Gifts to Help a Baby Sleep

Who was it that created the saying, "Oh, I slept like a baby!"? Obviously it wasn’t the parent of a newborn. As a parent of a newborn, if someone told me they slept like a baby I would instantly express my sympathy and ask if they had time to take a nap and get caught up. The sleep deprivation that coincides with a newborn is mind numbing. And although there are no sure fire ways to get a newborn to sleep better, below are some gift ideas that might help the new parents on your list. When you see the bags start to form under their eyes, show up at their home with one of these items and hope for the best.

As simple as it sounds, a great gift is a pacifier. Actually, several pacifiers. Different babies prefer different pacifiers so it’s a nice idea to buy at least 3 different kinds for the new parents. They are a fairly inexpensive gift anyway and hopefully one of them will work for their little one. Believe it or not, some first time parents don’t realize that this little product can make a big difference. When I brought my first child home from the hospital I was an anti-pacifier person because I had nightmares about my child heading off to kindergarten with his "binky"; then I realized that I would cross that bridge if I ever came to it and for now, my newborn wanted to suck, plain and simple. As my husband so eloquently put it, "It’s all he knows how to do at this point, let the kid suck."

Another gift that helps a newborn sleep is a sound machine. A sound machine usually has several options for "white noise", such as rain forest sounds, ocean sounds, falling rain, etc. This white noise is similar to the sounds babies hear in the womb and so it is soothing for them. A humidifier also helps serve this purpose and can keep the air clean and circulating in a baby’s nursery.

Before my son was even born my brother (father of 3) told me about the miracle blanket. Let me just say that it’s not called the miracle blanket for nothing. (miracleblanket.com) Many people swaddle their children and there are many products out there that will help you to swaddle your baby if you choose to do so. We tried many of those products and found the miracle blanket to be the best. Our baby slept peacefully in it for the first few months of his life and I’ve given it as a gift several times; it’s much appreciated by new parents!

Some new parents might need help with a bedtime routine. We began our son’s bedtime routine at four weeks of age and it’s our opinion that at even that young age he began associating the routine with long periods of sleep. Help the new parents to establish a nighttime routine by purchasing a bathtub and filling it with washcloths, shampoo, tub toys, lotions and books. These are all the items the new parents will need to get started on a routine that will send signals to the baby that it’s time to sleep!

There are some products out there that will help your baby sleep simply by helping the parents to minimize the interruptions to baby’s sleep. When the baby cries out because of hunger, obviously he or she is awake and will need to be fed. However, you can help the new parents to create an environment in the nursery that is conducive to going back to sleep after the baby has been fed.

Purchase a dimmer switch for the nursery, or a lamp that dims or a night light that is bright enough for parents to see without having to turn on an overhead light. This darkened room will send a signal to the baby that is still time to sleep. Another product that can help parents to minimize the interruptions to their baby’s sleep is a video monitor. Babies make a lot of noise in the night, but not all noises need attention from the parents. New parents tend to rush into the nursery with every coo and grunt, which actually causes more disruption to the baby’s sleep patterns. A video monitor (while pricey) can help new parents determine whether or not the baby’s sounds dictate a visit into the nursery.

While the above products are not guaranteed to make a baby sleep through the night, I found them to be helpful when I brought my son home and I’ve felt confident purchasing them as gifts for new parents. Visit AnotherPerfectGift.com for more unique gifts & ideas.