Creating a Sleepy Sanctuary for Your Baby

There are many different tricks and techniques for trying to get your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep. When they finally sleep through the night, it’s like a dream come true. However, even when your baby is sleeping for longer periods, it’s not always easy to get them to drift off. And if they get too tired, it becomes even more difficult to get them to settle down.

Just as you might decorate your own bedroom to make it more conducive to sleep, you can also design your baby’s nursery, so it’s the perfect environment to help your baby get a good night’s sleep.

However, if these tips aren’t enough to lull your little one into the Land of Nod, you might want to explore expert sleep training consultations to help everyone get the rest they need.“

Choose Calming Colors

When you’re thinking about decorating and furnishing a room, the colors you decorate it are likely to be your first thought. Choosing the right colors for your nursery will help you get off to a good start and create a calming space where your baby can sleep, and you can feel relaxed too. Neutral colors and pastel shades can be the ideal choice for a calming nursery. If you want to follow color psychology, blue is a good option if you want to design a relaxing room, regardless of the gender of your baby. Whatever colors you choose, try to aim for minimalism to reduce clutter.

Think About Lighting

During the first months of your baby’s life, it won’t matter whether it’s night or day. They will sleep whenever they’re tired. However, later light will make a difference to when and where they sleep. It’s worth thinking about this when you’re planning your nursery design. Light can actually be useful for helping your baby get ready for bed. Installing a dimmer switch means you can control the nursery lighting, lowering it to show that it’s approaching bedtime, even if it’s still light outside.

Control Natural Light

As well as choosing the lighting you will use in the nursery, you should think about the natural light outside. Being able to control it means you can choose the amount of sunlight, moonlight, or artificial light from outdoors that comes into the room. There are various types of window dressing that you can use to block out the light from outdoors, including blinds and curtains. Blackout blinds or curtains will help to completely block the light so it won’t disturb your baby’s sleep. They can also help to reduce any noise from outdoors so that the nursery is also a quiet space.

Control the Temperature

Temperature is important for sleep, no matter how old you are, but it’s even more important for babies because they aren’t yet able to regulate their own temperature. This means that they can overheat more easily, as they don’t sweat enough to cool down. When considering how to keep your baby at the right temperature, you can think about what you dress them in for bed but also the temperature of the room. Keeping the room cool is important to keep in mind. During the summer, it might help to open a window or have a fan running. A breathable mattress and sheet made from cotton or wool will help to regulate the temperature too.

Select the Right Crib (and Mattress)

Giving your baby a safe place to sleep is the next important step. Cribs come in various sizes and designs, but the most important factor when choosing one is the safety of your baby. There are standard-sized cribs and mini cribs, which can be useful if you have less space. Some cribs can be adjusted or converted into toddler beds as your baby grows. As well as selecting a crib, you will also need a comfortable mattress to go with it. First, take a look at the crib mattress dimensions that are available. Regular and mini mattress sizes are regulated, but you can also find shaped mattresses for shaped cribs. Some things to consider include firmness and breathability.

Keep the Room Clean and Allergy Free

Keeping a room clean and tidy helps to make it a better place to sleep. It will also help to keep any allergens away so that your baby won’t be irritated by dust mites or anything else. One way to combat allergies is to choose hypoallergenic materials, such as the mattress and sheet for the crib. Natural materials can be a good choice for breathability and to reduce allergens. Avoiding too much clutter with a simple design can help to keep the room tidy too. It’s useful to have enough storage to store all of your baby items too so that you can put everything away and keep the nursery neat and tidy.

Use a White Noise Machine

A white noise machine in your baby’s room can help them to fall asleep. It blocks out any outside noise and gives them a sound to focus on as they fall asleep. It can also be a great addition to your own bedroom. Plenty of white noise machines are very portable too, so it can be good to take traveling so you can create a comfortable and familiar sleep environment. You can easily find an affordable machine too, although the more expensive options will have more features such as timers, different sounds, or other benefits. When it comes to other gadgets and tech, you won’t really want anything else, especially any screens.

Create a Space to Wind Down

Just as you might find it difficult to get to sleep right away without relaxing first, your baby needs a bedtime routine to allow them to calm down before bed. Having a space in your nursery where you can spend some quality time with your baby and relax before it’s time for bed will help to make the room more relaxed and better for sleep. It can also give you somewhere for feedings during the night so both you and your baby can be comfortable. Make sure you have a comfortable chair that you can sit in and perhaps some books to read and look at before bedtime too.

Minimize Sound (for a Quiet Escape)

Noises from outside the nursery aren’t the only thing that might keep your baby awake or wake them up. Any accidental noises inside the nursery could also prove to be a disturbance. However, there are ways to deal with these sounds so that your baby won’t stir when you’re entering or leaving the room. Firstly, it can be helpful to have something soft on the floor. While you might not have wall-to-wall carpets, a soft rug or two can soften your footsteps. Another thing you can do is address anything that creaks, squeaks or groans in furniture or anything else.

Easy-Access Nighttime Must-Haves

When you do have to come in while your baby is sleeping, you don’t want to be crashing about making a lot of noise. You also probably want to get in and out as quickly as possible, especially when it’s the middle of the night and you want to get back to bed. It makes sense to have anything that you might need easily accessible so that you can take it out and put it away without too much fuss. It’s helpful to have some diapers and wipes to hand, as well as any other items you might need frequently.

By setting up your nursery in the best way possible, you can make it an environment that makes it easy for your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep. It doesn’t take much to make it a calming room for both of you.