Pamper Mom- With the Gift of ZZZs!

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and it begs the question: “What does mom really want?” Pampering is a given, sleep is a must! The truth is in the facts: a recent article pointed out that mothers of young children lose, on average, about 9 hours of sleep per week… that totals out to be a whole additional night’s rest that they lose out on every week (oomph!)

So, in the spirit of giving mom the “gift of sleep” this year we asked our partner and sleep expert, Children’s Sleep Consultant Rebecca Michi, to provide us some key sleep tips to help those long nights go a little smoother with your little one.

Here are Rebecca’s 5 simple tips that will get your baby on the right track to sleep- so that mom can get that R&R she deserves!

1. Location, Location, Location!

Whenever possible, when your baby naps during the day, let them do so in their crib/moses basket/wherever you’d like them to be sleeping at night.  It will help baby to associate their bed with sleep and give them a better idea of what they’re supposed to do when you put them there at night!

2. Keep the crib clear

It is really nice to make sure baby has a lovely sleeping space but overcrowding a crib with bumpers and toys can be a distraction as well as a hazard. Make sure you make the crib as serene as possible by removing toys beforehand and think about just having a soothing mobile instead that they can gently drift off to. The less colour there is the better.

3. Routine is everything

Babies thrive on routine, so it’s never too early to start one at bedtime. A lineup as simple as feed, change, snuggle, story will be worth it’s weight in gold as your little one gets older!

4. Set the mood

Make sure you’re giving your baby all the tools for a good night’s sleep.  Consider the temperature, the lighting, perhaps a white noise machine.  What ‘works’ of course varies from one baby to the next – some like silence, some don’t, experiment, see what works for your little one and stick with it.

5. Keep night time feeds as business only 

When you feed your little one at night, make sure they know that’s all that is happening!  No playing, no extra cuddling up, no toys.  Be strict (with yourself as well as baby!) and you’ll help baby realize that getting up in the night is not all that exciting, so they may as well save their energy for the fun stuff in the morning.