground (it's harder than a bed or your arms)

(3) Talk to him

(4) Play with him - touch him, move him around, dance with him, etc.



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