My favorite sleep products
[cs_content][cs_section parallax="false" separator_top_type="none" separator_top_height="50px" separator_top_angle_point="50" separator_bottom_type="none" separator_bottom_height="50px" separator_bottom_angle_point="50" style="margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;"][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][cs_text]As you might imagine, I get a lot of questions about baby gear. Specifically, questions like, “Do magical products exist that will ensure my child will sleep til 9am every morning?! Where do I buy them!?”While nothing can guarantee great sleep, there are definitely some products make it more conducive for your little one to get some ZZZs. Below are my favorites, all of which I’ve personally used (unless otherwise noted).[x_custom_headline type="left" level="h4" looks_like="h4" accent="true"]Books[/x_custom_headline]I’m certainly not the only authority on sleep and it always pays to be prepared before your baby is born (or afterwards if you run into trouble). Hands-down, my favorite sleep “bible” is Marc Weissbluth’s Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child. It’s not the easiest read but the content is gold. Also useful are Richard Ferber’s Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems and Alexis Dubief's Precious Little Sleep.If you're looking for general help with your child, I'm a big fan of Baby 411 and Toddler 411. They offer clear, concise and neutral advice for pretty much anything you can think of!Lastly, if you are befuddled by all the choices for ALL the baby gear available, Baby Bargains is my go-to book when needing to purchase new gear. They release a new edition each year and provide reviews of all the major brands.[x_custom_headline type="left" level="h4" looks_like="h4" accent="true"]Setting up the nursery [/x_custom_headline]- White noise: I’m a huge fan of white noise--it will help kids (and parents!) sleep better. I’ve tried a few different options, including a free app for my smartphone, but my favorite is the Marpac Dohm All-Natural Sound Machine. We currently have one in my preschooler’s room and in our room. #bettersleepforall- Humidifier: I’m not sure why, but many “baby” humidifiers either have super bright glowing lights or a million buttons that light up, all of which will interfere with your little one's sleep. Instead, try to find the dimmest, quietest humidifer of all. We use this one and love it.- Nightlight: Newborns and babies DO NOT need nighlights -- they're used to sleeping in the dark and will sleep best without one. However, in the early days, mom and dad may need some dim light during diaper changes or breast/bottle feeding. We used this nightlight while our baby was room-sharing with us -- it offers a dim and bright option and also offers yellow light, which is the least disruptive on everyone's sleep.[x_custom_headline type="left" level="h6" looks_like="h6"]For newborns[/x_custom_headline]- Bassinet: Most newborns like to sleep in cozy places; big cribs can seem intimidating when you’re used to being in your mama’s belly for nine months. We've had great success with the Baby Bjorn Bassinet. While it’s not inexpensive, I loved that the sides are mesh and it sways slightly with the baby’s movements but not enough that she becomes dependent on motion in order to sleep. (I’ve also heard good things from clients about the SNOO and the Halo Bassinet, though I haven’t used them myself).- Crib: Honestly, any crib that meets the current safety standards will do. Some people love high-end, designer cribs while others rave about the basic IKEA model. When choosing our crib, I used Baby Bargains to research and narrow down my options.- Swaddles: I highly recommend swaddling your newborn. We love the idiot-proof