Sleep is one of the most important and sought after things in the life of a family with a newborn. It also happens to be one of the most difficult things to master! If you follow along on my instagram (@kassyondesign), you’ll know that Kate, my 7-week old ROCKSTAR baby, has been giving us a 7-8 hour sleep every night for the past week or so. I’d love to say that this is all me, but I’d totally be lying. It’s a perfect combination of the newborn sleep class that Keith and I took and our nighttime routine with Halo Sleep. So today, I thought I’d share our secrets in hopes of spreading the well-rested love to my fellow moms and dads!
It’s 100% true that EVERY baby is different. So I can’t promise you that what has been working for Kate will work for you. But I can share a few things that I think have made a HUGE different for us when it comes to nighttime sleep. Babies CRAVE routine. Actually humans in general need routines. I knew from the start that getting into a smooth, but flexible routine was going to be key for my sanity and Kate’s well-being. Everyone is happier with a full night’s sleep.
My thoughts on routine were solidified by the Newborn Sleep Class that we took called Taking Cara Babies. Cara, a former L&D nurse, takes you through tons of helpful tips and tricks to really create a great foundation for sleep in babies as young as 4 weeks old. It isn’t sleep training, it’s more like guidance, for both you and your baby. Her course is designed to help you get 4 hours of sleep at 4 weeks, 5 hours at 5 weeks, and so on until your baby is sleeping 10+ hours a night! It’s a no-cry or light-cry method and it WORKS! If you’re interested in learning more about the class, follow Cara on instagram or head over to her website.
Cara is a HUGE fan of nighttime routines, swaddling, and rooming in (keeping the baby in the room with you) and Halo Sleep helps us to achieve all of those things with ease. Below I’ve roughly outlined our nighttime routine!
7:00 pm – Feed Kate
7:00-7:45 – Awake/Play Time with Mom & Dad
7:45 – Bathtime (Every other night. On nights we don’t bathe her, we extend play time a bit)
7:55 – Immediately following bath time, we take the cutest towel-wrapped baby into our room (sleep space). The lights are off and we have a red light bulb in my lamp for minimal lighting.
8:00 – Diaper, PJ’s, and Owlet Sock
8:05 – Medicine: Vitamin D for Breastfeeding baby, and Mylicon or Gripe Water if she’s gassy.
8:10 – Swaddle her in the Halo Sleep Sack, Turn sound machine on in Halo Bassinet.
8:15 – Kisses and lights out!
8:15 – 10:00 – Sleep
10:00 – Dream Feed
10:30 – Diaper change if needed
10:35 – Re-Swaddle in Sleep Sack and back into Halo Bassinet
10:40 pm – 6:00 am (ish) – Sleep
We do the same thing every night (excluding the bath which is every other night for now) and she loves it. I know she loves it because she sleeps SO well every night! And we LOVE our Halo Sleep products that help us out along the way.
I’m a huge fan of swaddling. All babies have a startle reflex and it can be a huge hinderance in sleep because they wake themselves up super easily. Plus, they love being held tight just like they were in the womb. The Halo Sleep Sack is a PERFECT swaddle that will easily transition with your baby as they go from hands in to hands out when they start to roll over. It keeps them warm, cozy, and safe!
The American Academy of Pediatrics has great guidelines to help parents insure that their babies are safe while sleeping and lower the risk of SIDS. Some of those include back sleeping only, room sharing with your baby for the first year, keeping separate sleep areas (no co-sleeping), and no loose blankets or toys in the baby’s sleep space (hence the swaddle).
Obviously the Halo Sleep Sack solves the swaddle problem, and the Halo Bassinet solves all the others!
I have the Halo Swivel Bassinet and boy is this thing sturdy! It has legs that easily slide under the bed. The 360 degree swivel provides for easy access at night. I love the swivel feature! It’s so easily swivel the bassinet away from me when she’s sleeping soundly and closer when she’s fussy or needs to be fed! I don’t even have to leave my bed.
The lowering side wall is also a fantastic feature. It was especially helpful when I was recovering from my c-section. I didn’t have to strain at all when trying to get Kate from the bassinet. The mesh walls also allowed me to see her at all times.
One of my favorite feature is the Soothing Center. It has a vibration effect which is ESSENTIAL for Kate. She loves the gentle soothing motion. No more having to use the dryer like our parents did! We are also implementing the help of a sound machine as well and the Halo Swivel Bassinet has one built in!
It also has a nightlight and a timer to make sure you don’t fall asleep nursing! Talk about the ultimate nighttime tool! I also have the Halo Bassinet Caddy to hold a few more things like diapers and wipes and keep them close!
I wanted to be TOTALLY candid on my blog all the time so I definitely want to share what I don’t love about the products as well. When we first brought Kate home from the hospital, we couldn’t use the bassinet. She was much to small and needed something that hugged her a little when it came to sleeping. She just wasn’t ready to sleep in something so larger and open. I only found out later that Halo makes an infant insert! I cannot suggest this enough. By the time I realized they had an insert, she was big enough to transition to the bassinet. I wish I would’ve known earlier! If you’re thinking abou the bassinet for your newborn, the infant insert is a must.
