If you’ve just brought a newborn home, you’re probably preoccupied with sleep – both the baby’s and yours. Establishing a sleep routine with your infant is a good way to instill good sleep habits. Here are a few suggestions for bedtime with your baby.
Take note of your baby’s sleep trends. You don’t need to start a routine immediately; first, get to know your infant’s tendencies. Once you figure out when your infant sleeps for the longest chunk, begin a bedtime routine about 45 minutes before that.
Establish a routine. Whether it’s saying goodnight to everyone and everything, singing a song, or taking a bath, incorporate 1-4 activites that can help your baby wind down and cues them that it’s time to relax.
Cut back on caffeine. For you breastfeeding mom, consider going decaf while you’re breastfeeding; your baby will get a caffeine jolt otherwise.
Getting a baby to sleep through the night is a new parent’s goal. Sometimes, tried-and-true tactics like swaddling will do the trick. On other nights, innovation is required. The good news is that the market for high-tech, sleep-promoting baby devices is growing by the day.
SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet
Developed by a pediatrician, this bassinet is quickly catching on in the baby market. It doesn’t come cheap—models start at over $1,000. But with womb-like rocking motions, a built-in white noise machine, and sensors that detect a baby crying that immediately deploy soothing sounds, this product is much in demand.
Baby Shusher
A parent’s soothing sounds—or “shushes”—are comforting to little ones. Now, there’s a device that does the shushing for you. The Baby Shusher is designed to imitate a parent’s reassuring sounds, as well as the blood flow and other noises your infant heard in utero. Its automatic timer shuts off after 15 or 30 minutes, hopefully long after baby is in dreamland. For parents on the go, download the Baby Shusher app and have all the soothing, sleep-inducing sounds on your smart phone, no matter where you and baby may be.
Galaxy Clock
Ease your little one’s fear of the dark with this alarm clock that does so much more than just tell time. Part nightlight, part white noise machine, and part music player, this innovative gadget projects colorful stars onto the ceiling, providing the perfect distraction for restless babies.
Nanit Plus
Wondering how your baby is doing in the nursery? Wish you could soothe her without having to leave the confines of your own bed? The Nanit Plus baby monitor is a smart, in-home system that allow parents an overhead view of their sleeping infant at all times, courtesy of small, mountable camera and smartphone app. A two-way communication system allows you to sing lullabies or whisper sweet nothings to your little one from different rooms, and a built-in nature soundtrack provides calming background noise when sleep is hard to come by.
Remember, a baby who sleeps through the night is a wonderful thing, but a baby who has a tough time sleeping is not a reflection of your parenting! Go easy on yourself, and if you have any questions about your or your baby’s sleep don’t hesitate to call us.
