Helping babies learn
to sleep is an experience that all families go through. Some go through it easily, and others…not so much.
When thinking about how to set up your child’s personal sleeping space, consider including these 5 things!
#1 Blackout Shades or Curtains
Babies need help understanding when to sleep, both for naps and for longer periods of nighttime rest. When your baby is developmentally ready for longer stretches of undisturbed night sleep, blackout shades or curtains can be considered essential! Don’t be at the mercy of the seasons and the time of sunset – make this small investment and bring consistency to the nighttime routine.
#2 Video Monitor
Babies make a lot of noise when they sleep! And for good reason. Their little bodies need help with digestion, and grunts, wiggles, snorts, and yes even farts, can be a regular part of the nighttime sounds a parent has to navigate. Was that a cry for help, or did they just need to make a little noise and reposition to a new spot? To keep from waking a sleeping baby with a disruption from a parent “just checking” and tip-toeing into the room, a video monitor comes to the rescue. Eyes open? Eyes shut? Find out before getting out of your own warm bed.
#3 Quality Sleep Swaddle/Sack – (https://www.nestedbean.com/collections/shop-zen-sack)
Swaddling is a lovely tool that helps babies (up to 4 months old, or until they roll over) feel soothed with the pressure similar to the conditions of the womb. Once babies are old enough to graduate from a swaddle, helping to regulate temperature in a safe manner helps night waking t
o a minimum. A quality sleep sack not only keeps a baby’s temperature consistent, but it also can provide comfort and reduce risks associated with loose blankets.
#4 A lovey or comfort object
Having a lovey or comfort object can absolutely help your baby sleep! Learning to sleep is a skill that can feel less stressful when your baby has made an attachment to an object that brings them comfort – and that is all a lovey is. While many children have a favorite blanket, stuffed animal, or pillow, a lovey could also be a t-shirt, a fire engine, or believe it or not, a book. Loveys are introduced once the newborn stage has passed and your child is developmentally able to associate meaning with this object. The age range to introduction varies on the child and parent, anywhere between 4 months to 12 months old.
#5 A Postpartum Doula
A postpartum doula is a professional who helps a family have the care and support they need. That includes sleep! While a postpartum doula is able to help your baby transition from waking periods to resting periods with ease, they also make sleeping easier for parents. Reducing the stress and need to wake when hearing a cry means parents can get a full night’s rest and start the next day rejuvenated. And everyone deserves to sleep well, parents and babies alike!