What should your child’s room look like?
I wanted to touch on a topic that seems to be a huge factor in sleep training. What should a child’s sleep environment look like? As everyone has their own style of room and nursery for their child, there are a few things that should stay consistent, no matter the space your putting your child to sleep in.
Let’s start with a quiet space. When our daughter was first born, people would tell us make as much noise as you can. This was apparently supposed to help them fall asleep whenever and wherever they could. Well I can speak for any sleep deprived mom and dad out there. The last thing I was going to do after finally getting my baby to sleep was rock out to music or start up the vacuum. Yes I truly do believe that you don’t need to be silent while your child sleeps. However anyone with a running vacuum close by will have a hard time falling asleep. Another great way to drown out any unwanted noise is a white noise machine. I seriously love these and use one myself. A lot of people think that it might hurt their babies ears. We’re not going to turn it full blast obviously. However if you put even the slightest white noise on the connecting wall that the unwanted noise is coming from it will drown it out even more. Starting out the 5 tips with a Quiet Environment.
Secondly a Dark Room!!! Blackout curtains I’m telling you, they are our friend!! Using really good blackout curtains will not only keep your child’s room nice and dark during these amazing summer months, but it will also help keep the room cool. Which brings us to our next tip!!! A Cool Room!!
Turning down the temperature in our rooms tells our bodies that it’s time for sleep. This will in turn signal our bodies to produce melatonin. As newborn do not produce melatonin they do get a small amount from moms breast milk. If mom is in a cool, dark environment it triggers the production of melatonin. Therefore it is just as important for the dark, cool room for moms as it is for babies. So get that Room Cool. Plus really who can sleep while they are roasting. Which leads us to #4!! Appropriate Night Time Wear .
Many parents think that they need to dress their baby for cold nights. They put their babies in footed onesies with a sleep sack and blankets. TOO MUCH!!! I understand in winter if you keep your house cool then you want them to be warm and cozy. However we are getting into spring and summer months. Nights are not chilly anymore, even if they are, you will find your baby is more comfortable. I always go by what you would wear with maybe one very light layer. So for instants light pyjamas and maybe a very light sleep sack. Or no pyjamas and a medium weight sleep sack. Too many layers is only going to make it harder for your little one get comfortable on their own, which in turn wakes mommy and daddy up from a dreamy slumber.
Last but defiantly not least. The topic that comes up almost every consultation I do….. The Nightlight. What I recommend is adios to the nightlight. Until of course your child is a toddler and asks for it. Until then, dark is best. After your child is a bit older and asking for a nightlight stay away from nightlights that are blue. As all light is known to suppress melatonin, blue does more so. Stick with a red or an orange light. Better yet put your child’s nightlight in the hall. Sometimes a nightlight in the room can cause shadows that frightens your child through the night.
In conclusion, a well set up sleep environment is crucial for your little one to get a good night sleep! Thanks so much for visiting our blog. Keep visiting as every week I will have more tips that might just be the trick to helping your family get a solid sleep!