Sleep can sometimes be elusive when you have a newborn in the house!
A new baby means the start of a whole new chapter in your life. There are so many baby-related routines for a mum to get used to, such as feeding, bathing, soothing, and of course, perhaps the trickiest of them all – getting your baby to sleep!
Getting baby smoothly to the land of nod is one topic that literally has mums losing sleep over, and can in fact be quite confusing to get your head around. Should you rock, pat, or sing your baby to sleep? How can you ensure a calm period of uninterrupted sleep? And how do you ensure your baby’s safety while sleeping?
We share two very clever (and safe) ways of getting your baby to sleep in this article — white noise and swaddling.
When in your womb, your baby is exposed to a wide variety of noises, such as your heartbeat and your voice.
Can noise be soothing?
We like to think that babies need a very quiet sleep environment in order to drift off. But just consider this: your baby was constantly exposed to noise while in utero. The beating of your heart, the whooshing of your digestive system and the sound of your voice were just a few of the sounds he was constantly exposed to.
All these noises helped soothe your baby even before he was born. So it makes sense that completely blocking out sound during your baby’s bedtime might not be productive in getting him to sleep.
This is not to say that a marching band should be playing in your baby’s bedroom during sleep time. But certain noises — known as white noise — can certainly help him drift off to sleep.
Find out the ways in which white noise can soothe your baby. Click on next!
White noise, at the correct volume, can help soothe your baby and get him to sleep faster.
Why white noise works
White noise is a growing parenting phenomenon. It is a tool commonly used to calm distressed and crying babies, and often used to soothe them to sleep.
The noise mimics the familiar continuous sounds the baby hears in the womb which is reassuring and calming for him. Soothing white noise at the correct and safe volume helps your baby fall asleep peacefully and quickly.
In fact, according to a study that involved 20 newborns, “80% fell asleep within five minutes in response to white noise compared with only 25% who fell asleep spontaneously,” showing that white noise “may help mothers settle difficult babies.”
The best way of creating white noise for your baby
There are many mobile phone white noise apps available. But it is not recommended to use these as firstly, mobile phones should not be used in close proximity to babies and small children as they are more susceptible to radiation, and secondly, you may not have control over the volume of white noise produced.
Instead, consider using the Gro-hush baby calmer. The Gro-hush is a unique portable white noise baby calmer and is set to be the next “must have” baby product for new and expectant mums around the world.
It transmits soothing “white noise” directly to your baby (see above video) that allows your baby to be soothed and calmed without disturbing others around.
The Gro-hush offers a choice of three soothing white noise sounds to choose from: mother’s heart-beat, rain falling on a tin roof or ocean waves. All are set at an unalterable safe volume, unlike other white noise products. This means that you can safely use it for an unlimited length of time.
Watch this video to see exactly how the Gro-hush works:
Other benefits of the Gro-hush
- Any one of your baby’s caregivers can easily use it
- It can be used anywhere, from waiting rooms, to coffee shops, to planes to weddings, keeping your baby calm without creating any additional noise
- It is a great aid to feeding as you can easily use it in a natural feeding position when holding your baby
For your peace of mind, know that Gro-hush has been tested to the relevant toy safety standards including EN71, US Toy Standard ASTM F963 and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
The Gro-hush is a convenient and safe way of lulling your little one to sleep.
Cost: SG$ 74.90
Stockists: Motherswork; Mothercare; Kiddy palace; Smart Little Ones; www.pupsikstudio.com; www.agapebabies.com; www.kulily.com.
Creating white noise through the Gro-hush is just one way you can effectively soothe your baby and get him to sleep quickly. Another popular way of calming down your little one for some sweet dreams is to use a swaddle.
How can a swaddle help with your little angel’s bedtime? Find out on the next page.
A good swaddle can help keep your little one snug, secure and safe!
Swaddling for a good night’s sleep
According to the American Association of Pediatrics, when done correctly, swaddling can be an effective technique to help calm young babies and promote sleep.
Swaddling provides your baby with a sense of comfort that experts believe reminds him of the security of your womb. Proper swaddling can also prevent very young infants from waking themselves up because of their startle reflex (also known as the Moro reflex).
As amazing a sleep-inducing technique swaddling is, it can sometimes be a bit hard to perfect.
For one, you need to wrap your baby to ensure just the right amount of snugness, and also make sure that you’re not over-wrapping your baby, which runs the risk of restricting his leg movement and also overheating him while he is asleep. And if you need to change your baby’s diaper, you run the risk of waking him up as you unwrap the swaddle.
This is why the Gro-snug is the perfect swaddle for your little one, because it ticks all the right boxes in terms of safety and comfort for your baby, and ease of use for you.
You can see just how easy it is to use the Gro-snug in this video:
The Gro-snug is a 2-in-1 swaddle and newborn grobag. It is cleverly shaped with exactly the right amount of fabric to ensure a safe swaddle, which means there is no risk of over-wrapping or overheating your baby.
It’s a pleasure that there is absolutely no technique required to use the Gro-snug. You just place your little angel in and zip him in! The handy zip also means that change time, if needed, is a breeze and you can do it quickly and easily without waking up your baby.
The Gro-snug is also specially designed to enable your baby to have his arms in or out, which allows him to transition to a Grobag (a sleep bag) when he is ready. Because it is made from super soft cotton and stretchy elastane, it provides optimum comfort levels for your baby.
Arms in or arms out – you decide!
You also don’t have to worry about your little one overheating in a Gro-snug, because it comes in a “lite” version especially made for warmer climates (for room temperatures between 21 and 25 degrees).
When it comes to safety — especially in relation to your baby’s proper hip placement — the Gro-snug has unique curved seams that create a pocket and allow plenty of space for babies’ legs to be in the natural ‘froggy’ position. This allows for healthy hip development as it enables your little one’s legs to bend up and out at the hips, and reduces the risk of hip dysplasia.
The Gro-snug is suitable for babies from 5lbs to 12 lbs.
Cost: SG$49.90
Stockists: Motherswork; Kiddy Palace; www.agapebabies.com.
With the Gro-hush and Gro-snug, you can have peace of mind that your little one is safe while he sleeps and you can count on helping your little one drift off into the land of nod calmly and quickly. It’s a win-win situation for sure!
Why not give the Gro-hush and Gro-snug a try and let us know if they work for you by posting a comment below?
*Bloom & Grow is the exclusive distributor of Gro-hush and Gro-snug in Singapore.