After my first baby was born, I wondered how the saying “sleep like a baby” ever got off the ground! Babies have to figure out the whole sleep thing after coming into the world, and it can be challenging to get through those first sleepless weeks and months.
I think back on all the times I rolled my eyes at the (unsolicited) advice of “sleep now because there won’t be any once the baby gets here” and found myself really wishing it worked that way!
Today, I want to share our favorite, tried, and true products that helped make those first few months (and beyond!) a whole lot easier the 2nd and 3rd time around.
For Baby
1. Halo Sleepsack
Falling and staying asleep is a tough, new skill that babies have to learn and the Halo Sleepsack Swaddle will keep your baby snug and comfy and help make the transition into the world a little easier! It has velcro wings for the perfect fit, unzips from the bottom to make nighttime diaper changes a breeze, and can be used without the swaddle feature, so it will grow along with your baby. It comes in so many adorable colors and patterns, as well as various fabrics to fit different climates. I promise, this will become one of those things that you share with your mom friends as a must have!
2. Hatch Rest+
You will be thanking your lucky (night time) stars for the Hatch rest+! It is truly the ultimate sleep machine. It has a customizable nightlight, a sound machine with 11 sound options, and sleep programs – all which make creating a bedtime and sleep routines that much easier from the get go – all of which can control from the easy-to-use app on your phone!
3. SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet
This next item comes with a hefty price point, but the SNOO from Happiest Baby is worth every penny. It tops so many must have baby item lists and it’s the world’s most awarded baby bed. It is the safest and smartest bed that you could use for your baby. On top of that it is truly a game changer when it comes to newborn sleep. It has been shown that the Snoo can add 1-2 hours of sleep time for your newborn, which means more sleep for you too! It sways to keep your baby settled, it recognizes and responds to a fussy baby, and it’s app controlled – so you don’t even have to get out of bed to change settings! The SNOO is a total win in my book – #1 in safety & sleep – you can’t put a price tag on that!
4. Pacifiers
Pacifiers were so incredibly helpful to get my kiddos to fall and stay asleep. Pacifiers allow babies to continue that natural sucking motion, even after they’ve finished eating, which has shown to help promote relaxation and bring comfort to your baby. However, not every baby will take a pacifier, for a variety of reasons, and that’s ok! If you do choose to try a pacifier, my two favorites are Phillips Avent Soothie and Dr. Brown’s PreVent glow-in-the-dark pacifiers. The Soothie is most commonly offered while in the hospital, and most babies seem to take right to it! I personally love the PreVent, especially at night time, because they glow in the dark! You’ll be amazed at where the pacifiers end up & the glow in the dark feature makes life so much easier!
5. Blackout Shades by RediShade
Since babies have to learn how to sleep, one of the things that can go wrong is daytime/nighttime confusion. That means that baby is ready to party at bedtime, just when you’re in need of sleep! Setting the stage with environmental cues can help in a big way, and these blackout shades from Redi Shade were a huge help for us! They are exceptionally easy to install, block out 99% of all light, and have a small footprint with no cords for safety. Just lift them during the day for naps and lower them when starting the bedtime routine and it can make a huge difference in how long it takes your baby to figure out day and night!
For Mom
1. Nanit Pro Baby Monitor
So much sleep is lost by new moms due to worry. Thankfully, the Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor can help alleviate so much of that! The Nanit Pro has endless features that will ease your mind and help make sure your baby stays safe while in their crib – it tracks baby’s movements, provides a crystal clear image, and even analyzes sleep patterns which allows the app to give you personalized sleep tips, just to name a few. The sensor free Breathing Wear monitors baby’s breathing and the two way talk feature allows you to communicate into your baby’s room! It can be wall mounted, on a floor stand, or the flex stand can be placed on a table or dresser – so it fits into whatever works for you!
2. Cooling Sheets by Brooklinen
Something I absolutely wasn’t ready for after my first baby was born was how hot I was when I was trying to sleep. Apparently, due to fluctuating hormone levels and just how much work your body is doing to heal (and feed a new baby, in my case), it’s a pretty common thing!
Thankfully, I found that a sheet set that helped with temperature regulation made a huge difference. My favorites are the classic core sheet set from Brooklinen. They are so, so soft and stay cool and crisp all night, come in plenty of colors to match any room, and come with a fitted and flat sheet and 2 pillowcases. And since sheets are such a personal thing, they give you 365 days to return and will even pay for return shipping!
3. Books on Sleep Training and Routines
Unfortunately you can’t stock up on hours slept before your baby is born, but you can prepare in other ways. One thing I found to be super helpful was reading books on baby sleep – it helped me not feel so lost in the weeds after bringing home a new baby who doesn’t know how to sleep! My personal favorites are The Happiest Baby on the Block and On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Night Time Sleep. Happiest Baby by Dr. Harvey Karp gives amazing tips and insights on sleep and other topics like breastfeeding, the fourth trimester, and the 5 S’s. It is packed with sensible and practical advice perfect for any new parent. Babywise by Dr. Robert Bucknam takes a very common sense approach to naturally synchronize baby’s feeding times, wake times, and nighttime cycles to create a routine.
There are other great resources out there, so find what works best for you and your family, and always remember to check with your pediatrician for recommendations on what is age appropriate!
4. Baby Activity Trackers
Mom brain is real, and it can make remembering to track all the important data for the first few weeks, months, and beyond almost impossible. Something I found to be incredibly helpful was to use a tracker app on my phone. Two that I used and loved are the Hatch Baby Activity Tracker and Glow Baby! Both allow you to track breast and bottle feeding, diaper changes, sleep times and more. The Hatch app does connect with some of the other Hatch products, and also has a feature that encourages you to take a photo every day to watch your baby grow! The Glow app makes tracking fun and allows you to easily add other caregivers, as well as has a great app for the Apple Watch!
5. Spectr S1 Pump + Comotomo Bottles + people by your side willing to help!
As a new mom it can feel like you never get a break. Whether you’re breastfeeding, pumping, or formula feeding, those first few months can feel like an endless cycle of feed, sleep, repeat that all ends up on your shoulders. But remember, it’s ok and healthy to ask for help! If you are or plan to be exclusively breastfeeding, I encourage you to still pump when you can and allow your spouse or any other helping hand to take a nighttime feed to help you not feel so zombie-like! Those extra few hours of sleep, even just a few times a week, can do wonders! The Spectra S1 is definitively the best pump out there. It is chalk full of features to make pumping easier on you – it’s sleek, quiet, has tons of settings and has a closed system for best hygiene. To help avoid any nipple confusion, the comotomo bottle has an innovative design that most closely mimics natural breastfeeding.
Sleep Easy
Even with all the best advice, there will still be moments and seasons when sleep is tough – try to remember that it won’t last forever. So, take a sniff of that wonderful newborn smell and soak in all the baby snuggles that you can! Hopefully, these products can make sleeping as easy and peaceful as possible for you and your new baby! And remember to send all your family and friends to RegistryFinder.com so they can find all your registries in one convenient place!
