How to Set Up the Crib for the Ultimate Good Night's Sleep
Sleeping training changed our lives. It was also one of the hardest things I’ve done. We followed the Taking Cara of Babies plan to the letter, and it totally worked for us. Thankfully, we didn’t have ear issues or any other number of things that would have derailed the plan.
For me, the hardest hurdle was the mental one. It feels so sad to take that little baby out of their cozy bassinet (or from your arms) and leave them in that huge, lonely crib. One of the ways that I prepared us for that long stretch of sleeping was by making her crib as cozy as possible.
Even if you’re not sleep training, and just want to make the crib as cozy as possibly, here are the things that worked for us for the last eleven months of crib sleep. I did so much research on all of these categories that I felt like I should share. Hope this helps in your quest for a good night’s sleep for you and your little.
body heat activated crib mattress pad - Picture that metallic warming blanket that marathon runners are given after a race, and you’ll have a good sense of what this thing is. This goes under the sheet and is designed to radiate your baby’s heat back up. This is not electric. It just captures some of baby’s body heat to keep her feeling cozy.
breathable mesh crib liner - You’ll definitely have to make your own decision, in consultation with your pediatrician, if you want to go this route. These are NOT the old school fluffy bumpers, this is a very thin layer of mesh designed to keep baby’s arm from getting stuck between the slats. Stella was quite mobile early so we felt comfortable using them. (Note: installation is SUPER hard. You’ll definitely have to watch a YouTube video to get these on.)
Super soft sheets - I tried a few brands, but these were the softest. They are super cozy and snuggly.
Woolino Sleep sack - There are so many sleep sack options. We went with Woolino because there is an easier car seat insert, and because it was so easy to slip the baby inside. Then you can unzip for diaper changes. They are expensive but they are designed for 2 months to 2 years. We started using ours at 6 months and Stella is still in them eleven months later.
a lovey - Again, talk to your pediatrician. Stella was so mobile that we felt comfortable letting her having a lovey to self-soothe. She was too little to put her own pacifier back in her mouth (and you are not supposed to put it back in for them when sleep training.) She would suck on the horn of this unicorn and put herself back to sleep. In fact, the crib was so big and she would move around so much that she would loose the unicorn in the crib. So I actually bought four of these: one for each corner. These guys are still her best friends. She’ll entertain herself for up to 45 minutes just pretending that they talk to each other.
Pacifier - We tried a lot of pacifiers. It was so frustrating in the early days of sleep training when she just couldn’t quite it back in her mouth. The easiest to get in, and her favorite are BIBS pacifiers. They have also been a lifesaver when she is teething — she loves to gnaw on them!
Black-Out Curtains - We have a black-out shade on the window in her room, but it wasn’t quite enough to make it completely dark. I tried taping paper to the window. I even bought special blackout film, but nothing worked. So finally, I just drilled holes in her nursery wallpaper and hung these curtains. No matter how bright it is outside, it’s DARK in her room.
White Noise Machine - We had bought this one when Stella was in our room. But it wasn’t quite loud enough when she was sleeping in her own room and we wanted to drown out outside noise. (Although, you definitely don’t want it to be TOO loud and hurt those little ears!)