Best Baby Products for a Great Night’s Sleep
The best baby products for a great night’s sleep include all the essentials needed to create the ideal wind down routine.
Click here to read more about creating the ideal wind down routine for your baby.
Or read on to find out which products you can choose for a better night’s sleep for your baby.
Black-Out Blind
A black-out blind is an absolute must have!
Click here for the best black-out blind on Amazon.
When creating the ideal sleep routine for your baby the first thing you should do is make sure the room is completely pitch black.
Babies are not scared of the dark. This is a myth.
Darkness is the very best thing for a great night’s sleep.
Any kind of light in your baby’s room will distract them and stop them from falling asleep.
Being scared of the dark can happen as your child grows older (3 or 4 years) but will not happen now.
Total darkness will decrease the chance of early morning rising - no more 5am starts - and ensure their sleep is truly restorative, helping them to grow and develop healthily.
That’s why a black-out blind is a must have for a great night’s sleep. Be prepared to tape or velcro the sides as all blinds will let a tiny bit of light in where the blind meets the window.
You don’t want ANY light at all.
TOP black-out blind pick - GRO Anywhere.
This is the best pick for a black-out blind. I have used mine for five years and it has never let me down.
The extra price is worth it due to the quality.
You can adjust the blind to fit different windows, which ensures all light is blocked out.
The room is so dark with this blind, I literally cannot see anything.
Downside - the suction only works on clean windows. Make sure you clean your windows first!
Budget pick - Tomee Tippee black-out blind. This is slightly cheaper but is similar to the GRO Anywhere blind.
While it is not as robust and the suction isn’t as strong, it still works well and blocks out all light. This is a great option at £10 less (check Amazon for exact prices as prices may differ).
Downside - the suctions aren’t as strong as the GRO Anywhere so even with a clean window this can be tricky to attach properly.
More Sleep Products:
Bluetooth Speaker
This is the best Bluetooth speaker for a few main reasons:
The sound quality is amazing (OK so you’re not holding a party for your baby but you still don’t want a crackling speaker while you’re trying to play soothing bedtime lullaby music)
It has a strong charge which is important because you want the speaker to stay on for as long as you need it. Plus, you don’t want to have to charge it during the wind down routine or bedtime music because this will cause flashing lights while it is charging
You can use it for personal use. It’s a genuinely brilliant speaker, which can come anywhere with you. It’s even waterproof!
Bedtime Books
Books are an essential part of your wind down routine.
In fact, you should never be without a book during the wind down. It’s a crucial part of slowing down the day, reading in hushed tones and giving your baby time to relax before bed. Reading at bedtime in this way, will send a message to your baby’s brain telling them to release melatonin in preparation for sleep.
Read sleepy classics like Rabbit’s Nap, Goodnight Buster and Each Peach Pear Plum.
Baby Sheepskin
A sheepskin probably wasn’t on your list before reading this blog but it will end up being THE best item you own for sleep.
It is a lifesaver when trying to get a newborn baby to sleep in their bassinet.
Plus, it’s naturally hypoallergenic, moisture wicking, high frequency and amazingly soothing. Read this blog post for more details or click here to buy the exact one I have sworn by for over five years!
Baby Sleeping Bag
In the very early newborn days, I used a blanket for my baby.
It wasn’t for any specific reason. It was mainly because I’d been given lots of gorgeous cloud patterned cotton blankets and our daughter seemed very happy cuddled up in them.
However, a natural progression, as your baby gets older, is a sleeping bag.
It’s safer than a blanket because when your baby starts to roll and even attempt to crawl, a sleeping bag eliminates any risk of the blanket being accidently pulled up and over your baby’s head. A sleeping bag buttons together and is worn much like a baby gro.
You do not need any extra blankets or anything apart from the baby sleeping bag.
For the best natural sleeping bag, try an organic cotton one or even better, splurge with my favourite merino wool sleeping bag, which has awesome properties for your baby.
Wool has so many super powers and it’s natural qualities will ensure there are no chemicals for your baby to breathe, resulting in a deep and restorative sleep.
Polyester sleeping bags are a no-go as the process of making polyester involves so many dangerous chemicals which can be more readily absorbed when you perspire naturally in your sleep.
Be sure to check the material on each product as some sleeping bags have an outer organic cotton layer but still have polyester inside the actual duvet bit.
It’s definitely worth doing research on polyester. For example, I never knew it was made from oil! That can’t be good.
Understanding exactly how polyester is made and why it is bad is a tricky one because it’s such a huge part of life and it’s in a lot of clothing and bedding. It’s often cheaper and more convenient.
