Sleep is essential. We ALL need it, and want it, right? How many times have you watched your kid sleep and thought, "Boy, I wish I could take a nap every day too! Why didn't I take more advantage of this as a kid?" Right? ;)
Even though we may envy those little babes of ours as they sleep, sometimes we wish they were getting MORE sleep. Hence the reason I write all of these sleep posts in the "Rested Mamas are Happy Mamas" series; so you can help your baby get all the sleep he/she needs. But, guess what? There are other things out there, besides your favorite sleep expert (that's me, if you missed that ;) ), that can also help those cuties get the sleep they need. Tons and tons of products!!!
There is so much to choose from that may, or may not, help our children sleep better. How do we know what's right for us? Well, by experimenting and trying all the things, right? But who has the money to do that?! So, because I LOVE to help you, I've chosen three products IIIII love that help your baby get all that sleep!
Mamaroo
The 4Moms Mamaroo is an AMAZING swing/infant seat. I've heard some moms tell me that their baby didn't love it because it's not swinging the baby back and forth like a crazy monkey swinging through the forest, but those babies must be cray cray. IIIIII want to sleep in it.
This swing/infant seat (or maybe "mom copier" would be a better title for it since it's not really a "swing") mimics mom's movements. Moms don't swing back and forth, and they don't vibrate like a bouncy seat; they sway more than anything. The seat has several different movements: kangaroo, tree swing, rock-a-bye, wave, and my all-time favorite, car ride. How many times have you been in the car and your baby instantly fell asleep? Since I bought mine years ago, they've added a wireless feature where you can control the seat from your phone. AMMMMAAAAZZZZINNNNGGGG!!! I don't have any infants around my house, but I may need to upgrade my swing anyway. HA!
You probably won't need the Mamaroo once they get older, but it will definitely be worth the money while you are using it!
A white noise machine
Skip Hop Moonlight & Melodies Nightlight Soother - Elephant
I didn't use a white noise machine with my older daughter until she was about 10 months old. It was just me and her home, and she could sleep through basically anything. The only thing I find my kids really ever wake up to is familiar voices. They must think there is a party they are missing if people are talking. But drill some holes in the wall, turn on a vacuum, knock over a table, and they could care less. So when I decided to teach gymnastics out of my home, and knew her nap would be at the same time the kids would be at my house, I knew we needed something. So, we bought a white noise machine. I use it for every nap the twins take so that their older sister doesn't wake them while she's playing and partying it up.
We carry this amazing sound machine, the Skip Hop Moonlight and Melodies Nightlight Soother, that not only plays music and nature sounds, it also is a nightlight! Fantastic! I love dual purpose! It has a nightlight, and projects lights up on the ceiling as well. It even has a timer so the music/sound isn't playing all night long. Aweeeesssooommmeee!!
This is really good for all ages since lots of children LOVE to have a nightlight. So when you don't use the sound too much anymore as your children get older, use it for their nightlight!
Aden and Anais swaddle blankets
Aden and Anais - Classic Swaddle
The Aden and Anais blankets are PERFECT because they are large enough to swaddle your baby the whole time they want to be swaddled; my daughters were much older when they decided they didn't need to be swaddled anymore. Now, my one twin uses it as her blankie, and loves it. She loves touching it, and feeling it on her skin. It immediately calms her down when she's upset. She's really taken a great liking to it. My older daughter likes to pull it out to have a "pic-a-nic" (as she calls it), in the living room. It's the perfect blanket, and your kids will continue to use and love them when they are older.
I hope you find out these are as awesome as I'm telling you they are. :) Anything that helps get baby more sleep, AND YOU, is definitely a must-have!
*Sleep is essential. We need sleep to function, to take care of our children, to keep up on every single task life throws at us, to keep our sanity. Are you getting your 8 hours or do you have a baby who is keeping you up? Let’s remedy that! In the “Rested Mamas are Happy Mamas” series of our blog, sleep expert Jackie answers all of your sleep woes. Have a question or problem that needs fixing? Comment on the series, and a blog will be published just for you!*