Sleep…It’s a magical thing
If there is one thing that I’ve learned in motherhood, it’s that the old adage ‘sleep when your baby sleeps’ is wise advice. However, when LBB was a newborn, this was near impossible. Not only did she only sleep for 30 minutes at a time max, but I also resigned to exclusive pumping early on into my motherhood journey. So with that wicked combo, I felt like I never slept. I think it took us a solid 5-6 months before we got a solid 6-8 hour night sleep. So needless to say, sleep is a magical word in our house that we’ve worked tirelessly (pun intended) to savor and foster over time. So, with that said. Here are the products we swear by to make the magical z’s happen. This setup we use for both travel and at home, and LBB sleeps like a dream now!
SLUMBERPOD: I’ve talked about this before on the blog, but I can’t say enough good things about this tent. We fought with bright light in LBB’s room since she is facing the afternoon sunlight, even with blinds and blackout curtains. I just couldn’t succumb to the idea of trash bags on the windows; it just wasn’t bougie enough for my taste. So, insert the Slumberpod. We had traveled with the Slumberpod since LBB was about 5 months old. She somehow slept so well when we were were on vacation, but the second we got home, she would resort to early morning wakeup’s and poor naps. My husband finally had the idea to pop the Slumberpod over her crib when we were at home one afternoon. I fought it for a few days, somehow thinking we were creating a tent monster but I finally caved at the 3rd 5am wakeup in a row. And, lo and behold, it worked like magic. She slept till almost 8am. So, LBB sleeps in this tent full time. It may make her room slightly less photo shoot ready, but I’m past the point of caring about that now that we’re all getting solid z’s again.
LITTLE GIRAFFE BABY BLANKET: This blanket is the most plush and delicious baby blanket on the market IMHO. The edges are soft and silky and the center is just soft lusciousness just asking to be snuggled to sleep. This is a great thing to throw on a baby registry if you’re in the market for it; it’s a bit spendy but worth it.
JELLYCAT BUNNY LOVEY: This lovey is my signature baby shower gift. I’ve bought this for countless friends over the years. Without fail I get a text from every mama a few months into motherhood saying how much their littles love this bunny. LBB is no exception. I lay it over my shoulder when I sing her evening lullaby and rock her off into sleepy abyss. She nestles her face into my shoulder on her bunny. I bought a backup that she also now sleeps with that has been great for travel. Just so you have one for the plane and one for when you land. It saves you from the mental germ jungle gym that is the airplane floor bunny making its way into a clean pack and play.
KEABABIES BABY PILLOW: LBB is into this pillow. We didn’t introduce it into the mix until she was around 2 years old. But now, she has a tiny little baby pillow that she snuggles on with her baby blanket wrapped ever so perfectly around the edge of the pillow, creating a well arranged fort for sleep. I went with this pillow because the entire thing including pillowcase can be washed. Which we all know is needed with a toddler.
KYTE BABY SLEEP SACKS: We own these in all TOG’s from 0.5-2.5. What is a TOG you ask? TOG Stands for thermal overall grade which is basically bougie lingo for how heavy each sack is and what the suggested temps are for your baby’s room. It’s a nice way to ensure you’re not overdressing your little one for sleep. LBB usually lives in the 1.0 most of the year, but in the summer we shift to the .5, and usually we adjust to the 2.5 in November. These sacks are buttery soft and a great alternative to blankets that can get caught and twisted during sleep. I’m terrified for the day when she outgrows these. Just a fun mom tip, get two of each sack weight you buy so that when your little has a blowout, you have a backup washed and ready. They hold their shape and softness best if you air dry them, and they never air dry fast enough from morning laundry load to nap time. So with that said… get two, it will save your bacon!
KYTE BABY PAJAMAS: I realize these are a bit of a splurge for PJ’s, but they are ultra soft and breathable for your little. LBB is a big fan, and the patterns are to die for!
HANNA ANDERSSON PAJAMAS: If we’re not in a set of Kyte Baby PJ’s, we’re in Hannas. They are ultra durable and come in all shapes and sizes. Zip up’s to two-piece shorts sets. Plus they have darling patterns year round, including matching adult PJ’s too!
Outside of the above products, we did finally have to pull the trigger on sleep training. It felt brutal at the time, but it had to happen. Like I mentioned earlier, LBB decided that sleep was irrelevant for her entire newborn and infant stages… so one evening (5 months into motherhood) when my husband was out at a conference dinner… I went for it. I had heard from all of my friends in my PEPS group (parenting group) and other mommy blogs that the only way to go about it was the TakingCaraBabies method. So in my bleary eyed state, I read the pamphlet, and... IT WORKED! Like a dream. This woman is a miracle worker. So do yourself a favor, and don’t wait 5 months like I did. You’ll thank me later. ;)
Final PSA regarding children’s pajamas… Look for the bright yellow large rectangle tags that state “For child’s safety, garment should fit snugly. This garment is not flame resistant. Loose fitting garment is more likely to catch fire.” Now for most parents this type of tag would send you running. But there’s a reason for it. These yellow tags were introduced to let parents know that there isn’t flame retardant chemicals treated into the fabric of the items you’re purchasing. Why would you want flame retardants in your child’s jammie’s you ask? You don’t. However, there was a law past in the 1970’s to have all children’s PJ’s have these chemicals due to an unfortunate incident when a child’s PJ’s caught fire from a cigarette. So, of course there was legislation passed to avoid anything like that happening again. However, in this day and age, if you’re anything like me, you want a clean, chemical-free house. I particularly went a little looney when I had LBB to do my best to get organic everything to reduce her exposure to high risk chemie’s that can interfere with your health long term. I turned full granola where I could, and PJ’s only felt like natural place to do so. Ok ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now, but just hoping to share this little tidbit to help get your little to sleep happier and healthier. Happy zzzz’s!
