Motherhood :: Baby Sleep Related Products I Swear By

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Finding products that work for a baby often requires a lot of trial and error. When we put together our baby registry before Everett’s arrival (you can read all about it here), I relied heavily on the experts at buybuy BABY and recommendations from experienced mama friends. Since there are so many product categories to consider and not to mention brands and price points to choose from, it really can get quite overwhelming!

Since I often receive messages from expecting and new moms about product recommendations, specifically around sleep (yup, always a hot topic!), I thought it would be useful to share the baby sleep related products that we swear by. As I mention, it does take a bit of testing out and of course, babies have different preferences. But I hope these baby sleep items from buybuy BABY will give you a head start in planning your nursery or baby’s arrival!

Crib

Everett slept in a bassinet in our room for the first six weeks then we worked on transitioning him into his crib, first at nap time, then at night time. The crib was one of the first big ticketed items we shopped for at buybuy BABY and our decision was based on quality, safety, style and durability. The Babyletto Lolly 3-in-1 Convertible Crib fit our desires perfectly, it’s modern, streamlined, and I love that it converts seamlessly to a toddler bed by lowering and removing the front panel. Everett recently discovered the joys of spinning and rolling around during his sleep and I had debated some time whether to add crib bumpers or a netting for some extra protection, but I’ve settled on leaving it as is in case they come loose. I’m glad this crib comes with crib bars with rounded edges which minimizes the opportunity for scratches and knicks on his head. I’d definitely say take this into account when shopping for a crib.

Mattress

Finding a suitable crib is certainly an important one to tackle on the list but I purchasing a STELLAR baby mattress is even more so! I knew that Everett would be spending lots of time in his crib and on his mattress and I was most keen on finding a mattress that was safe, easy to clean and one made free of harmful chemicals allowing him to enjoy the most comfortable and healthy sleep.

Did you know that typical baby and children’s mattresses are made with materials such as vinyl/PVC and polyurethane foam which contains some form of harmful chemical? We chose the Naturepedic® Organic Cotton Ultimate Baby Crib & Toddler Mattress because it’s made from organic cotton fill, free of harmful chemicals, hypoallergenic and even features a dust mite barrier. This mattress has two sides with appropriate firmness for a baby and later, toddler to promote the safest sleep. The waterproof covers also make it ideal and convenient to clean especially when accidents happen at night! Having a mattress that is safe, clean, and comfortable gives me such a peace of mind especially on days where he likes to sleep on his belly and face down. Comparably, this mattress is at a higher price point but when you factor in the fact that you can extend its lifespan into the toddler stage, it is worth it.

Crib Sheets

Clearly, you don’t place a baby onto a mattress without a crib sheet! For similar reasons mentioned above, when I was selecting crib sheets, I was primarily seeking for soft and organic materials that would be suitable even for babies with the most sensitive skin. Everett started to develop eczema right around the time we started him in the crib, so I was glad that I had a few of these Organic Fitted Crib Sheets by Burts Bees already washed and ready to go. They are stretchy, soft and easy to clean by just popping them into the washer and dryer on a delicate cycle.

Now that we’ve talked a little bit about what Everett sleeps on, let’s switch gears and chat about what he sleeps in!

Swaddle and Sleep Sacks

When Everett was first brought home from the hospital, we swaddled him in swaddle blankets. Swaddle blankets are a necessity for any baby for so many reasons (we LOVE the Aden + Anais blankets) but I wasn’t very good at keeping the swaddle tight on him and found that they were constantly unraveling throughout the night, which of course was very frustrating because he would wake up from his startle reflex. We switched to the Love to Dream Swaddle UP in the first week which has rave reviews but he liked it for about two days then would cry and wake as soon as he felt his arms on his face. I learned very quickly that newborn Everett liked to be super snug and arms down by his side which led us to put him in the HALO SleepSack Multi-way Adjustable Swaddle. This swaddle was perfect for him when he was a newborn and in fact I bought two others in bigger sizes and he wore them to sleep until he was just over four months of age. I loved that it has a two way zipper which made night time diaper changes quick and that the velcro straps really helped with managing his startle reflex. If your newborn is an escape artist, I highly recommend this swaddle!

Once Everett started to break out of the HALO swaddle (he would literally wiggle his arms and hands up to his face), we transitioned him out of it and into a Kyte BABY Sleep Bag. Kyte Baby makes the softest and comfiest baby and toddler sleep bags and sleepers from gentle rayon from bamboo fabric. They are buttery soft to touch and great for Everett as he has sensitive skin and eczema. Everett absolutely LOVES these sleep bags, he treats it like his own duvet blanket and he cuddles and soothes himself with it to sleep. We have several of these sleep bags in different TOG ratings which is ideal for changing seasons and temperatures.

Comfortable Sleepwear

As already mentioned above, we are big fans of Kyte BABY and Everett has been sleeping in these Kyte BABY Footies since he was a newborn. They are slim fit but the organic material is really stretchy which allows babies to wear them even when they’ve technically outgrown their size. Everett is now wearing 6-12 M but sometimes we still put him in the 3-6 Ms to get as many wears as we can!

If the Kyte BABY option is out of your price range, I also recommend Carters Zip-Front Footies like this one. They are very affordable and come in a variety of sizes and styles. They are also great to stash in the diaper bag for emergency blow outs. Some of them even come with mitts that pull over and are great for babies who tend to scratch in their sleep.

Sound Machine

There are so many factors when it comes to creating the best environment for baby’s best sleep. Aside from a safe spot to lay and comfortable clothes to wear, I’d say finding a trusty sound machine tops my list.

We had started off with the Yogasleep Hhush Portable Sound Machine when Everett was sleeping in our room. We’d just hang the device on the bassinet and it worked wonders. I liked how portable this device is and we essentially brought it along everywhere we went in the early days. Don’t get me wrong, this is a fabulous sound machine, but the downside of using this portable option is that it needed to be charged nightly as it really is meant to be a travel/on-the-go option.

When we moved Everett into his nursery we purchased the Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine and I 100% recommend it. This sound machine is plugged into an electric outlet and can be manually operated or controlled remotely from my smartphone. The light and sound can be customized and programmed multiple ways, everything from hue, brightness, and loudness can be adjusted. I love that this machine plays a number or varying sounds (not like the portable version) from white noise to nursery music. I love that for later on, I can set time-to-rise for Everett so that he knows when the light is a certain colour, it’s okay for him to get out of bed. I basically never leave Everett’s room until I turn this sound machine on. And the bonus of being able to control it remotely is that if we have surprise visitors or if I want to turn the vacuum or blender on, I can turn the white noise sound louder from afar without needing to disturb him.

And there you have it! I hope my shortlist of baby sleep products will offer you some help while planning for your baby’s arrival.