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Newborn and Babies
Swaddling is incredibly important in the newborn period. It helps them feel nice and cozy and can help them drift off to sleep. There are a lot of different swaddles out there. Especially ones that make it so much easier for us moms, with velcro to help instead of us needing to know just how to fold the swaddle and wrap it around our baby appropriately. My favorite swaddles are Halo Sleep Sack Swaddles. If your baby happens to like having their hands up then the Love to Dream Swaddles work well.
Once your baby starts rolling though, swaddling is no longer appropriate. If you find your baby is rolling but still experiencing the startle reflex, then the Magic Merlin Sleepsuit can be a good middle ground.
After you you’ve transitioned out of swaddles, it is time for just a general sleep sack. These help to keep your baby comfortable and warm. My two favorites when it comes to sleep sacks are Halo Sleep Sacks and Grobags.
I often see parents asking about leaky diapers overnight. Once you have your baby sleeping nice long stretches at night, the last thing you want to happen is them wake up because they peed through their diaper! This is when I ALWAYS suggest to my clients that they check out Pampers overnight diapers. We used these for both my kids and swear by them!
Crib sheets! Now there are so many on the market and all crib sheets will do the job, but I have to say, the Aden and Anais crib sheets are incredibly soft and cozy with elastic all the way around. So check them out if you’d like my personal recommendation.
Toddlers
Once you hit the toddler years you may still wish to use sleep sacks. They can help if they potentially crib climb, or just to keep them warm. Even when blankets become safe, it doesn’t mean the will keep them on overnight. They are wiggly creatures by nature! Halo makes a great one for 2 to 3-year-olds and also 4 to 5-year-olds that have the feet sticking out. Aden and Anais also have a large one for kids up to 37 inches with the feet in.
There may also come a time when you might want to buy an Ok to Wake Clock that tells them when they can wake up and get out of bed. My absolute favorite is the bunny clock because it is so user-friendly from a very young age. The bunny looks awake when it is wake up time and asleep when it is sleep time. They even have a travel version if you’d like one you can take on vacation with you.
If you’d prefer something that can be cuddled then the SleeperHero is very cute. Just make sure your little one isn’t going to feel the need to press the button many times at night, as it might interrupt sleep.
And how about toddler pillows? Most experts recommend waiting until your toddler is at least 2 before introducing them, and my kids were well over 3 before they even used them (but got them for their 3rd birthdays). My favorite toddler pillow is the Dreamtown Kids toddler pillow. It comes with a pillowcase and is small and flatter than normal pillows. And an added bonus is it is made with organic cotton!
As kids get older they can find it hard to wind down to sleep. I love a product called the Zenimal for kids. It is a wonderful device that helps kids develop mindfulness. It has 9 pre-loaded meditations as well as 3 sleep sounds. It can help kids drift into sleep. Use the discount code LITTLEBIGDREAMERSSLEEP to purchase one for your kids!
Sleep Environment
White noise
White noise can be really useful for a baby or child’s sleep. Not only does it block out intermittent noises from inside and outside the house, but it can aid in falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer. It can also soothe a newborn baby by providing a womb-like environment. My two favorites are the Lectrofan and the Marpac Whish.
If you would like a device that acts as a night light, sound machine and an OK to Wake clock all in one, then the Hatch Baby Rest is a great option.
Humidifier
It is not every day that we need a Humidifier, but when our baby and children are sick, especially with coughs and cold’s that go around in the winter a Humidifier can really help. In my family, we use this Vicks Humidifier.
Blackout Blinds
These are one of the most important pieces of making a bedroom environment conducive to sleep. It helps with melatonin production and ensuring that light doesn’t wake your little one up prematurely. There are lots of good blackouts blinds on the market. Personally, we use these Ikea blinds in both the kids’ room and our bedroom. Sleepout Curtains are also wonderful travel curtains that can help you block out light wherever you go, making them great for travel.
Travel
I mentioned up in blackout blinds my favorite travel ones, so I won’t go over that again.
You may find that you’ll like to take your white noise machine when you travel. My most favorite travel sound machine is the Lectrofan Micro. It is incredibly portable!
Books
Sleep
Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child.
There are lots of books out there in relation to sleep. But my absolute FAVORITE is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth. His book provides a lot of useful information about how baby sleep works, what you should expect at different ages and stages and ways you can address any sleep challenges. I should let you know though, that there is a lot of information to wade through.
Happiest Baby on the Block
Such a great book for giving you advice on the newborn period and how best to help soothe and settle them.
Putting Bungee to Bed.
This book was written purely with toddlers in mind. It teaches them about changing their sleep behaviors and introduces the idea of Sleep Rules. It is written from the perspective of a little boy whos monkey is being entirely too disruptive at bedtime.
Development
The Wonder Weeks.
This is a great book for finding out whether your babies fussy behavior is caused my leaps in their mental development. I often check this book out when I’m working with my clients as well. Not only is there a great book, but there is an app as well.
Bedtime Stories
Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Little Monster
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site