It's tempting when first planning your baby's nursery to concentrate on the adorable bedding, cot bumpers and cute baby stuff available. But if you want your baby to sleep through the night as early as possible, planning the nursery around this will make all the difference in those sleep deprived weeks yet to come.
If you already have a baby and sleep is an issue for you, the tips and suggestions here will be just as useful. Some small adjustments in your baby's nursery could make a big difference to any sleeping issues you may be facing.
The most important thing your baby nursery needs is a safe place to sleep. Your baby will grow out of her crib or Moses basket quite quickly but it is still useful for helping a newborn become accustomed to sleeping outside of the womb. The Moses basket will help her to feel safe and secure.
When you're ready to move your baby into the cot, simply place the Moses basket inside the cot for a few nights to familiarise your baby with her new surroundings. You can then start putting her straight into the cot. It's important your baby's cot is safe. Cots with solid boards at the tops and bottom aren't recommended. A cot with bars all the way around enables air to freely circulate while your baby is sleeping.
Your baby's mattress should be new, clean and firm. When pressed tightly against the side of the cot, a mattress should not leave a gap of more than 2.5cm between itself and the cot sides. The amount of cot bedding you need is very little. Three or four fitted sheets for the cot and Moses basket will be enough. Invest in a high quality sleeping bag that keeps your baby warm and safe at night
The wonder fabric, bamboo, is perfect for baby bedding and sleeping bags because it has natural ant-bacterial properties. It also has smooth fibers making it silky soft and is without chemical additives. A music player will help you use white noise or lullabies as part of your baby's bedtime routine. These sounds will encourage your baby to relax and transition from awake to asleep.
Rhythmical sounds and white noise also help a baby to move between sleep cycles without fully waking. When in the womb, your baby was surrounded by sound so absolute silence is very disconcerting for her. Monotonous background noise helps babies to relax and feel safe.
Blackout blinds are also an important buy. For every baby who sleeps well in broad daylight, there will be another who doesn't. The sleep hormone is actually stimulated by darkness so taking your baby to a dark room for her nap is likely to result in a good quality sleep. Your baby will sleep better at night if she naps well in the day. She's also likely to sleep longer in the morning if the sunlight doesn't wake her. It is worth investing in these basic items for your nursery to get yourself off to a great start with your baby's sleeping habits.
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