Being that Elijah is well on his way into the world of Toddlerhood, I got to thinking today about the things that were life savers to me in his first 14 months of Infanthood. And the top 5 are (drumroll, please....)
1) The Miracle Blanket.
Enough said. It was indeed a miracle. This is my go-to baby gift now. Eli was able to sleep for longer stretches in this because it actually kept him swaddled, unlike so many other blankets I tried. I initially referred to it as the "straight jacket for babies", but realized that sounded somewhat austere, so I opted for calling it a "cocoon for babies". Much nicer ring to that. I wore mine slap out. Holes in it and everything. I was able to use it until E was about 4 or 5 months old. I love that blanket.
2) The Boppy. Duh, right? Esp for nursing moms. For trying to nurse anywhere (plane, a chair with no arms) this thing was priceless. It also helped anyone else who may have had to try to give Eli the occasional bottle of pumped milk, as it was something he already associated with meal time. It's also a great help for propping baby up, and for helping with tummy time. We used it every day until Eli was weaned.
3) The HALO Sleep Sack. I love this because I don't have to worry about Eli getting suffocated on a regular blanket, but I still know he's nice and cozy. They have cotton for the summer and fleece for the winter. They come with or without swaddling wraps depending on your baby's development level. Once he starts rolling over, you don't want to swaddle any more. They also come in an array of sizes to grow with your baby. Eli still uses one for naps and he's almost 15 months now. Another plus of using the sack is that it is an important part of our "naptime routine". When the sack goes on, he knows it is getting time for nap, and he will almost immediately start rubbing his eyes.
4) Room Darkening Drapes. I noticed a HUGE difference in the length of Eli's naps once I bought a pair of these for his room. Again, an important part of the nap routine is a darkened room. I bought mine at Target, but you can get them just about anywhere to match any decor.
5) An air filter. I purchased a relatively inexpensive air filter, also from Target, to put in Eli's room. In addition to helping with air quality, it also provides a nice soothing "white noise" effect that helps drown out any smaller noises that might disturb his sleep. And yet again, this is another important part of our nap and nighttime routine. When the air filter goes on, his head goes right on my shoulder and he starts to burrow down. Sweet boy :)
So, these were the things that I immediately thought of off the top of my head. I didn't sit and plan this out and weigh which things were most important. These just must be because they were the first things I thought of. Funny how 4/5 of these are related to sleep. Because let's face it, if baby's not sleeping, mama's not sleeping. And that makes for one unhappy household.
Honorable Mention. On Becoming Babywise. The reason I put this as honorable mention and not on the list is because although I credit this book with being a great tool in helping get your baby on a good eat/sleep/play routine, I understand that it will not work for every parent. Also, it is just what I said, a Tool. It is not the gospel. There are even things in the book that I didn't agree with or that didn't work for me. That being said, the basic principles of feeding and sleep schedules helped us immensely. Eli was sleeping through the night (8-9 hr stretches) by about 12 weeks old. He is currently a great napper and nighttime sleeper. Obviously we had our setbacks and battles, but this book helped me set a good foundation. I will say that I checked out other books in the Babywise series and WAS NOT impressed at all. In fact I would warn you to stay away from the other books in this series. Not helpful or practical, and in some instances harmful.
So, hopefully this can be helpful to some new parents or parents-to-be out there!
Great post! I laughed because your favs have to do with sleeping :) Mine would be with breastfeeding and sleeping too :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, of course just about everything you listed here is on my list too. The only thing that I didn't get into was the air filter, although I do love things that serve multi purposes, in this case a white noise maker AND an air purifier. So great! Love the miracle blanket and halo sleep sacks...a MUST have for us too. And Babywise is just the best...just makes so much sense, but would agree to use it as a tool, not at the sleep bible or anything and would also stay away from other books in the series...there is such thing as information overload. I would definitely recommend it to any mother who has a newborn struggling with sleep/routine. Another good book is Kim West's Good Night Sleep Tight. This book basically recommends the same methods as Babywise, but I like it because it goes from birth to 5 years old. As they grow they can deal with different sets of sleep issues.
ReplyDeleteOh also...just an observation from personal experience. We put Savannah in her big girl bed/toddler bed at 18 months out of necessity because Caleb was on the way and needed her crib. I was SO nervous about this and probably wouldn't have done it that early had he not been on the way. However, we never have problems with her fussing or getting out of bed at night, and I think that it's party due to the fact that she got accustomed to it so early and just accepts it. She does get out and play during naptime sometimes, but I don't mind as long as she stays in her room. Usually she get tired and gets in her bed and goes to sleep at some point.
Ok, that's probably WAY to much for a comments, but you got me thinking about babies and sleep!