Hi, this is Jessica Sawicki from Luli Sleep Consulting. And today on the Sleepy Q’s podcast, I’m going to be talking to you about how to set up your child’s sleep space. So we all get super excited when we’re pregnant and we’re anxiously waiting for our child to come. And so we started decorating the nursery and thinking of the themes and different colors. That’s all fun. But there are a few essentials that you really want to take into consideration when you’re setting up your child’s nursery. So let’s go over them.
Think about the location
First, let’s talk about where your child would sleep; in what room? So I find this to be a personal choice, whether your baby will sleep in the same room with you. I will also say that the AAP has recently changed their guidelines and suggest a baby to sleep in the same room with the parents the first year. After the age of six months, once your baby is no longer needing a feed at night and is sleeping through the night, she can probably sleep in her own room. But again, you need to feel comfortable if your child is no longer sleeping in your room.
Safety first
Let’s talk about all the little details. So first is the crib. You want your child sleeping on a flat bare surface. So that could be a crib, a mini crib, a bassinet, a pack n play, anything that has a flat hard surface, and that is closed off. So for those of you that are using co-sleepers, make sure to just attach it to the mattress on the side. So that when you’re done feeding, you can place your baby in their own sleep space, close enough.
Dark environment
Next, you want to make sure that the room is dark. So , if your baby’s sleeping in the same room with you, make sure not to turn on those TVs and those iPads and those lights in the middle of the night. Your child needs complete darkness. When there are lights that can be distracting and can cause some wake ups. So make sure that the room is dark. During the day, I strongly suggest closing those shades. So you don’t need blackout shades, but you definitely want to close out the shade so that there’s not sunlight coming in, and it’s not distracting. You want there to be a difference between playtime and sleep time. At night, we’re definitely closing the shades and we’re going to turn off the light. And don’t worry about scared of the dark. Your child won’t be scared of the dark until they’re about two years old, two and a half. And that’s when they’ll start asking you to leave the light on or the door open. But until then, the first two years, the darker, the better. Nightlights are great for kids ages two and above. If your child is asking for the door open or a small light, you can leave the closet light or the hallway light, or a small little nightlight that isn’t so distracting.
Temperature
Next is the temperature. Research suggests that the ideal room temperature should be anywhere between 68 and 72 Fahrenheit. I understand that for some of us that can be too cold, depending on where you live, you might not be using an AC or you are. Every house and every situation is different. But here’s a few things to take into consideration. Your child will not be using a blanket and doesn’t have the body warmth of someone sleeping next to them. Look at where the air vents are in the room. Is the air blowing right above your child’s crib? Is there a lot of sunlight there during the day that makes the room really warm? you want to make sure that your child is not overheated and sweating and not freezing overnight.
Sound
The third thing is you want the room to be quiet. So during the day you can absolutely have some soft lullaby or some music playing in the background, especially when they’re awake during playtime. But once it comes time to sleep , you want to turn off all music and all lullabies. You want the room to be very quiet.
Next is a white noise machine. I love white noise machines. It’s definitely my favorite part of the sleep space. Especially if you have other children, a loud dog, or you live on a noisy street. White noise machines really help drown out the exterior noise. Make sure that the machine is on medium to low setting, so anywhere about 60 to 65 decibels. Is on the whole time your child is sleeping. So not on a timer. And not so close to their ear; so furthest away from the crib, but inside the room.
So just to recap- you have a crib. You decided where your child would sleep, whether your room or their own room. You make sure that the room is dark. That it’s the right temperature. That it’s quiet, and it has a white noise machine. Basically, You want to walk in there and feel very cozy and inviting to sleep.
Extras
Let’s talk about a few extras: Mobiles- mobiles are great to use with newborns, especially those first three or four months. I do suggest getting rid of the mobile once your child hits about five to six months old. Anything after six months, the mobiles can get distracting, the lights and the sounds, or it can become a safety issue. Once your child starts standing or sitting, they’re going to pull on it. So please get rid of those mobiles once your child is six months old.
Now let’s talk about pillows, blankets, and bumpers. So I strongly suggest against those pillows and blankets, especially under the age of one. Over the age of one, you’re allowed to use a blanket, but it’s still not suggested. It is recommended to wait until your child is about three years or older to use pillows and blankets. Now what about bumpers? Great question! Bumpers are optional. The AAP recommends against the bumpers, but if you wanted to use one, you can. Mesh bumpers are great. You can even get individual railing bumpers. All great alternatives if you don’t want to use those thick bumpers. And for the older child, a bed railing. Make sure that when you transition your child into a bed, that there is a bed railing on the side of the bed. Just to avoid your child falling out.
So when you set up that sleep space, thinking about the colors and the tones and the themes of the room, just take into consideration all of these factors. You want the room to be dark, including nap time. You want it to be the ideal temperature and you want it to be quiet. Perhaps use a noise machine as well. You just want to be able to walk in and just feel like this is really nice and cozy. And I want to take a nap too.
I hope this was helpful. Don’t forget to leave a review for all our Sleepy Q’s podcasts and send in your questions or comments. We’d love to hear about any topics that you’re interested learning more.about.
