Setting up a safe sleep environment to promote healthy sleep
One of my favorite things is decorating rooms in my house! I always said maybe in another life I would be an interior designer!
Even has a young kid, I always LOVED rearranging furniture in my room!
My husband even jokes about it now when (at 9pm at night, because it is totally normal to start a project late at night…right?!) I say “Hey Matt…so I was thinking…” I always get the look right back me that says “Oh no…hit me with it, what do you want to redo now?!”
So, naturally, when it came to having kids, I was SO excited to be able to do something super fun in their nurseries or rooms! When I was pregnant with my daughter, Piper, all I really thought about was the asethic of the room. Did the wallpaper I have been looking at for MONTHS match the gray paint I had already slathered on the wall? Did the knobs on the dresser match the gold ascents I had throughout the room? Did the sheets I pick clash with the other pinks in the room?
Silly, right? As if my teeny tiny baby would ever notice these little things, of course not! But I did! Just walking into her little nursery before she was born always gave me such joy and excitement for the future! What I never thought of was if what I had spent months designing was conducive as sleep for a baby. I mean, that is what a bedroom is for, right?
One of the most popular questions I get from clients is…
Is my baby’s room set up correctly? So here are some tips to help set up your baby’s room for success (and yes, I always LOVE see what everyone does to decorate their nurseries, I mean come on they are so CUTE!!).
- Keeping anything off the wall above your baby’s crib
- we want to make sure nothing can fall on your baby when they are sleeping! As cute as those signs are above the crib, they can fall at any time which is dangerous
- Having your white noise/sound machine at least 3 feet away from your baby’s sleeping space
- Keeping your noise machine 3ft away from the crib will make sure you arent damaging their little ears!
- Some parents like to put the noise machine closer to the door of the room or window depending on where the most environmental noise comes from
- Using REAL black out curtains/shades
- Anything that says 99% black out will work! Personally, I really like using black out blinds AND black out curtains together.
- The room should be dark enough that when you stick your hand out in front of your face, you can barely see it.
- Using a breathable mattress and sheets
- Newton matrress is my absolute favorite. Super easy to clean as well!
- Any bamboo sheet are breathable and super soft on your baby’s delicate skin
- Getting rid of any mobiles above the crib
- Mobiles are super cute but can keep your baby awake! They give them something to look at which is great when you want them to be distracted or stay awake but that is not the goal of the crib!
- Move your mobile to above your diaper changing area! This will give your squirmy baby something to look at during those diaper changes.
- Keeping any cords/wires away from the crib so your baby cannot grab them
- Babies start to stand and grab anything and everything in reach. Keeping cords away from those little hands will ensure your baby is safe during sleep time!
- Avoid any blanket or bumpers
- Keeping your crib EMPTY is the best way to make sure your baby is safe when they are sleeping!
- Blanket and bumpers are both considered suffocation risks for your little babies while they move around in their sleep
