Whether a Grandparent or Aunty, or even a parent, babysitting a new born baby can be boring!  Here are a few tips to make it fun for both of you!

• Cuddle up with a good book:  It could be a kiddie book and you can read in a nice, quiet voice to the little bundle and enjoy a nice cuddle. It could be your own novel!  Try reading aloud and seeing how happy baby is just to be warm and safe and listening to your voice.
• Watch TV together and chat about what you see.  They will love the moving pictures, the sound and comfort of your voice and the attention!  A little bit of television is fine!
• Have a gentle massage.  Lie them down safely and tickle their toes, stroke their hands and gently give a massage.
• Count fingers and toes and get their hands moving.  Sing Round And Round the Garden and watch their delight!
• Have a sing: singing, and music, are a great comfort to a baby.  Listen to all sorts of music together, it needn't just be soft, baby music - as longs as it's not too loud.
• Get down on the floor and encourage crawling or playing depending on the age.  They will love the attention and to have someone new spending time with them.
• Carry on as usual: you can still get on with your regular tasks and jobs when babysitting.  If you make sure the baby is safe, you can leave their side.  Perhaps chatter as you do things  and talk through what you are doing.
• Go for a stroll: it's nice to get some fresh air even in winter, so wrap up baby and go for a walk whenever you can to get you out.  As long as baby is warm you will be fine!
• Have a nap: babies do get tired, so if you think they are getting sleepy, put them down for a nap.  Watching them when they sleep is just magical!

As parents of carers of any age children, we can get rather obsessed with entertaining and stimulating the little ones but quiet time is also an important activity to undertake and build into your routine.  It gives you and the children a chance to be peaceful, quiet, thoughtful and relaxed.

Quiet time activities:

• rest, sleep in a dim room
• quiet colouring or drawing
• quiet puzzle
• quiet/classical music and relaxing in a comfy chair
• reading a nice book
• looking through a book alone
• writing practice
• a choice of activities from a craft box/book shelf
• yoga
• lying down with eyes shut and quiet music playing

Why bother with quiet time?

• it gives the carer a few minutes of peace and quiet
• it focuses the child
• it relaxes and regenerates the child's energy
• reduces stress or any tension they may have built up
• gives the child independence if allowed to choose own activity
• builds a well balanced child who has the ability to entertain themselves
• helps with sleep

Tips for a successful Quiet Time

• Don't expect too much too soon.  Start with a quiet 10 minutes rather than a whole hour.
• Use the same place each time so they come to expect it and know it's always the same familiar spot.
• Do it at the same time each day, after lunch, before school run etc. so it becomes part of the routine.
• Make sure they have all they need so won't be calling you. Go to the toilet first, have a sip of drink and provide all the toys/books etc. they will need so they don't come wandering to find you.
• Keep it positive - don't make any suggestion it's a punishment or anything but a treat!  If it doesn't work immediately, don't nag, just quietly explain and keep it happy.
• Explain you'll not be there, but that you'll be next door or down stairs so they are not alarmed if you go.

Children typically need 12 - 14 hours sleep in every 24 hours and if your toddlers are getting their quota overnight, they may not need a daytime nap.  Young children who aren't napping should be encouraged to take a 'quiet time' during the day as this rests them a little and let's them get through the day more easily.  To introduce a 'quiet time', put your little one in their bedroom and let them play with puzzles or toys on their own for a while - 30 minutes is long enough for most children.  If they require a nap then you may find that they fall asleep during this period on their own.

A 'quiet time' helps with the transition from taking daytime naps to doing away with them altogether.  Some children will continue napping even once that have started school, but most children will give up naps anywhere between 2 and 4 years old.  Sometimes children give up naps because they simply don't appear to need them, other times you will stop your children napping because it doesn't fit into your daily routine.  If you have older children and have to do a school run, or if you have other daytime commitments, then it's quite possible that this will interfere with nap time.

According to research, about 70% of children under five have sleep problems; sleep is a vital part of our daily lives, both for children and their parents, so any problems in this are can have dreadful consequences.  The issues behind sleep problems are complicated and stressful because too little sleep at night can make the days even harder for both parents and children.

So, what can be done to improve sleeping?  Here are a few tips:

1. A day and night timetable

It is important to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day so you begin to "train" your child's biological clock.  This will mean that around 7 am each morning your child will begin to wake and at around 7 pm they will be ready for bed.

2. Routine

Children that follow a routine are more likely to have a more peaceful and calm bedtime.  They know that the same thing will happen each night: bath, wash teeth, pyjamas on, book in bed, cuddle then bed.  They will come to know what happens next and will expect it to be the same each night.

3. Daytime naps

Surprisingly, sleeps or naps during the day can effect how well a child sleeps at night.  You'd think not, but naps are important.  Children find it hard to go all day long without a break and it can make them more relaxed and focused.  The better the daytime sleep, the better the night sleep.

4. Help get them in the mood

Dim the lights, talk more quietly, turn off the TV or music and be calm during the last half hour of the day.  Put black out curtain in your child's bedroom so any sunlight is not making the room bright.   Similarly, the sunlight will encourage them to wake up so keep the binds down if you want them to increase the chances of them sleeping in later in the morning.

5. Bedroom

Try and make the bedroom a calm place in the evening.  Make it warm and comfortable.  Warm the pyjamas if its cold outside, make the bed look welcoming and just try to make it a nice place to be.

6. Hungry or hyper?

Try not to feed sugary foods in the evening that can make children too alert and awake.  Carbohydrates are more calming on the body so try and eat these in the evening.  And, make sure they have eaten well during the day.  A hungry tummy can make sleep very hard!

7.  Wear them out!

Make sure that you do lots of physical exercise with children during the day so they are worn out by bedtime!  It's good for them to enjoy the outdoors and healthy too, so take them out whenever you can so they are tired and drop off to sleep quickly.

8. Read a book

A great way to end the day is to share a book.  Snuggle up somewhere warm and chat about your day together.  Relax and make it a special time of day.

9. Take a teddy

Allow your child to take a favourite teddy to bed with them.  Its comforting and helps them sleep.  Just make sure it's safe with no loose buttons or ribbons they could swallow.

10. Separation anxiety

If they worry about being away from you and use it as as excuse not to sleep, comfort them, show you where you sleep and be firm about not letting them out of bed.