Babies and Sleep – it’s a big subject isn’t it? Maybe one of the most talked about in the parenting realm or at least level with the whole breast vs. bottle debate I’m sure. So, on the topic of sleep I recently wrote an article for Babycentre called ‘My newborn sleeps through the night, should I shut up?’ and it really got people talking. I mean, nearly 200 comments in a few hours – people sharing sleep stories, woes, joys and everything in between. Talking about sleep really does resonate with all new parents and everyone has something they want to say, with some strong opinions coming out too. I think the sleep deprivation had even got to some as they seemed to miss the point of the article (which was about celebrating positive things about parenting whether it’s sleep or something else) and I received some spiteful comments too. Oh well! 🙂
So, upon seeing this huge reaction to a post about newborn sleep, I thought I’d follow it up with a post about the top products we’ve used that have helped Violet with her sleep. She’s now sleeping through the night and has done since she was about 11-12 weeks, so here are the things we wouldn’t be without. I’ve also got a little giveaway at the bottom so keep reading!
SIDE-BY-SIDE
So, first things first – here is our bedroom set up. My first big recommendation is a bedside crib, the one we use is the SnuzPod2 3-in-1 bedside crib and I LOVE IT, I can’t say it enough, I don’t know where we would be without this crib. I can’t imagine having a moses basket and getting up and out of bed for the smallest little thing, the Snuzpod makes life so easy as you can see your baby all the time, they are right next to you (since this photo was taken I’ve actually moved the crib slightly higher so the top is up by my pillow) which is reassuring for both parent and baby as you can see each other all the time. I really love the sleek design too with the white wood – it fits perfectly with our bedroom decor and design. I can’t tell you the amount of times I wake in the night and just take a quick peek to check Violet is okay and then I’m asleep within two minutes. This also really helped with the early days when she would only fall asleep in our arms, having the crib so close would mean I could gently pop her in and keep a hand on her until she was 100% settled. The last great thing about the Snuzpod (and other brands don’t offer this) is that is rocks so if your baby stirs you can gently rock them to settle them back to sleep. I’ve certainly done this for many hours in the night in the early days, I even admit I worked out a technique to rock it with my foot so I could stay snuggled on my pillow, haha! As you can see I’m raving about it a bit but I genuinely give the Snuzpod a massive 10 out of 10 when it comes to sleep options.
SNUGGLE
So next up in my top sleep essentials is the famous Sleepyhead Deluxe Pod. This snuggly cushion is supposed to replicate the feeling of being enclosed in the womb. The soft airy lining is 100% breathable which gives me piece of mind that Violet is tucked up safely for the night (especially as she’s able to turn on her side now) the material also does not harbour heat so little ones stay cool too. She loves her sleepyhead and sleeps so well in it we now use it every night and during the day for all of her naps too. I think she knows the Sleepyhead is her safe space, she can relax there and settles well. This is really handy as we can take it anywhere and she has a safe familiar space to fall asleep in, will be a lifesaver on holiday putting her in her unfamiliar travel cot. We currently have the Sleepyhead Deluxe which is from birth – 8 months (although she is already touching the ends at 4 months!) there is also a larger size – the Sleepyhead Grand which goes from 9 – 36 months, we will most definitely be buying this for her cot, when she’s ready for it.
SWADDLE
Newborns have a funny little thing called ‘startle reflex’ or ‘moro reflex’ and do the cutest little jumps when their arms lift up and make themselves jump. It’s all very sweet, but not to much at 4am and they are now wide awake from their freight! One of the best ways to stop this happening is to use a swaddle. We love sleeping bags more than blankets as I found they are so straightforward to use, you don’t need to remember any fancy wrapping techniques and little ones can’t wriggle free either. Our favourite swaddle bag is the Ergococoon Baby Cocoon (pictured left) – this was perfect as we could tuck her arms in and once she got over having such a frequent startle reflex we transitioned her to having her arms free. For naps, I must mention the Mama Designs Cellular Blanket (middle picture – the yellow glow is her jaundice not bad photo editing, ha!) this is a perfect light, breathable blanket we use if she has a nap on the sofa or in her pushchair. Lastly, the Babasac Multi Tog Baby Sleeping Bag (right) – we are still using this one now as it’s a bit bigger, it’s been fab for this changeable weather as you can either have it as a 2.5 or a 1 tog bag by adding or removing the soft lining.
SOUND & LIGHT
Finally, on my list of sleep essentials is providing some soothing sound and light if all else fails and you can’t settle your bub. We’ve tried a few different toys for this but this cute little Slumber Buddy elephant has won Violet’s heart as she just cannot get enough of the pretty stars, moons and planets that shine from his back. He plays a variety of different songs, a heartbeat sound and trickling water (we don’t have that one on in the night!) plus the stars always catch Violet’s attention especially if we pop on the colour change mode. He’s been a lifesaver through the difficult colic days.
So, these are the products that we’ve used to help Violet get into her sleeping routine. Every baby is different and I’m sure different things will work for some and not other but just to finish, a few other tips that worked for us have been:
- keep to a routine – we stick to a daily routine and Violet absolutely loves it, she knows when to expect to eat, sleep or play so we both know how the day is going to pan out. This also stops her from getting too overtired which is just the worst if we are trying to settle her.
- bathtime and baby massage – we have bathtime at the same time nearly every evening, followed by a baby massage with some soothing lotion and sometimes music
- soothe colic symptoms (I’ve written a whole post on his here)
- feed baby up during the day so they are not hungry at night
Anyway, onto the fun part – it’s giveaway time!
Fill in the form below if you’d like to win a Slumber Buddy for yourself, there are seven designs to chose from!
GOOD LUCK!
Post contains PR samples, all opinions are my own
Giveaway in collaboration with Summer Infant – open to UK entrants only – prize to be supplied by Summer Infant
Pin for later:
Dozing hippo would be perfect for us! Oh my goodness these are so flipping cute 😍
~ Jasmin N
// littlethingswithjassy.com
These are so sweet! I would choose Luna the Lamb thank you!
I love the elephant, I havent seen them before and he’s so cute. My cousin is pregnant so something like this might be a nice, and helpful gift! x
Perfect timing for me 🙂 so handy to be able to add things that will be actually useful to my amazon wish list!
I’d love the adorable little bee. *buzz buzz*
Lots of love x
betty the bee is adorable
They are all lovely but I would choose Betty the Bee. Thank you!x
I would choose Betty the Bee.
We’d love to win the dozing hippo! How cute!
really lovely my choice would be……………SLUMBER BUDDIES DOZING HIPPO x
I would love to win the hippo ❤️❤️
would love to win the dozing hippo
Luna the lamb
Hippo one is super cute
SLUMBER MELODIES LAMB
I love the Hippo
I’d choose the SLUMBER BUDDIES DOZING HIPPO!
Hard choice I love the dozing Hippo and the Elephant 🙂
The Hippo, Its adorable
Betty The Bee is my favourite and I’d pick her.
love the Hippo
I would pick Eddie the Elephant.
love the hippo
The Dozing Hippo for my little boys nursery
eddie the elephant
The butterfly <3