Tools To Keep Your Newborn Asleep

The biggest struggle most new mom's face is exhaustion. Getting your sweet new baby to sleep for longer periods is truly a miracle at times. Here are a few simple ways to help your newborn stay asleep longer!

Diffuse Lavender Essential Oil: Filling your home with the refreshing smell of lavender has many health benefits including improving quality of sleep. Simply fill your diffuser with water, add a few drops of lavender oil and let the aroma calm and relax you and your baby before bed time. Also, try adding a lavender based lotion to your nightly routine! Tubby Todd Lavender and Rosemary Lotion is a fantastic, pre-bedtime moisturizer, full of plant-based extracts! Your baby will love the soothing lotion as well as getting a little massage! Skip Hop Moonlight & Melodies Nightlight Soother: Light up the night sky with the Skip Hop Melodies Nightlight Soother! Your baby will love listening to the 8 different melodies and nature sounds, while watching stars illuminate the ceiling. The melodies and nature sounds featured will soothe your baby into a blissful, sleepy state. The auto-off timer is especially handy with 15, 30, 60 minutes or continuous play options. The Soother is designed to resemble an adorable little elephant--making it the perfect accessory to your baby's nursery! Ergobaby Original Swaddle: Newborns love to be swaddled and held tight by their mamas. It helps them feel like they are once again comfy cozy in the womb! This is why babies usually sleep better when swaddled. Keep your newborn snug as a bug with the Ergobaby Original Swaddle! Fashioned from 100% cotton knit terry, it is designed to be soft, cozy (and escape proof), to ensure your baby has the best sleep possible! The Ergobaby Original Swaddle also features a removable leg pouch, making diaper changes a breeze! To see both of the adorable new patterns head on over to the Baby Cubby!   Start A Routine On Day One: As a new mom, I had no idea what I was doing, but one piece of advice that I found helpful was to start a routine as soon as possible. Keeping to a routine helps your baby know when it's bedtime. It will take a while for the routine to actually mean something to your little one, but he will catch on! A great routine that we decided to try was a simple one: 7 p.m. bath time, followed by lavender lotion, fresh jammies, a belly full of milk and a cozy swaddle. During the day we started the "Rule of 30" routine (as I called it). Basically from the time baby woke up until he went to bed at night we rotated between 30 min of sleeping, eating and play time. Each cycle lasted an hour and a half. When I started incorporating the Rule of 30 into our daytime routine, the nights went much smoother!

Whether you have an excellent sleeper or a party animal, these tips have helped moms (and babies) just like you and I. Give them a try and see what works best for you! Whatever happens, I hope you and your newborn stay happy, healthy and well rested!