::bubblicious::

I read once, that if you set up a bedtime routine for your baby early on, she is more likely to adapt to the cues and fall asleep by herself every night. That is why when O was 6 weeks old, architectdad and I developed a bedtime routine that we've been using since.

First, architectdad or I would bathe O while the milk is warming up. Then, to set the mood, the one who is not bathing her would turn on her iPod (with her own playlists!) and the "bubble machine." What is a "bubble machine", you ask? It is actually a space projector by Mathmos. The heat from the projector lamp heats up the bi-color oil wheel, which results in constantly moving bubbles that resemble amoeba.

O's Uncle M gave us the projector years ago with a blue and yellow oil wheel. Since the color theme for the nursery is ORANGE, architectdad ordered the red and yellow (makes orange!) oil wheel directly from Mathmos. On the website, you can also order graphic wheels designed by well-known graphic artists (such as Francois Chalet). Unfortunately, most of them are actually out of stock. If you know of another site where I can buy them, please let me know (ahem, Uncle M).

After O's bath, we'd dress and feed her--all the while she is mesmerized by the ever changing bubbles on the ceiling. As she becomes sleepy, we swaddle her and place her in her crib while she is still awake. She is then able to fall asleep by herself.

I like the projector better than the usual rotating night light. The image from the oil wheel is not only ever changing and dynamic, but the organic shapes of the bubbles seem very comforting and soothing. As O grows up, we hope she may even start to interpret the bubbles into other objects. What a way to foster imagination!