Predictability.
That’s one of the greatest gifts you can give to your baby and toddler.
Even though it seems that your baby doesn’t understand. She does.
She just has the capability to actively reply on a small percentage of everything she understands.
We experience this mostly in our bed ritual. Every day, for 1,5 years now, it’s more or less the same.
Saying goodnight to the cats and if there are people, the people downstairs.
Mom or dad (both fine, but just one) walks upstairs with the little one.
Changing the diaper.
Sitting on mom & dad’s bed. Undressing.
Going to the bathroom to wash her face, hands and brush teeth.
Going back to mom & dad’s room. Put on a sleeping bag.
Go to her room. Lights out, curtains closed. Start the baby light/song lamp.
Say goodnight to large furniture and stuffed animals.
Kiss goodnight and leave the room.
We seldom have sleeping problems.
I myself attribute this success to predictability.
And one thing is for sure. There is plenty of scientific proof that predictability improves things as self esteem and comfort.
It’s rituals that create predictability. We human seem to crave predictability.
And maybe that’s why in the deep root of every belief and culture, there are rituals as well.