Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

My previous entry was on the sleep routine I had more or less established with Musa. Right after that posting, I noticed some changes in Musa’s sleep patterns – he has been taking naps much later in the afternoon (around 3pm) and going to bed well past 11pm! Reading up on the developmental growth of toddlers his age made me realize that this is to be expected. I’m lucky that he still wants to take daytime naps -- many kids forego it altogether.

Still on the subject of sleep, one of our favourite books for bedtime reading – a 1947 classic which I much recommend – is Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon. It’s a quiet and calming book, perfect to share a moment together before bedtime.

The story, set in a little bunny rabbit’s large bedroom, relates to the hour before he finally closes his eyes to go to sleep. In the beginning, we see that he’s tucked in bed by 7pm. The room is still bright, his toys and things scattered around, and he’s fidgeting about (as all kids do at bedtime!).

Then one by one, and page by page, we say goodnight to all the things in his room – the chairs, the picture of the three bears (probably the ones featured in Goldilocks!), the red balloon, the comb, the air, the noises everywhere!

The illustrations by Clement Hurd are simple but give plenty to talk about with a child. He uses vibrant colours of yellows and greens, blues and reds…and interestingly, the pictures, as you turn page by page, becomes progressively darker, the shadows become longer…to illustrate that day is turning to night! That’s a great cue to teach a child to associate darkness with bedtime, and all the time reassure them that there will be new things to do when they wake up the next day.

Moms or dads can snuggle up with their child in bed and go through the book, page by page, to signal the end of an active day. When the last page has been turned, they can together go through their own ritual to say goodnight to all the things in their own room – turn the lights off, and using a flashlight, point to things in the dark and “officially” say goodnight to all of them.

Goodnight Moon
By Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrated by Clement Hurd
Published by Harper Trophy / Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN: 9780064430173
Price: USD6.99
Recommended for ages 0-3

Musa's bedtime routine

Musa at about 5 months...already reading!

In raising Musa, I rely a lot on reading books on parenting. My so-called "bible" is this amazing and comforting (yes, comforting) book by Penelope Leach who gives excellent advice on parenting and opens up our eyes towards childhood from the child's perspective. But more on that later.

A lot of parenting books encourage parents to set up a bedtime routine to settle in the children at night. Children need routine in their lives so that they will feel comforted and secure. A regular activity that happens at a regular time acts as a guide for what's coming up next, and kind of signals to the child what to expect next.

I like the idea of having a bedtime routine because I am able to put Musa to bed by 9:30pm and spend some quality time with my family at night before it's my turn to go to bed! If I don't do this, then he'll get tired and cranky, or he'll run around the house, laughing like a mad person!

So our bedtime routine usually goes like this:

We finish dinner by 8pm, after which Musa goes around to say "goodnight" to everyone. We go upstairs to make our bed -- Musa will help to take his pillows. He will brush his teeth and if he allows me, I will inspect and do the final brushing. We have a glass of water, then he would select between 3 and 5 of his favourite bedtime books to read that night. Depending on how tired I was, I would either make a whole drama out of all the stories, or just read word for word whatever's in the text!

After each book is read, I'll announce loudly, "Four more books to go, Musa!" or "Okay, this is the last one, after this we sleep okay..." I do this to prepare him for the inevitable (Kids hate meal times, bath times and sleeping!)

When the last book is read, I'll say (firmly, in my no-nonsense voice), "Now it's time to sleep...lights out!" Of course, he's not sleepy yet, but most times, he won't protest. What happens next, you ask?

Well, I'll turn off the lights, except our night light. We lie down next to each other and I'll close my eyes to pretend to sleep. He'll be tossing and turning, playing with his fingers, inspecting his buttons, etc. But I just lie quite still and maybe pat or stroke him a little bit. Once in a while, I'll just remind him to close his eyes and sleep.

One thing about Musa is that he doesn't have any attachments to his play things. He doesn't have a favourite blanket or toy that he wants to sleep with. It's so "not cute" but what to do, my boy is like that.

Sometimes, we'll have light conversations, or in cases when he's really not ready to sleep, he'll ask me to tell him a story. That's when I have to be imaginative and think up some bedtime story for him -- usually he asks for the "Abang Adam" story about a boy who was having too much fun playing football that he refused to go to bed!

