I’ve been there...you’re tired, grouchy and ready to throw money at anything that says that it will help you and your baby sleep.
However, not all baby products are worth it. Trust me. When I work with a family, we look at everything. Their house, their schedule, their baby’s sleep environment. Some things do help set your baby up for great sleep, but others are actually working against you. The reality is that your baby’s sleep environment matters.
So are you ready for my list of favourite sleep products? Ready to learn more about the things that are actually going to encourage sleep?
Let’s go! Here are the five things that you absolutely need this year.
#1 Blackout Curtains or Blinds
If there’s one thing that you get, make it this.
Darkness is the number one factor that is going to help your baby fall asleep and stay asleep.
I tell my clients to make the room dim before bed and then completely dark once you put your baby to bed. Any light that sneaks its way through is going to hit the skin and wake up your baby. Blackout curtains are also a game-changer for making naps easier.
Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about blackout curtains. Here are my favourites:
Sleepout Portable Blackout blinds (discount code: lilbabysleep)
Slumberpod discount code: Lilbabysleep for $20 off (#1 for travel)
#2 Sound Machine
Oh white noise...where would we be without you? It’s great for newborns, babies that share a room with siblings and you can take it with you if you’re traveling for the holidays.
You want one that plugs into your wall and one that you can take on the go. The plug in one is key for overnight sleeping. It needs to last the whole night long because your baby WILL wake up when it turns off. 100% guaranteed and this is horrible, especially in the morning hours when they need a consistent sleep environment.
So how loud should it be? About as noisy as a vacuum cleaner in the room, or 55-60 dbl.
Here are a few options:
#3 Sleep Sacks/Swaddles
So first, let’s outline the difference between the two.
Swaddles are for newborns and mimic a womb environment. It prevents newborns from startling themselves awake.
After eight weeks, we need to transition to a sleep sack with the arms out. This is because babies could potentially rollover. In a swaddle, that is so dangerous, since babies will need their arms to hold their heads up.
Sleepsacks are also warm and cozy and snug. They can even become a positive sleep association. Putting on their sleepsack at bedtime can signal that it's almost time for sleep and make them drowsy.
Find the right swaddle or sleep sack here
#4 Monitor
Watching your baby sleep is way better than anything you can find on Netflix. They’re so peaceful and watching them sleep soundly can give you peace of mind that your baby is okay!
Let’s just make sure that your monitor isn’t going to affect your sleep. Turn down the volume. You don’t need to hear every little noise they make, and trust me. Unless you live in a castle, you are going to hear your baby if they cry during the night.
#5 A sleep consultant
Okay, this one is a little self-serving, but hear me out.
It’s okay to need help. Sleep is HARD. It’s okay if you want someone to help you come up with a plan because you are just so very tired. That’s where I come in. I look at your sleep environment, your baby’s sleep and all those other little things and come up with a plan with SOLUTIONS that work for your family.
I’m there every step of the way with support and encouragement and understanding. I’m there with the knowledge and experience from all of the families that I’ve helped. I am committed to helping each and every one of my clients get a good night’s sleep.
So, if you want to add long term sleep to your gift list this year, let’s book a call and talk some more.
Book a free 20 minute discovery call here
This is basically all you need! Don’t spend on fancy bassinets, unsafe products that are going to cause more long term sleep problems or bells and whistles that will likely disturb sleep even more. Less is more! Save for the simple things that matter.
