What is the one thing that every new parent seems to freak out about when having a baby? If they will ever get any sleep again! Just know, with the right baby sleep products, you can get baby sleeping through the night.
You, like me, have probably heard the refrain that people love to throw out to anyone who is expecting: “Oh, good luck not sleeping for the next [insert number of years].”
When they say that it’s with a jokey tone, but the sentiment behind it is serious. Well, do you actually have to be sleep-deprived for years to come when once you start a family?
The short answer? NO!!
Ok, I will admit that for those first few months you will probably get less sleep, but this does not have to continue on into the indefinite future.
Getting baby to sleep through the night has to do with a few different things. The age of baby, the method of sleep training, and having good sleep products are all factors.
While products aren’t everything, they can do a lot to help. These are some of the best baby sleep products out there, whether for the newborn stage or a little older.
1. Swaddle blankets
When baby is first born you are definitely going to want to use swaddles for sleep time. This is because babies are used to being scrunched up in mommy’s womb so having all kinds of space while sleeping is kind of disconcerting for them.
Sometimes their arms start flailing, which easily startles them awake. This is called the Moro reflex. It’s like when you are falling asleep and suddenly have a feeling of falling.
So I would highly recommend picking up some velcro swaddle blankets. Before I had baby boy, I felt very strongly about trying to have a minimalist baby registry. And while I still think that is a great thing, the one big regret I had was only getting muslin swaddle blankets.
I felt like muslin blankets were so much better for as a minimalist baby item because they’re blankets so could therefore serve multiple purposes, while velcro swaddles only do one thing. The thing is…sometimes you want an item that only does one thing but does it really well.
When we first came home from the hospital we went all out trying to use those muslin blankets for swaddling. My mom, sister, husband, and I all watched how-to videos, practiced on my life size baby doll we grabbed from storage, and practiced on baby boy himself. All to no avail.
He busted out of those things no problem. It was so frustrating that we bought a pack of the velcro kind, and we never looked back. The SwaddleMe brand is a great one to try out. We picked them up from Target, but they have them on Amazon as well.
The Ollie Swaddle is another one that is more expensive but is one size fits all and highly recommended by sleep guru, Cara from Taking Cara Babies.
2. Blackout Shades
Keeping the room as dark as possible will help baby to stay asleep easier, which is a win win for everyone. I just got this cheap one from Amazon, which is not perfect but (when coupled with duct tape) gets the job done.
3. SlumberPod
This is along the same lines as blackout blinds but allows for easy napping on the go. It’s basically a blackout tent that is made of breathable material and goes over the top of a travel crib. It even has a little pouch to place a video monitor in so you can still see baby as he or she is sleeping.
We have used it a couple of times, and the great thing is that if you want to go somewhere for the day but still make sure baby gets a quality nap then this will provide the right environment.
It’s also a great option for a situation where you have to share a room with baby, perhaps while staying at someone’s house or a hotel, and you don’t want your presence to disturb baby’s sleep.
4. Travel Crib
Well, there isn’t really a use in having a SlumberPod unless you have something to go in it. If you have a travel crib then you won’t be so tied to your house for naps.
I decided on the Guava Family Lotus travel crib because I liked that it folds up pretty easily for travel and the mattress is against the floor rather than being suspended, which means that there is no weight limit.
5. Sound machine
When baby is in the womb, it sounds very loud, similar to a vacuum cleaner, because of the blood rushing by. That makes silence another disconcerting thing for new babies.
If you use a sound machine, though, this will help baby get much more quality sleep. Generally this is a helpful thing to use through the first couple years of sleep.
I bought the Hatch Baby sound machine and like that it has a couple of added features, such as the ability to set lights or sounds to a timer (great for an older child as a way to let them know it’s ok to get up) and Bluetooth connectivity so I can adjust the sound from outside baby boy’s room if needed.
Really, any reliable sound machine (that does not turn off after a certain amount of time) will work.
6. Video Monitor
You are definitely going to want a video monitor for peace of mind, particularly if you plan to sleep train. They do have them with only sound, but it’s really nice to be able to look at a screen and see exactly what baby is doing.
I’ve had a couple of instances where baby boy stuck his legs through the slats in his crib and was frustrated because he was having a hard time moving them out so I quickly went in and fixed them for him. If I hadn’t had a video monitor I wouldn’t have been able to see that or any other potential issues.
7. Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night the Baby Sleep Trainer Way by Natalie Willes
This book is awesome. I initially took the Taking Cara Babies newborn class, which has some good tips for how to put together a newborn schedule (in a loose sense of the word) and calm babies down.
When it came time for actual sleep training, though, I went with Natalie Willes’s book because I saw her on a YouTube video and liked how straightforward she was about the whole topic. I also liked that she offered her plan in a book form, which is much cheaper than buying a course.
We used her method, and it worked very well. Baby boy started sleeping through the night and taking long naps at around 17 weeks old, so if you’re looking for a sleep training method definitely check hers out. She also has a section of newborn tips, so it’s never too early to give it a read.
If you’re having a baby then getting that little one to sleep doesn’t have to be as painful as people make it out to be. If you create the right environment and follow a sleep training method then you too can have baby sleeping through the night!
What do you think are the best baby sleep products that you couldn’t live without?
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
