Colief Baby Scalp Oil As Part Of The Perfect Bed Time Routine!

My husband thinks I’m totally and utterly bonkers as I have stuck to the same bed time routine with Raffie since the very first bath we gave him the day after we brought him home from the hospital. Jonny thinks I’m off my rocker and that it can’t possibly make a difference however I know, having missed the odd night here and there, that it absolutely does work for us and Raffie sleeps much better than my older two ever did as he goes off to bed of an evening totally relaxed. I mean he doesn’t actually go off to bed truth be told… He sleeps in my arms until I take him up with me but you catch my drift…

As part of this routine, I use, and have done since almost day one, two products from Colief, The Infant Drops which reduce the lactose content in his milk (although I got in a muddle with this in the beginning as I was exclusively breast feeding and didn’t read the instructions properly but I’ll get to my method later in the post) and the Colief Baby Scalp Oil which has two benefits as far as I’m concerned but again… I’ll get to that in a bit!

So… The routine… It’s quite extensive and actually not at all possible to use the whole system every single night but the core elements, my ‘must haves’ if you will, come with us on holiday, camping, even when we’re totally shattered and can’t be bothered… And they do that because it works!

We start with a bath:

The bath has to happen with lovely warm water and products which are gentle and soothing on Raffie’s skin. I only use bathing products which are natural and which don’t contain parabens. I’ve a few favourites which I’ve talked about before but whichever brand I choose it has to be organically made and gentle!The bath is such an important part of the day for Raffie. It signals winding down as the warmth of the water and oils within it lull him into feeling calm and relaxed. We spend a while playing and then I wash him before wrapping him up in a fluffy towel – essential (and actually did you know if you wash a towel on a 40 degree wash with half a cup of white vinegar and a teaspoon of baking soda – NO DETERGENT – they come up SUPER soft and fluffy EVEN if they’re really old). The bath takes place whether it’s in a bucket outside our tent at a festival, the kitchen sink or something more comfortable like… An actual bath, ha ha!

Next we might do some baby yoga:

This is one of the elements we will only do when we have time as it’s not really a quick method to get in a swift bed time but it does relax him, invite good cognitive skills (you should see this little bean doing his namaste hands) and it also makes him extra tired after all the concentration. A great way to do yoga with babies is to enroll on a course when they’re new born (well worth the money) and after it finishes take the special elements that work for you with you. I did baby yoga with Florence and Jimmy at our local church in Leytonstone and this time around have just incorporated the songs and motions from memory with Raffie. When they get a little bit older a BRILLIANT YouTube channel to follow for children’s yoga is Cosmic Kids.

Now it’s time for the massage and oils:

For me the massage element is the most important and the oils I choose to use are again always paraben free and natural. It is at this stage that I use the Colief Baby Scalp oil which is suitable from 2 months!Jonny bought me a book on baby massage when Florence was tiny and I have used this same book with all my children as it is easy to follow and makes perfect sense. I don’t use every massage technique every night but I have my staples which I do and then if we have a particular issue like catarrh, teething or earache for example, then I can refer to the book for guidance and help.

Now the Colief Baby Scalp Oil is primarily for the treatment of flaky skin on the scalp – cradle cap is how most people would refer to it. But Raffie hasn’t really had this ever since we started using the oil. It took maybe two weeks for all the flaky skin to disappear when he did have it meaning I know it does its primary job, but we have continued to use this because it works perfectly for Indian Head massage. It’s moisturising yet not too greasy – it doesn’t make the hair look dirty or like it needs a good wash and in fact, by the morning you’d not know it had been used. It is also made up of naturally derived products like rosehip oil and chamomile (my favourite) and it definitely has a soothing quality. I wouldn’t use anything else on his little head. NOTHING else! The nourishing plant oils help to soften flaky skin but it is my belief that they also help to soothe a baby before sleep and I LOVE this product which £3.50 full price but there are offers with different retailers so do have a shop about!

Lastly in our routine comes feeding, music and teething solutions:

I have breast fed all of my children to sleep and this works for me. I don’t have ANY issues with the method and don’t consider there to be any self made rods up my back as a result. I think we all gotta do what we gotta do when it comes to how we parent and though everyone will have an opinion I’d say listen to them all and then do things your way. Your way is best for YOU. And then remember that your way is probably ONLY best for you and not your mate, sister, neighbour, so try not to impose it on others when it comes to the next person. Just give the benefit of your wisdom without judgement or dictatorial behaviour, does that make sense?

And for us next, with a feed, we listen to Simply Red (what the babe wants mate, what can I say, it takes all sorts) and give a little dose of Colief Infant Drops. The drops are lactase enzyme drops which are added to breast milk or formula before each feed and I swear they just settle his tummy so well. Now if you’re breast feeding you have to express a tiny amount (I don’t use a machine for this just a little squeeze (too much info?) directly onto a spoon and mix the drop in, I feed the spoon to Raff and then we get on with the feed. In the beginning I got all confuzzled by this and didn’t know what to do, was worried about amounts of milk and getting it right -really it doesn’t have to be that thought out. Just a small amount of milk dilutes the tiny drop and the results are SO worth it. Even now at 19 months it makes a tremendous difference!

Now… I’m not a stickler for routines, I would burn every copy of the Gina Ford book if I could. I’m about gentle parenting in every way, but this bed time routine works for us on so many levels. It’s also extremely bonding for me and the babe. The big kids get involved and it’s a family affair. I love this time so much it doesn’t feel like a chore and I would say to anyone to find their own bed time routine for some yummy love goals and stick with it. Forget baking cakes that are sweetened with dates (they ain’t cakes) and don’t worry about all the pressures society puts on new mothers, but do get the baby (and yourself) some sleep because at the end of the day, if you’re all well rested then you’ll all be happy and that’s the only goal anyone needs surely?!

This post is a collaboration with Colief.