5 tips to creating a sleep-friendly nursery!

As you set up baby's nursery, it's easy for your mind to wander to all the sweet moments to come as you read bedtime stories, giggle together at the changing table and study every detail of their sweet face while singing lullabies. But at the end of the day (the fun-but-exhausting day), the true purpose of a nursery is to help your baby—and you—get the best night of sleep possible. This doesn’t mean you have to make your nursery boring! You can still hang beautiful pictures up like the Faenerys and White Tribe Fox Wall Prints and bring a beautiful touch to the room by using the Blond and Noir Moody Clouds or Spots Wall Decal.


  1. Create a dark sleep space

You can have that beautiful, bright nursery that you always dreamed of but just ensure that you invest in good quality blackout blinds – the room should be 8/10 dark (1 being sunlight and 10 being pitch black). If you can read a book in your baby’s room it is too light. By giving your baby a dark space to sleep in you are adding to their comfort and encouraging the production of the hormone melatonin (sleep hormone), which helps your baby get to sleep and stay asleep. A dark room also allows you to minimise all distractions – believe it or not babies will find patterns on wallpaper really interesting!


  1. Ensure your nursery is the right temperature

The optimal temperature for babies is somewhere in the range of 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. A good baby monitor will allow you to constantly observe the temperature in your baby’s room and adjust their clothing and layers accordingly. The Splodge Bunny Rugs are perfect for swaddling your baby up until the age of 16 weeks as they are 100% stretch knit cotton and allow you to layer your baby underneath according to the temperature.


  1. Make a comfortable space for yourself

Your baby is not the only one who will be spending a lot of time in the nursery. Get yourself a comfortable rocker or glider to make yourself more at ease during those overnight feeds and at bedtime. A calm mumma = a calm baby!


  1. Give your baby lots of playtime!

Give your baby lots of playtime between naps – this will ensure that they are nice and tired and ready for sleep! The Mister Fly play mats are perfect for this! Play helps your baby strengthen their neck muscles so that he/she can hold their head up and move it around. Play also helps your baby to practice reaching and grasping, and helps strengthen their muscles for movements like rolling, crawling and pulling up to stand.

Once your baby is a little older you can start playing with blocks and puzzles. Playing with simple chunky blocks helps babies to use two hands together when holding and exploring the block. As they grow and develop, your baby may enjoy holding a block in each hand and banging them together. The Wooden Story blocks and puzzles are perfect for this.


  1. Introduce a comforter between the ages of 4 and 6 months

A comforter will make your baby feel emotionally safe and secure. To introduce a comforter simply place it in your baby’s cot during all sleep times and get them to hold it while feeding. Once they are attached you can stop giving it to them during feed times and only use it for sleep. It is a good idea to buy two or three and rotate them so that if one gets lost you have a backup! The Slumberkin Snugglers are beautiful and soft, have safe sleeping features and come with their own affirmation card.


Written by Lauryn Stanlake – Sleepy Consultant

Sleepy Tots Sleep Coaching

www.sleepytots.com.au

Lauryn lives in Perth, Australia with her husband and their two boys - an inquisitive three-year-old and a busy 14-month-old. Lauryn is a work-from-home mum who loves helping families with their child’s sleep as well as running in the outdoors and reading non-fiction.