But mostly, we lie down quietly together, and very soon, he (or I) would fall asleep!

The whole process takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Yes, it's quite a long time, but I get to spend quality time with him, make him feel calmer for his bedtime. After that, the night is mine to do as I please! Usually, after putting Musa to bed, I would sit in the garden with Zainal and just talk, drink coffee, cuddle.

Hands are Not for Hitting by Martine Agassi

When Musa started hitting and biting (even at me!), especially when he didn't get his way, I remember feeling helpless about not being able to assert some control over it. Honestly, I didn't know where he picked up those actions because Zainal and I never displayed that kind of behaviour. I also realised that perhaps he was having just as much trouble dealing with his feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration as I was.

To nip the problem in the bud, so to speak, I turned to this great award-winning series of books called "The Best Behaviour Series" that showed kids socially acceptable behaviour in different situations. I have several titles from this series, and this particular one, Hands are Not for Hitting, by Martine Agassi (a therapist in children's behaviour), helped me out in a way. Kids are reminded that hands are not for hitting and shows the various good things that our hands can do instead, i.e. drawing, hugging, playing, etc.

This is a colourful board book -- which I absolutely love because they are so durable and can withstand lots of grubby hands and rough handling! The images and colours are vibrant, the pictures are big and clear, and the words used are simple. Each page shows kids in different social settings, i.e. playing, making friends, eating, etc., and offer a great way to start a discussion with the child about how to behave.

For example, one page demonstrates that hands are for "taking care" with a picture of two sisters, one brushing her teeth and the other washing her hands. Musa and I would talk about the importance of personal hygiene, and even do the actions of teeth-brushing and hand-washing. When I wanted to get Musa into the routine of brushing his teeth, I used this book (and this particular page) to reinforce his efforts.

There's also a thoughtful section at the end for parents with some excellent parenting tips on how to redirect a child's frustrated energy. Here's an excerpt from it:

"The majority of toddlers will go through a phase where they hit. We can teach them that feeling angry is okay, but hitting is not. Most often, toddlers hit when they feel strong emotions that they have trouble expressing through words...encourage using words to express emotions as a step to avoid hitting. You can help toddlers learn to name their feelings..."

Hands are Not for Hitting
By Martine Agassi
Illustrated by Marieka Heinlen
Published by Free Spirit Publishing
ISBN: 9781575422008
Price: USD7.95
Recommended for ages 0-3

The Noisy Airplane Ride by Mike Downs

Last year, Musa went on his first airplane ride as a toddler. The flight was to Bangkok and it was the first time that he would be away from me for several days. Although like all boys, he loves airplanes and anything with wheels (the garbage truck included!), I wasn't sure how he was going to take to his first experience flying in an airplane.

So I bought a couple of books explaining about airplanes for us to read together many weeks before his holiday trip with his aunt and grandparents. One of them was The Noisy Airplane Ride by Mike Downs.


This particular airplane book shares the experience of a little boy who is taking an airplane ride with his parents to see his grandmother. What I like about this book is that it prepares the child for all the noises he is going to hear on the airplane. I've travelled by flight and even I get nervous hearing all the unfamiliar sounds on board!

Each page is filled with rhyming text and "sound words" like "ding" (the seatbelt sign warning), "clunk" (wheels up), and "thud, thump, shuffle, stomp" (all kinds of footsteps).

The nature of the book makes it quite fun to read in an active way and encourages kids to get involved in the reading as well. I would exaggerate the sounds loudly and Musa would follow suit, and we'd crack up laughing. Or I'll make a certain sound and ask him "What's that?" and that's the chance for me to point to the pictures and explain where the sound is coming from.

It's a great book to prepare for the flight a child is about to take and is an opportunity to discuss all the things that happen in a flight -- the turbulence, the importance of wearing seatbelts, etc. -- and the appropriate behaviour inflight.

The book can also be read on-board the flight so the child will hear the actual sounds and relate it back to the book.

There is a 2-page spread at the end of the book with a picture of an airplane which provides more information about the different parts of the airplane.

We're taking this book out for another read this week because Musa will be flying off to Singapore this weekend!

The Noisy Airplane Ride 
Written by Mike Downs
Illustrations by David Gordon
Published by Tricycle Press
ISBN: 9781582461571