Routines and the Healthy Child

Donnie and I have really let things slip around here with him not having to go to work. Not that we were terribly good about bedtimes before that because of Donnie's work schedule and Sam's sleep issues, but now they are bad. Sam is sleeping through the night most of the week, so it is time to get him on a good bedtime.




The best way to get kids happy with bedtime is to have a routine. It is so healthy for children to know what is expected and what comes next. But even with that, there are still things that kids will fight parents on. Like the dreaded nightly teeth brushing. I can't even tell you how many of my kids I had to sit on and pry their mouths open to scrub their teeth with them screaming.


There has to be an easier way!





There is, and I wish I would have had this great set of books way back with my first child almost 20 years ago.





These books and animals from Haydenburri Lane tell stories about healthy habits and routines. Each book covers a different thing, like getting dressed and bathing and brushing teeth. And each habit has an animal friend associated with it.


I got this great Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase set that retails for $29.95. It is so amazing! If Donnie were not laid off right now I would buy the entire book and stuffed animal set. Just the one book and 5 finger puppets in this set have triggered happy times with getting off to bed.



The five puppets and habits are:
Bubbles the Hippo ~ bathtime
P.J. the Bear ~ getting dressed
Chomper the Crocodile ~ brushing teeth
Paige the Elephant ~ storytime
Rory the Tiger ~ being brave

You can check out a little about each character and see a little about each book, I love the Chomper song.

Trinity and Sam play with the finger puppets almost every day. And because of the book in the kit, they know what each animal stands for. We snuggle up together periodically and read the book and play with the puppets while snuggled in the blanket that comes with it. The blanket is soft on one side, silky on the other, and has a handy pocket for the puppets.


You can see the kids love to play with them.

Sam loves the blanket, he claimed it and freaks if Trinity tries to use it.

Look how cute this puppet is! It fits perfectly on Sam's finger, and has elastic inside to make sure it stays put, but it also fits my much bigger finger. These are the highest quality finger puppets I have ever seen. And the quality rivals many larger puppets I have ever seen. I was captured by the details in each one of them.

Thanks to Chomper, the crocodile, Sam and Trinity want to "tickle their teeth" over and over every day. I love it! That has got to be my favorite part, and theirs as well.

Thank you, Haydenburri Lane for making such a high quality, helpful product!