Mom, dad… I get it! Y’all are tired.
If you’re a first-time parent, welcome to the wonderful world of #teamnosleep. You’ve lived your entire life going by your own schedule, sleeping in when you have no work, staying up late when it’s the weekend. You miss it now that I’m talking about it. I know. That was until you had your beautiful baby, now sleeping at night ain’t so beautiful.
Second-time parents y’all are pros! You got this! Well, do ya?
Here is a list of essentials that I have found to be very helpful based on first-hand experience. These items will not only promote sleep for your child, but some of these will also promote comfort for you parents out there that want to prevent SIDS… Which means… Parents get the chance to actually sleep!
Yes, I’ve been there. I’ve been that parent that woke up in the middle of the night and hovered over my child trying to see if they’re breathing.
Here goes:
- Halo Sleepsack Swaddle I’ve found the Halo Sleepsack Swaddle to be a huge SLEEP SAVER! No more hulk babies breaking out of swaddling cloths in the middle of the night. This bad boy is made to wrap your baby up like a little cocoon. You basically put the Sleepsack Swaddle on baby like a sleeveless onesie, zip it from the top-down, wrap one side over baby, and then secure it with the other side that has velcro. Other swaddling cloths we have tried are just too loose no matter how tight we wrap them in comparison to this bad boy. Can’t beat velcro. Check out the brand website they start at $30. The nice thing is that the brand provides from newborn to 5T.
- Baby Swing If you don’t own a baby swing, don’t knock it before you try it. My first-born slept in one every single night until he got too big to be in it! They say that baby swings help to mimic the movement babies felt when they were in your tummy by the simple task of rocking. The swing that we own plays music, vibrates, rocks, has a mobile that circulates and a mirror for baby to look at. On target they range from $50-$200.
- Pacifier These may be common sense to you, but truly not all parents give their babies pacifiers so they can definitely stir up controversy. I have found pacifiers to be helpful. The link I have attached is to an article that shares a study on how pacifiers prevent SIDS by 90% you read that right. The article talks about it in conjunction with babies that sleep on their tummies and how theoretically the bulkiness prevents suffocation into a blanket or bed. I personally believe that it just helps to soothe a child, seeing as both my children have used them and slept on their backs. If you’re worried about dealing with the struggle of getting your future toddler off of the pacifier, just know mine gave up on it himself and eventually tossed it out the crib every night.
- Humidifier Get it. I mean it. Humidifiers basically add moisture in the air which can help with extremely dry skin and stuffy noses. They also serve as a white noise machine, which is another win! Honestly, hearing a baby breathe hard because of a stuffed up nose just makes feel bad for them, get a humidifier to loosen up that mucus! You can also add a small amount of essential oils like lavender, peppermint, or tea tree to promote sleep.
Extra tips:
- Understand cues! When your baby fusses in the night, do not assume that he/she is automatically hungry. If you attempt to do a feeding, your child may still be full from the feeding before. This will cause an upset stomach from over feeding and aggravation. Check their diaper, put their pacifier in if it fell out, adjust the volume in your home if it’s too loud or the lighting if it’s too bright. Your baby may just be uncomfortable and in need of your help to comfort him/her back to sleep.
- Give them a bath before bed time.
- Stick to a schedule. It is so important to establish a schedule, eventually it will come natural for your child to follow the designated times for naps, feedings, and play time. Having your child sleep at random times will confuse them and probably cause them to be irritable and fussy.
That’s all I have for now!
Let me know if it helps,
Ana Golobic
