When it comes to making sure your baby gets the best and safest sleep possible, there are several things parents should consider. Although Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) can be an uncomfortable topic, arming yourself with knowledge on how to lower the likelihood of tragedy is essential. Fortunately for us, these were our go-to safe sleeping options that worked well.
Night time sleeping; cots, carry cots and cot beds
Given all the bad press about co-sleeping, I was terrified of sleeping with Max in the bed with me. Instead, I had him in the co-sleeper beside me so I could keep a really close eye on him and feed him without too much hassle. At first, though, he didn’t like it because there was way too much room in it for his tiny body and I think he felt a bit lost.
The buggy I bought (Uppa Baby Vista 2) came with a carrycot that is safely breathable so that’s where he slept for the first 3 months or so. It was super handy that his bed was on wheels too because I could move it around with me during the day/evening. I made an effort to clean the wheels if I was bringing them inside after a walk.
My little one got too big for the carry-cot at about 5 months and for the co-sleeper at around 7 months and he moved to a Mamas & Papas cot bed in his own room. That was quite an emotionally charged transition for me and I was paranoid that I wouldn’t hear him if there was a problem. But on the whole, I’m so grateful to have my bedroom back. I don’t have to creep around like a burglar from 8pm and can access all my things, read, have lights on, put on music, etc. It’s a real luxury to get all that back.
Baby monitor that you trust
Another feature I like is the temperature monitor which will let you know if it gets too hot or cold for baby. It’s very helpful that the camera and two-way talk function can be used on your mobile so you can check in while you’re out. You will be notified if motion is detected and you can view a recording of what motion was detected. You can also record little videos which I did from time to time and save them straight to your phone’s library or ping them on to an equally adoring family member.
Day time naps
I also bought the follow-on version but I’ve only used it a handful of times. I haven’t thrown it out though because I think it could be handy if we had to stay somewhere and I had to leave him on a normal bed asleep and was worried about him rolling. I placed a muslin cloth under his head area because it would be softer against his face but also to protect the lovely mesh surface (which can be taken off and put in the wash).
Sounds
Blankets
Midwives in Ireland recommend only cellular blankets for the first few months. They’re cheap as chips in your local department store. So, stock up so that you don’t have to keep washing the ones you have.
Sleep sacks
There are sleeping bags that have weights in the chest that are meant to help babies feel comforted. At great expense, I shipped a few Nested Bean sleep sacks across the Atlantic, right before the FDA said weights are not considered to be safe. So I had to take scissors to them which was a pity because they were beautiful.
Room temperature
I struggled with the idea of putting baby in what felt like a flimsy, 2.5 tog sleep sack. I’d feel especially guilty when I’d have a heavy duvet and an electric blanket and then sometimes when I’d go to him in the morning, I’d find his hands to be cold. The Public Health Nurse told me that if babies are too cold they will wake up but keeping them too hot increases the risk of SIDS. So I let my guilt be my struggle and do what I’m told. There are helpful tables that show for various room temperatures, what clothes and sleep sacks a baby should wear and I follow these.
Having a heater in the room that is set to come on if it gets colder than a certain temperature (18 degrees) helps me feel better. I found these Electriq Wall Mountable Convection Panel Heaters so great I bought five of them – one for each of the bedrooms and 3 for the larger, living area. They are programmable using the phone app, they work with Google/Alexa and they are very energy efficient. With electricity being so expensive now it definitely helps to be able to heat rooms only when I need them.
Sheets
Sheets can take a while to wash and dry so it’s important to have at least 2-3. To state the obvious, it’s worth double checking the size of your sheets against the size of the mattress you have before you buy. I ended up with some I couldn’t use (d’oh).
We all know that you can’t have enough muslin cloths for cleaning baby and protecting surfaces – like your clothes, the sofa, the bed, everywhere. 20 is not too many! My Mom’s tip here was to put a muslin cloth under the baby’s head area when sleeping during the day – right across the mattress and folded under with no creases. This meant that if he had spit-up, I didn’t have to wash and dry the whole sheet. That said, you don’t want it bunching up under his face for a number of safety and comfort reasons so I wouldn’t do that at night.
Will you ever feel rested again?
Is this the touchiest subject of all? Sleep deprivation for parents is so debilitating. It robs you of your smarts, effervescence, energy, readiness to laugh.. and the rest. It can feel like the most important thing is to get baby to sleep and to keep him/her asleep long enough for you (and baby) to get badly needed R&R.
In the beginning, it’s particularly hard as they’re awake every three hours. The change, feed, soothe cycle can take a good chunk of that three-hour stretch so sometimes you really have to survive on very little.
My little one was nocturnal for the first few months so would sleep soundly all day (when I’d be getting my jobs done) and then be very wakeful at night.
As they get older, the sleep cycles get longer and that oh-so elusive 5-hour stretch comes into view. What must be the most Googled search phrase then is ‘when does baby sleep through the night?’ and it feels like it can’t come soon enough. The answer is different for everyone but a lot of parents start to see big improvements after 3-4 months.
Help to improve sleep and feeding patterns
Of all of apps to measure and manage baby’s sleep and feeding schedule, I found Huckleberry app really effective for me from about 4 months onwards. You enter in how much and when baby drinks, how long they nap/sleep, and later how much they eat. The AI in the app suggests, based on the data you’ve entered, when the next optimal nap time is. I used this religiously and found that it gave me a pattern (if not a routine) to follow.
That meant I could plan my day somewhat and if he was looking for something I could probably tell by my app what it was without wondering when the last whatever was. It sounds cumbersome to enter all that data at the time and it is. But it’s more difficult to try to remember it later when you’ve a million things to be doing and thinking about. Moreover, you can pay for the Huckleberry team to review that data and make recommendations for changes that you might be looking to achieve such as wanting baby to sleep later, longer, etc. I had the most expensive plan at $20 per month or something and it was well worth it.
Having the right products and resources to help new parents through their first months with a newborn baby is such a huge advantage. These items have made my transition as a first-time mom much easier, and I hope they will help you too! With the right tools and advice, it’s possible to get baby sleeping better in no time. Good luck!