Sleep Space Deep Dive - Expert Secrets to a Serene Baby Sleep Space
Overview
In today’s article we will be pulling back the curtain on the bassinet to crib transfer.
You will learn:
How to craft the perfect sleep space
How each element will help your baby fall asleep and stay asleep more easily
Baby Expo
This past weekend, I was presenting at the Babies and Bumps expo in Cincinnati Ohio, and I received an excellent question from one of the moms who was attending.
She said, “What’s your take on the vacuuming around the baby thing?”
Thinking she specifically meant, “Is it okay to vacuum around my baby? Will it help or hurt?” I responded, saying that I didn’t see any harm in it, especially in those first couple months, if it soothed baby.
I said that, typically, people tend to find lower pitch white noise sounds more soothing – like the sound of an oscillating fan. But for some reason, many babies – especially those exposed in the early months - seem to be soothed by vacuum sounds.
She clarified, saying, “Actually, I meant - what about when people say to vacuum and do other household tasks around the baby, so the baby gets used to the sounds of daily life?”
Ahh. Now I understood. Excellent question.
I explained that some families choose to do this, and if it works for them, then that was fine. Personally, I prefer to make sleep easier on my kiddos by providing them an environment that makes it easier for them to sleep.
Later, at the Sleep in the First Year seminar, I expanded on that concept even more.
“Think of it like when your baby is learning to walk,” I explained. “When your baby is learning to walk, would you smear grease on the floor so he can learn to walk on a number of different terrains? No! That would be mean.” ;)
When your baby is first learning to walk, you want to support their learning and make their success easier and more attainable. Because we want them to succeed! And we also want to avoid them giving up trying to learn a new skill simply because they never seem to get any traction … see what I did there? ;)
Speech Therapy Environment
We do this in the speech therapy world as well – we craft our environment in order to help our clients achieve success in their new and renewed skills. And then over time, as appropriate, we may relax the specifics of how carefully we manage the environment in order to help them generalize that skill.
For example, let’s say I’m working with a toddler named Ellie who is very easily distracted – and we’re working on her requesting skills – meaning, she needs help asking for things that she wants and needs.
I may cover or take down colorful posters on the wall and hang a plain tablecloth over the bookcase filled with toys in order to help Ellie focus on her mom and me – as we work together to teach her how to ask for things.
We intentionally reduce the barriers to helping her learn her new skill so she can have the best chance to succeed.
And then, after she begins to ask for things consistently, we can begin to add those distractions in as appropriate. Does that mean we’re going to intentionally put on a parade while she’s trying to ask for a snack? No! Because that’s unnecessary.
But we can eventually uncover those posters and toys, or take her to a room with other people in it, because she will need to use her new skills in those different environments too.
The same is true of sleep.
We’re going to carefully design baby’s sleep space so we can minimize the barriers preventing our kids from quality sleep and learning independent sleep skills as easily as possible. And if, down the line, we need to loosen our carefully crafted environment, we can!
We want to work with our kiddos’ circadian rhythm and natural sleep processes, not against them.
Does that make sense?
Serene Baby Sleep Space Element #1: Safety
First, let’s talk about safety. Because, of course, this is the most important way to support our baby’s sleep.
The American Academy of Pediatrics – the AAP – states that this is on “a firm, flat, non-inclined sleep surface” designed specifically for infants – and, when your baby is of toddler and young child age – specifically designed for toddlers and young children. They also say to not use soft, squishy items like pillows, quilts, fur-like materials, etc. “away for the infant’s sleep area to reduce the risk of SIDS, suffocation, entrapment/wedging, and strangulation.”
They also recommend against baby sleeping on a sofa or armchair – so if you yourself are tired, be very careful to avoid falling asleep with your baby on you or next to you on the sofa or armchair. One of the top hazards of this is because it is very easy for baby to accidentally slip into a position where they can’t breathe if you accidentally fall asleep.
And I say this with absolutely no judgment in my heart. I myself have fallen asleep on the couch with my daughter – and nearly very dropped her off the side of the couch before I jolted awake. Even if you’re a light sleeper like I am, you can’t be aware of your baby while you’re asleep. So please just be careful.
The AAP also recommends to keep any cords, curtains or other objects away from your baby’s bed to protect that sweet baby from accidentally grabbing something or getting tangled in something, resulting in any of the terrible things we mentioned before.
Sheets and bedding should be the correct size for the bed they’re on, and no mesh or other bumpers around the baby’s crib. And the surface should stay flat – not conforming to the baby’s shape, etc. So this means no pillow-toppers, memory foam, hammocks, etc. Because the baby’s structures are so compact at this stage that it’s easier for them to get into a position where they can’t breathe, and then, they don’t have the motor control or awareness to get out of that dangerous position. These types of surfaces may be wonderful for us as adults, but we also have WAY better motor control and a different airway structure than our young babies have.
