Survival Guide for SLEEP in First 3 Months: The Products That Help
Taking care of a baby is the hardest thing I have ever done. I thought the delivery was the hard part, and trust me, that was no walk in the park. But actually taking care of a baby, all day and all night, every single day is so much more than I could have ever imagined. You are worried that you aren’t doing everything right. You are worried that the baby needs something more. You are worried in general because the baby is so new to the world. You read conflicting advice on the internet. You hear completely different advice from friends and family. Basically, it’s a full on, all consuming, life altering task that there is no avoiding or delaying. And you and maybe your significant other, are going at it blind.
What you are going to worry most about during those first three months is sleep and eating. For us, eating was a bit easier but sleep was our big challenge.
I did a lot of research during my 10 months of pregnancy (yes, it was just about 10 months!) and I have to say that some of the ways that I prepared truly saved me in those early weeks.I had absolutely no time to do research when she was born, so I’m very glad that I planned ahead! I’ve included links on where to find all of these on my Amazon page.
Here is what absolutely helped our family, including Aurora, get some good rest.
Who knew that this cute little baby bed/lounger with fun printed patterns would be an absolute life saver. Aurora didn’t know day from night, as most babies don’t right away, so she was sleeping and waking at all odd hours. The DockATot gave me a safe place to let her rest, let her play or just to put her down when I had to run to the bathroom. It is lightweight and very easy to move from the bedroom or the couch (where we slept a lot!). The covers come in a variety of patterns and can be removed and washed. I suggest buying an extra cover and the toy arch for when your baby gets a little older and needs more stimulation!
We tried every swaddle out there–Halo, Miracle Blanket, Woombie–and for us, the only thing that worked was a good, old fashioned swaddle. But not just any swaddle: we needed one with a bit of stretch so we could get a very tight wrap. Aurora could bust out of everything so the Under the Nile swaddles were a lifesaver as we could wrap them so tightly and keep them snug, her little legs and arms rarely escaped. All that changed by month 3, when nothing could keep those limbs in but by that time it was when she should stop being swaddled anyway.
Finally, we realized we couldn’t keep her feet bound so we started using the Halo Sleep sack. This was great to keep one or both arms secured but allow her feet to move. She did manage to get out of it most nights, but at least it helped her fall asleep. I preferred the muslin variety as it was much less hot than the cotton or velour ones, but that is only because we live in Southern California and she was born in the summer!
Aurora didn’t take to this right away, but we kept trying and all of sudden, it was magic. The inclined position helped her with any reflux and it was cozy on all sides so she slept very well on it. I found that the rocking motion was not always necessary but sometimes did prolong sleep. I didn’t like music though so I always muted that. She did quickly grow out of it and it is not something that I’d recommend for long, but in the interim when you just need your baby to nap or sleep a few hours at a time, it was so worth the inexpensive price.
This small, nondescript night light has a lot going on. There is a lovely variety of colors (you can even make your own color) as well as sounds like white noise and waves and even songs. But the biggest win of the Hatch is that it syncs to your phone. This means that in the middle of the night when you need to turn it on or change the volume, you aren’t blindly fiddling with it in the dark. You can open the app and adjust easily. This was great for turning it on and off from different rooms too!
We started with the Wubbanub Animal pacifiers since they were not only cute, the animal actually helped keep the pacifier in her mouth as it gave some balance when placed on her chest. We graduated to Smilo Pacifiers which were also easy to keep in her mouth and developed by orthodontists to promote a healthy palate development. We’ve so far continued with the Smilos.
We decided not to get a monitor that linked to our phone as we know that phones run out of battery or have bad service. The Infant Optics has been great as it has a very clear image quality, especially in complete darkness. It also has a moveable head so you can move it from the display monitor and even zoom in. It also says the temperature of the room which we liked. The only negative is the display battery does die frequently so have that charger handy and it keep it plugged in often.
Like the DockATot, the Boppy is a place to let your baby relax, rest or even sleep (if you are watching). It is slightly inclined and has an indent to allow the baby to big snug and cozy. It was helpful when she was awake as she was a little more upright than lying flat and could see more. She grew out this after 2 months as she wanted to be more upright but it was very helpful for those first few months and very portable too. Get a cover so you can wash it when the inevitable blow out occurs!
I will be including an updated “Sleeping Survival Guide at 4 Months: How to Handle Sleep Regression!” soon! If you have any recommendations of your own, please share!
xoxo
Kelley
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