4 Things You Need in Your Baby’s Sleep Environment
4 Things You Need in Your Baby's Sleep Environment
Are you expecting a new baby? Do you want your baby to sleep better at night?
These are 4 things you need in your baby’s sleep environment from the beginning to help build a positive foundation for sleep and start healthy sleep habits.
1. DARKNESS - You want to create a sleep-friendly environment for your baby using room darkening shades or black out curtains. There are a wide range of options on the market from very expensive custom shades, to very cheap. The black out curtains that I use and have found to be the best at keeping the room dark, even in the light of day, are the Sleepout Curtains. They are a portable system that involves using patented suction cups, with velcro, on the window and then fixing the curtain to velcro. They fit many different types of windows and they are travel friendly, coming in their own carrying case so you can take them with you on trips. If you are interested in purchasing them, you can use my code FELIZ to get 10% in addition to any sales they are having.
*Along with darkness, keeping the sleep environment cool is also helpful to sleep. The recommendation is to keep the temperature between 68*F - 72*F.
2. WHITE NOISE- It can also help to create a sleep friendly environment by masking outside noises and helping to create a calm, soothing space. In order to safely use a white noise machine, it is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to keep the volume or decibel level between 50-55 and to place the machine at least 7 feet away from baby’s sleep space, especially when using throughout the night.
3. PREVENT OVERSTIMULATION- Creating a sleep-friendly environment also includes having soothing colors and keeping it quiet and calm in order to avoid overstimulation. You do NOT need mobiles with loud noises, songs, stimulating colors. Overstimulation can lead to your baby struggling to fall asleep quickly and bring about more fussiness and poor sleep overall. Avoid overstimulation during sleep times by keeping the bedroom quiet, dimly lit and with very little distraction. This also helps the baby to associate the bedroom with sleep and will help ensure that they sleep better.
4. SAFE- Make sure you are following the APA guidelines for safe sleep which include the ABCs of sleep: alone, on their back, in their crib. Babies should always sleep alone, in their own sleep space, without loose blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, or bumpers. You can keep them in a swaddle (until they are able to roll) or a sleep sack. Babies should be placed on their backs, on a firm, flat surface for all periods of sleep. Babies should also sleep in a crib, bassinet or playard, in a smoke-free and cool room, ideally the same room as their caregiver for their 1st year of life.
Focus on setting up your baby’s sleep environment with these from the beginning and you will set them up for better sleep and healthy sleep habits.
If you need help figuring out your baby’s sleep environment or want more help in assessing the sleep environment you have, please reach click the link below to contact me.