The AAP also recommends the baby’s bed be in the parent’s bedroom for at least the first 6 months. They call it “room sharing without bed sharing.”
The AAP also recommends that there be nothing in the baby’s bed aside from baby for the first 12 months. This means no pillows, quilts or loose blankets, loveys, etc.
They also recommend that the mattress for baby’s sleep space be specifically designed for the bed it is in – for example, use the specific travel crib mattress that was designed for the exact travel crib you have – make sure there are no gaps between the edges of the mattress and the side of the bed, and that the mattress fits flat and snug with no incline.
It’s also highly recommended that all furniture in the room that could potentially tip over be tethered to the wall. And this is especially important once your child reaches the age of the toddler- or big-kid bed, where they can get in and out of bed on their own whether you’re in the room with them or not.
Additionally, the AAP recommends that we not use any weighted blankets or objects on or near our babies.
And lastly, if you choose to babywear for naps or anytime your baby is sleeping, the AAP reminds us to be sure that the baby’s “head is up and above the fabric, the face is visible, and the nose and mouth are clear of obstructions.” And if we breastfeed while baby is in the carrier, to reposition baby with his head up and clear of the fabric and his airway is clear once he’s finished feeding.
Now, as I’m sure you know, this list is not exhaustive. And if you’d like to read more on this topic of sleep space safety, tap the link here, and, of course, feel free to ask your child’s pediatrician for more guidance.
Serene Baby Sleep Space Element #2: Darkness
Next, let’s talk about the level of darkness in your baby’s sleep space.
As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, we often have well-meaning moms and dads and family and friends who will insist that you “get baby used to sleeping in all kinds of environments so that they learn to sleep anywhere.” And while that may work for some kids, it’s not actually typical. Because it’s like fighting against kiddos’ typical natural sleep needs instead of working with them.
I will say, in the very beginning, when your baby is a newborn, and for those first couple weeks and months, they may very well be able to sleep in a variety of environments. Newborns are typically very tired little nuggets, and their circadian rhythms aren’t developed at that stage. They also aren’t making melatonin yet – that hormone that makes you feel sleepy, but can receive the mother’s naturally produced melatonin from breastmilk – especially when breastfed directly at night and when using milk that was pumped at night.
One study reports that “Preterm infants can respond to light … as early as the corrected gestational age of 30 weeks and start to develop circadian behavioral rhythms in a light-dark (LD) cycle.” The same study goes on to say that “in full-term infants, circadian system outputs mature progressively after birth, with rhythms in body temperature, sleep-wake cycles, and hormone production generally developing between 0 and 3 months of age” (Kaneshi Y. et al., 2016).
In those early months, I highly recommend using light and darkness intentionally to help support your baby’s sleep-wake cycles and avoid day-night confusion. This means that baby can sleep in darkness during the day, but should be woken at regular intervals in order to feed and prevent the day-night confusion. I also recommend that at night, after the baby is put to bed between 8-10 pm, night feeds are completed in the dark or with a dim red-colored night light in order to avoid day-night confusion.
And beginning around 2-3 months, I recommend baby sleep in darkness as much as possible in order to support healthy, restful, consolidated sleep. I know this isn’t always doable in those early months because baby is sleeping so much and things need to get done around the house, you may have other kiddos that need tended to, etc. Simply do your best.
And when I say dark, I mean dark. As in, so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face.
This is for a couple of reasons – for one, it removes distraction. The older your baby grows, the more her vision is going to develop – and her curiosity right alongside it. And who wants to sleep when there’s a billion new and exciting things to look at?
Additionally, somewhere in those first few months, your baby will also begin producing her own melatonin – especially at night. And darkness helps to promote that production.
And finally, darkness helps to reduce stimulation around baby. Lights and sounds and other stimuli around baby can overwhelm baby, and making her sleep space as dark as possible can help to reduce or even eliminate some of those stimuli for a little while.
If you’d like access to a visual chart of the different levels of room darkness, more in-depth discussion of the whys of darkness, and expert tips on how to make your baby’s sleep space as dark as possible, I have an article about exactly this and you can tap any of the links in this paragraph to access it.
Serene Baby Sleep Space Element #3: Temperature
Alright, now let’s move on to the topic of room temperature.
As you may already know, our body temperature drops when we fall asleep. This holds true for your little nugget, too.
When possible, I recommend keeping your baby’s sleep space around 68-70*F – which is about 20-21*C. And dressing him in no more than one layer more than you would feel comfortable in in that space.
This way, when baby is trying to sleep, his body isn’t fighting to maintain that slightly lower body temperature to keep him asleep.
Higher temperatures can sometimes make us feel sleepy, but we actually sleep better in those lower temperatures we just mentioned – the 68-70*f, 20-21*C.
