I remember so vividly how much time I spent envisioning my baby’s room once we found out that he was a boy! Pinterest was on call 24/7 and I couldn’t stop pinning adorable boy rooms! But not once did I stop and think about how to create a smart sleep space for my baby!
Well, I am here to give you an idea of what to think about when designing your baby’s room to make sure that it is conducive to great sleep! After all- their bedroom is for… sleeping!
When planning the nursery, keep these tips in mind:
Less is More
Distractions, such as mobiles over the crib, can prevent them from sleeping well. Mobiles are stimulating and can cause your little one to pay too much attention to it, keeping them awake. But mobiles are adorable! If you still want to use one, put it over the changing table! This can aide in making diaper changes less like a wrestling match!
Choose wall décor that is simple and clean. Try not to clutter the walls with too much. This can cause your baby to stare off at the walls instead of comfortably drifting off to sleep!
The ‘Less is More’ rule is especially important for the crib! No toys, pillows or blankets in the crib with them. Not only does this promote playing instead of sleeping, but it’s a big safety issue.
Dark Dark Dark!
Light is counteractive to sleep! It tells the body to slow down the production of melatonin (the sleepy hormone) and stimulates the brain to be awake. Melatonin is crucial to helping babies (and adults) fall asleep and stay asleep. Use blackout curtains and/or black out shades to help block out any light. On a scale of 1-10, the darkness should be at about 7 or 8. If you need a night light, choose one that is red or yellow in color. Studies have shown that red and yellow light is less disruptive to sleep while blue and purple tend to be the most disruptive.
Keep it Cool!
We all tend to sleep better in a cool environment. The perfect temperature range for a baby’s room is 69-72 degrees Fahrenheit. However, parents often fear that their baby is too cold. But this is more often not the case. Most babies tend to run on the warm side. Instead of thinking that they’ll be too cold, start assuming that baby will be too hot. Overheating can cause night wakings and lots of screaming through the night!
White noise is your friend!
A sound machine can benefit your baby’s sleep in a few ways. It helps to recreate the environment of your womb, drowns out any outside noise (siblings running through the house), and can act as a cue that sleep is coming!
There are some things that are important to remember when using a sound machine. First, you’ll want to be sure that you choose one that will stay on all night long. If it turns off after a few minutes, this can wake your baby up. Next, be sure that it’s loud enough! The womb is very noisy so don’t be afraid of it being too loud. There is a free app that you can download call Decibel (the icon says dB). You can test the level by putting your phone into the crib or bassinet that your baby is sleeping in.
The app will tell you the decibel level. The range should be low 70's. The best sound to use is something continuous, such as “white noise” or “TV static”.
In conclusion, keeping your baby’s room clear of clutter, dark and cool will make for a wonderful environment for your baby to cozy up in after a long day of playing!
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