However, surely it’s worth the switch to natural as when bedding, clothing and toys are made from materials like cotton and wool everything’s going to feel better.
When it’s GOTS certified you can rely on the fact that it is safe and natural for your baby.
If you are able to make the choice, why not go natural and reduce the amount of chemicals your baby is coming across, so they are breathing in all that is good!
Natural Baby Mattress
With natural in mind, mattresses are scary!! I could not believe what was in a mattress before I started reading the labels I had no idea.
PHEW! Now is not the time for an essay about mattresses but there’s a reason they don’t broadly advertise what’s in a mattress. When you get down to the specific composition it’s certainly not natural.
The best baby mattresses that I’ve found are The Wool Room and Little Green Sheep. Now, they’re not perfect but they’re a whole lot better than standard mattresses.
NOTE: I just want to be really clear that I understand how expensive some of these natural options are.
In fact, I understand so much that we haven’t even been able to get a natural mattress in our house because they cost so much and of course, we would have to buy two for both of our daughters.
If you too have come across financial hurdles on your way to buying all natural products for your baby, the first thing to do is don’t worry - babies and humans can cope with a lot.
Clearly.
We are surrounded by chemicals.
I grew up with Duplo. And I’m totally fine.
Going all natural is more to create the ideal environment and reduce all chemicals because you can. When you can’t, it’s good to know that a happy home full of love and no stress will go a lot further than a natural home full of worry. Our minds and our loving hearts are the most important part of being happy and healthy.
SO, don’t judge yourself. You’re doing amazing.
Make a compromise. You don’t have to buy everything that is natural straight away. It can be a slow process which suits you, your family and your finances.
For example, we bought a standard mattress but covered it with a wool mattress protector from The Wool Room, wool duvet from the same website and an organic cotton duvet cover from Amazon. This was an option that made the most financial sense to us at the time.
My thinking was, while a mattress isn’t perfect, at least the closest thing (the mattress protector) to what our toddlers are breathing in is all natural.
It’s an ongoing process.
Work with what you’ve got and don’t ever be tough on yourself.
Switch to natural slowly.
Replace polyester and plastic at a rate that suits you and don’t be annoyed at what you already have in the house or what you previously thought was fine.
Click here for more details on switching to a natural non toxic lifestyle.
Wooden Ventilated Cot
To finish this amazing baby sleep list is a cot! A natural cot is surprisingly well priced and as natural as it comes. It’s the mattress that costs a lot. The actual frame shouldn’t break the bank.
Now, talking of compromise, I’ll admit, I bought the Snuzpod twice even though it’s painted wood. It’s plywood and beech, which isn’t the worst. At least it’s not MDF.
Snuzpod gives you the option of buying a natural mattress.
However, the mesh on the sides of the cot is polyester and I haven’t heard the best things about plywood (the frame of the cot).
Of course, there are so many lifestyle benefits to the actual Snuzpod, like the fact it’s small so your baby feels soothed and happy, it attaches to your bed for safety and easy access during the night and it looks great in your room.
However, I wouldn’t buy it now because I know more about materials.
But like we said before, it’s a halfway house. If you want a Snuzpod then get it.
The transition to natural should be at your own pace.
The Snuzpod worked well for the first six months of my daughters’ lives.
However, for the bigger cot that they would have for longer, I was determined to find a natural version.
To find the most natural cot on Amazon for your six month or older baby, check exactly what the material is and also how it has been treated.
Avoid MDF and polyester. And painted cots.
Natural wooden is the safest option and can even look amazing too when you go for a scandi vibe in the nursery. Everything can look gorgeous and be natural too!
This is currently the best option and this is a good one too if you have more space in the bedroom.
Creating the ideal toolkit for your and your baby means you will be fully equipped for laying down the foundation for excellent sleep as soon as your child is ready for a routine (any age from 3 months).
Each product on this list has been essential in creating a baby sleep routine that I still have for both my daughters and that works EVERY single time.
As long as you do not deviate and keep consistently to every element of the wind down routine you will have a sleep progamme to last a lifetime.
Investing in products that will ensure your sleep routine is as easy and as effective as possible, will make everything go way more smoothly.
As a busy mama why not make your life as easy as possible and finally get the sleep you deserve for both you and your baby?
Here’s a reminder of the ideal sleep kit:
Black-Out Blind
Bluetooth Speaker
Bedtime Books
Sheepskin
Sleeping Bag
Natural Baby Mattress
Wooden Ventilated Cot
Click below to get a free taster of the Abundant Baby Sleep Course and create 12 hours of sleep for you and your baby. The free sleep course taster will teach you the ideal wind down routine and get you closer to achieving 12 hours of consecutive restorative sleep.