How to Prepare Baby and Parents for Sleep Training
It can take a lot of mental fortitude to prepare both yourself and your baby for sleep training. These are some steps that you can take to make it a bit easier. From making sure your baby is comfortable with a sleep sack to making sure you have a comfortable chair, these tips can help ease you and your baby into better sleep.
How to Prepare Your Baby for Sleep Training:
Make Sure Your Baby Is Comfortable
First, make sure your baby is comfortable. This could mean having a bedside bassinet for younger babies making the journey into sleep training, to know that you are close. It could also mean making sure their sleeping area, such as your room or nursery, isn’t busy with things to look at and distract them from falling asleep. Above all, make sure their sleeping area is comfortable.
Adjust the Thermostat
Generally, you want the room to be warm, not hot. If it’s cold enough that you need to snuggle up under more than one layer, it might be too cold. If you’re overheating, it might be too hot. There are other ways to keep your baby warm, discussed in the next section, but your thermostat should keep the room temperature within comfortable boundaries. Check your baby to see if they’re sweating or if their chest feels hot, in which case you should lower the temperature.
Use a Sleep Sack Instead of a Loose Blanket
Instead of a loose blanket, which should not be used before your baby is at least a year old, use a sleep sack. Sleep sacks are wearable blankets that can’t be kicked off, keeping your baby warm while being a safer option compared to loose blankets. They often have zippers that make it easier to change diapers in the middle of the night, which is still a concern during sleep training.
Create a Safe Sleeping Area
Make sure there are no loose blankets or toys in the bassinet or crib you are using. If you have twins who crave togetherness, consider using something like the twin bassinet from HALO® Sleep, which keeps twins together but safely separates them with a mesh wall. Having a bedside bassinet can keep babies close while avoiding the risks associated with sharing a bed.
How to Prepare Parents for Sleep Training:
Have a Comfortable Chair
No matter what method of sleep training you do, you will want a comfortable chair to sit in until your baby is asleep. If you prefer to be in the room with them, consider a portable chair which you can move around the room depending on how they respond while they try to get to sleep.
Make Sure Baby Is Easy to Access
Your baby should be close by and easy to access. The longer your baby is up and crying, the more time they have to work themselves up, and consequently, the longer you are awake, as well.
Know This Is Only Temporary
Finally, know that sleep training is temporary, and likely won’t last more than a week or two. That means you will get more sleep and have more free time, as your baby won’t be waking up as much. You will settle into a new routine. There will probably be some crying, as babies don’t like change. At the end of the process, though, your baby will have the skills to soothe themselves to sleep, sleeping longer than before, and getting ready to sleep through the night.
About HALO® Sleep
HALO® Sleep began with a mission to create a safe, comfortable bassinet for new infants to sleep in. The brand continues to innovate products for infants and toddlers to create a safer environment for children. HALO® Sleep is now one of the most trusted and well-known brands on the market for baby sleep products, including a bassinet that vibrates and the best-selling HALO® SleepSack®, the original safe, wearable blanket. Working with the leading infant health and safety organizations, HALO® Sleep promotes infant safety education. A portion of all of their proceeds helps in this endeavor.
Browse all of HALO® Sleep’s products at Halosleep.com
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| Bassinet That Vibrates |
How to Prepare Your Baby for Sleep Training:
Make Sure Your Baby Is Comfortable
First, make sure your baby is comfortable. This could mean having a bedside bassinet for younger babies making the journey into sleep training, to know that you are close. It could also mean making sure their sleeping area, such as your room or nursery, isn’t busy with things to look at and distract them from falling asleep. Above all, make sure their sleeping area is comfortable.
Adjust the Thermostat
Generally, you want the room to be warm, not hot. If it’s cold enough that you need to snuggle up under more than one layer, it might be too cold. If you’re overheating, it might be too hot. There are other ways to keep your baby warm, discussed in the next section, but your thermostat should keep the room temperature within comfortable boundaries. Check your baby to see if they’re sweating or if their chest feels hot, in which case you should lower the temperature.
Use a Sleep Sack Instead of a Loose Blanket
Instead of a loose blanket, which should not be used before your baby is at least a year old, use a sleep sack. Sleep sacks are wearable blankets that can’t be kicked off, keeping your baby warm while being a safer option compared to loose blankets. They often have zippers that make it easier to change diapers in the middle of the night, which is still a concern during sleep training.
Create a Safe Sleeping Area
Make sure there are no loose blankets or toys in the bassinet or crib you are using. If you have twins who crave togetherness, consider using something like the twin bassinet from HALO® Sleep, which keeps twins together but safely separates them with a mesh wall. Having a bedside bassinet can keep babies close while avoiding the risks associated with sharing a bed.
How to Prepare Parents for Sleep Training:
Have a Comfortable Chair
No matter what method of sleep training you do, you will want a comfortable chair to sit in until your baby is asleep. If you prefer to be in the room with them, consider a portable chair which you can move around the room depending on how they respond while they try to get to sleep.
Make Sure Baby Is Easy to Access
Your baby should be close by and easy to access. The longer your baby is up and crying, the more time they have to work themselves up, and consequently, the longer you are awake, as well.
Know This Is Only Temporary
Finally, know that sleep training is temporary, and likely won’t last more than a week or two. That means you will get more sleep and have more free time, as your baby won’t be waking up as much. You will settle into a new routine. There will probably be some crying, as babies don’t like change. At the end of the process, though, your baby will have the skills to soothe themselves to sleep, sleeping longer than before, and getting ready to sleep through the night.
About HALO® Sleep
HALO® Sleep began with a mission to create a safe, comfortable bassinet for new infants to sleep in. The brand continues to innovate products for infants and toddlers to create a safer environment for children. HALO® Sleep is now one of the most trusted and well-known brands on the market for baby sleep products, including a bassinet that vibrates and the best-selling HALO® SleepSack®, the original safe, wearable blanket. Working with the leading infant health and safety organizations, HALO® Sleep promotes infant safety education. A portion of all of their proceeds helps in this endeavor.
Browse all of HALO® Sleep’s products at Halosleep.com
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