Things you NEED for your baby’s room

If you are pregnant and getting ready to set up your baby’s room, here is an article from Liz Crowley from Little Sleep Coach

What are some of the things to consider when setting up your baby’s room?

The size of your room

Health Canada recommends that your baby shares your bedroom for at least the first six months of life. So consider the size of your Master bedroom with a bassinet in it is a must when planning on co sharing a room for this long. Bassinets come in a variety of sizes and shapes but generally are around 3×1.5ft.

So where should the baby’s bedroom be when they are ready to move? I would suggest a room closest to Mom and Dads! Ideally not south facing. As south facing rooms tend to get very hot in the summer, usually have larger windows that can make the room cooler in the winter. Another reason is the amount of sunlight that comes through.

Darkness

Darkness is so important for the onset of sleep. With a little one that naps anywhere from 3-4 times a day from 4-7 months there is a lot of sleep happening in their bedroom. When I talk about dark, I talk about ‘cave dark’. As dark as you can possibly make it and here are my tricks for achieving this…

 Use two blackout products, blackout curtains AND blackout blinds. I know this sounds overboard right? As a sleep consultant I recommend my clients look for a 10/10 for darkness in a babies bedroom. Why is this you may ask? When any amount of light shines through and comes into contact with the baby’s eyes (open/closed) it sends a signal to the brain that tells the baby it’s time to wake up. We are trying to avoid unnecessary wakeups, having good backout products is a great way to make sure this doesn’t happen. Blackout curtains offer a 6/10 and blackout blinds offer a 8/10, when used together it gives a perfect 10/10 for darkness

 A crib

There are a wide variety of baby cribs on the market and all meet safety standards when sold in Canada, so there is no need to worry about the safety of construction. My suggestion is to purchase a crib without a bottom drawer. This extra space below the crib (where the drawer would have been) comes in handy in a year or so when you have a crib crawler. This is where your little one in scaling the crib sides to get out. My top tip for parents with a crib crawling toddler is to remove the mattress spring and place the mattress on the floor of the crib. This gives an extra 6-8” and a possible 6-8 months of extended life of your crib! Ideally you do not want to switch to a big bed until the baby/Toddler is 3 years of age.

 A sound machine

There are two reasons why your baby will benefit from having a good sound machine. Firstly the baby is used to the loud sounds of the womb, loud enough that it has the same decibel volume/level as a vacuum cleaner. When a baby arrives in our purposely quiet world it can be a deafening silence. investing in a white noise machine can help soothe the baby by resembling the sound of the womb. When your little one gets a few months older and grows out of this soothing device it offers coverage for unexpected sounds, like the neighbours dog barking, or a truck passing. It is important to mention that the white noise machine should play continuous white noise, not music or any other sounds. It should also have a continuous play option.  to invest in a good white noise machine.

A baby monitor

If you can, choose a baby monitor with temperature sensor, this takes the worry out of checking the room during the coldest part of the night. Mount the camera where you have a clear view of all corners of the crib. The newer cameras being realised have lights on them. I suggest blacking these out with tape. 

A changing station

For your changing station, I suggest purchasing a dresser that will grow with your child. It is easy to attach a changing matt to the dress and remove it when your little one has outgrown it. Keep necessary diaper changing items in little baskets on top. 

A humidifier

Humidifier is important in drier climates. It is easy for your little ones’ nasal passages to get dry and be prone to infections. If you live in a dry climate having a humidifier running can keep babies’ nasal passages moist and healthy.

A comfortable rocking chair

Feeding your little one in the room they are sleeping in will help your baby establish the difference between day and night. The goal is to feed at night in a quiet dark room. During the day feed in a common living space of your home like the living room. This helps avoid day and night confusion.

A comfortable blanket for swaddling

The must haves for baby apparel to encourage good sleep is a swaddle. Swaddles are great for reducing the amount of wakeups your baby has. It prevents scratching during sleep. Also stops babies from jolting themselves awake with a reflex known as the startle reflex. This disappears after 3-4 months of age. 

If you have any questions about this article, please visit Little Sleep Coach and reach out to Liz