I’m not a baby whisper by all means, I just have some experience. I’ve had two kids one is 2 years old and the other is now 5 months. I am getting the hang of this whole sleep thing and I wanted to share with you some tips that I had to help your baby sleep through the night so you can have a chance at that as well. I’m proud to say at this point of my life that both babies are sleeping through the night. I did the same thing with my 2nd son as I did with my first, they both transitioned to their cribs at 3 months, they both had a routine and both loved when bedtime came around. Call me lucky, but I definitely used products that contributed to that luck for sure. And if everything else doesn’t work check out my review on the 4moms Mamaroo it was a life saver!
Here are 7 Tips to Help you are your Baby have a better nights sleep:
1. Routine
Routine is a huge must when you want to get your baby to sleep at night. Babies are creatures of habit, they really are. It is so important to establish a sleep routine early on. Once you do that then your baby will associate each step to sleep and know it’s time to go to sleep. For both my sons we started out with a warm bath then we would get them dressed in their jammies , swaddle them, rock them, read to them and put them to bed. We would always put them down at the same time every night as well. As time goes on their bodies become trained to be tired at that time every night. It’s a great routine and it always worked for my babies.
2. Sleepwear
Like I said previously a swaddle was the answer to my babies sounding sleep. A swaddle is so helpful. It prevents them from startling themselves and it makes them feel so safe. We always loved the SwaddleMe Original Swaddle, it comes in a 3 pack with cute designs. I was never good at swaddling myself so those were so helpful. During the summer months we would use the Anna & Eve Swaddle Strap, it only wraps their arms so they wouldn’t get to hot at night. As you know at some point when you baby starts to rollover it becomes very unsafe to swaddle you baby. So you need a transition swaddle so you baby still feels snug and safe. We just transitioned my 5 month old to the Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleep suit. Right now my 5 month old is using it and he is sleeping like a rock. It is definitely a must- have.
4. Sleep Associations
For both my babies to go to sleep they always needed a sound machine and there mobile playing a lullaby. Whenever these two things would be turned on they would associate it with going to sleep. Even for naps. My husband and I even use a sound machine in our room. Its so relaxing and I sleep like a baby with it as well. Our favorite sound machine is the Big Red Rooster White Noise Machine, click this link for the lowest price! It has 6 different soothing sounds. It is amazing, we have 3 of them in my house. My baby cannot sleep without his mobile going also, it plays soothing lullabies and it helps him drift off to sleep on his own. Look at this baby mobile my baby just cannot get enough of! These are two sleep associations that are very important in my house.
5. Crib Comfort
It is very important to have a comfortable place for your baby to sleep. Obviously a crib is a must-have. A Crib is an investment, you want to pick out a crib your baby can use for years. My 2 year old and my 5 month old have the same crib but different colors. Yes my 2 year old still sleeps in a crib, I plan on keeping him there until he tries to escape. We have the Graco Benton 5-in-1 crib in white and grey, click here to see all the features! It converts into a toddler bed, even a full size bed, when they are ready. It is an affordable and durable crib, we love it. Check out the price here!
6. Owlet Sock
This is a product that is a must-have on my list. Especially, when I had my first son. It’s an emotional one too. He was actually born with a breathing problem so my poor baby had to spend a week in the NICU. He was hooked up to all those machines it was horrifying. But honestly watching the pulse oximeter really gave us a piece of mind. So when we went home from the hospital we were terrified parents. The NICU nurse actually recommended the Owlet Smart sock and it was a godsend, just check out some of the reviews! I was actually able to sleep, I wasn’t checking my baby every 5 minutes to see if he was breathing because I trusted this sock. WE honestly did not use it as much for my second son because everything changes with you second. You aren’t as paranoid or at least I’m not. But it is truly an amazing product.
7. Have Patience!
Last but not least, my last piece of advice for a better night sleep for you and your baby is to have patience. It takes awhile to establish a really good sleep routine with everything involved. Just take care of yourself and be patient with your little one. They will eventually get it and so will you. Let me know if you have any tips for a better night sleep down in the comments. Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to check out my list of Diaper Bag Essentials for when you’re on the go!