Serene Baby Sleep Space Element #4: Noise
Next, let’s discuss the noise in your baby’s sleep space.
How noisy should my baby’s sleep space be? Should I try to control the noise in my baby’s sleep space? Is white noise really necessary? Does the type of white noise matter?
Again, you may have heard that you “should let baby get used to those house noises,” and for sure – when baby is awake, we don’t want to tiptoe around him.
But when he’s asleep, and especially if he’s having trouble falling or staying asleep, then let’s support his sleep instead of making it harder on him unnecessarily.
And just like when we talked about light in baby’s sleep space, he may sleep better in different noise levels as a newborn.
And then when he hits that transition stage around 3-4 months, when he experiences the 4-Month Sleep Regression, transitioning to 4 sleep stages – 2 of which are light sleep and easy to be awoken from – and when he’s getting more and more aware of his surroundings at the same time, he may begin to struggle more and more with noises startling him from sleep.
I recommend using a white noise – whether from a white noise machine or a simple oscillating fan, in baby’s sleep space. Preferrably a pink- or brown-hued white noise, which means a lower-pitch noise.
No birds, no storm-sounds or even waves. Something consistent. Like a shhhhh sound.
White noise can be soothing and at the same time cover up the other noises in baby’s sleep environment that may startle him awake.
From what I’ve read, as long as you’re not placing the white noise machine right next to baby’s bed or turning it up full-blast in a small room, most sound machines on the market should not be able to reach the decibel level – the loudness level – that can damage baby’s hearing.
But if you want to be sure, you can buy a decibel meter to measure the loudness; just be sure to check the reviews for reliability and accuracy. I don’t recommend the decibel meter apps on your phone, because I haven’t tested them to see how accurate they are.
According to the Hearing Health Foundation, “sounds at or below 70 dB are safe” and “sounds above 70 dB [can be] harmful” when heard over an extended period of time – the higher the dB level, the shorter amount of time we can be exposed to it before hearing loss sets in.
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) reports that we can be exposed to sounds at 85 dB for about 8 hours before damage occurs.
And by damage and hearing loss, I mean – where the teeny hair cells in our inner ear become damaged and die. Those hair cells, which don’t grow back, are vital in our perception of sound, so the more that are damaged and die, the less we can hear.
So what you’d want to do is place the sound machine where you intend to have it in the room, turn it on, and hold the decibel meter in the baby’s sleep space to measure how loud the sound would be for him in that location.
Preferably, we want the decibel meter to read at or below 70 dB in the baby’s sleep space. And if it reads up to 85 dB, we should be limiting baby’s exposure to that level of volume for less than 8 hours at a time. So let’s say that baby is more soothed by the sound at 85 dB than 70 dB – you can use that volume level until the baby falls asleep, and then lower the volume to the 70 dB level.
Serene Baby Sleep Space Element #5: Simplicity
Now, let’s switch gears and talk about how much to have in baby’s sleep space and whether the complexity or simplicity in her sleep space can impact her sleep.
In my opinion, a simple sleep space is best. This is both for safety’s sake as well as to minimize distraction.
In regard to the safety of baby’s sleep space: not having crib bumpers and avoiding using loose blankets, loveys or stuffed animals before baby is a year old can help protect baby from the risk of suffocation.
And in regard to avoiding distracting your ever-curious baby, avoid overly-distracting décor – especially the kind that lights up, makes sounds, or moves, such as the pretend aquarium that attaches to baby’s bed or solar-system lights on the baby’s ceiling. Because those lights and sounds and movements can easily distract and prevent a tired baby from getting the sleep he needs, especially the older and more curious he becomes.
Serene Baby Sleep Space Element #6: Air Flow
And lastly, let’s talk about the benefits of airflow in your child’s sleep space.
Fan-use and open windows are often preferred during sleep by adults for a number of reasons – air flow and comfort being two common reasons.
One research study reported in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine journal by Coleman-Phox et al. discusses a retrospective study on the use of fans and open windows in baby’s sleep space. They suggested that using fans may be helpful in improving air circulation and managing room temperature greater than or equal to 21*C - which is about 70*F (Coleman-Phox, K. et al, 2008). Further research on the subject would likely be useful.
Personally, we use an oscillating fan in my kiddos’ room for three reasons: to improve air flow, as a source of white noise, and to help manage room temperature.
Serene Baby Sleep Space: Summary
And that’s it for today!
Today we discussed 6 of the key qualities to consider when designing your baby’s perfect sleep space.
Safety
Darkness
Temperature
Noise
Simplicity
Air Flow
Remember, if you are struggling with your baby’s sleep and you can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong or you simply don’t want to do it alone – that’s what I’m here for.
I’m a mom of 4 and certified pediatric sleep consultant. If you need help, schedule your free 15-minute sleep evaluation with me at www.calendly.com/playsleepgrow.
