Creating Well-Rested Families

Your Baby’s Ideal Sleep Environment

• Unnati Patel, MPH • Season 1 • Episode 3

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Welcome back to Episode 3 of "Creating Well-Rested Families." In this episode, we delve into creating the perfect sleep environment for your little one, focusing on what's truly essential beyond the aesthetics of a Pinterest-perfect nursery.

As your certified pediatric sleep consultant, I prioritize safety and functionality, discussing the ABCs of sleep—Alone, on the Back, in a Crib. We explore how to use blackout curtains, sound machines, and the ideal room temperature to encourage better sleep.

I share tips on setting up a nursery that's safe and effective, emphasizing that a beautiful room is nice to have but secondary to your baby's sleep needs. I also provide downloadable guides and charts in the show notes to help you set up the ideal nursery and maintain the optimal sleep environment.

You'll find my personal product recommendations, including my favorite sound machines and blackout curtains that I've tested and loved in my own parenting journey.

Thank you for tuning in, and don't forget to subscribe and share this episode with other parents looking to create a peaceful sleep environment for their children.

Relevant Blogs: 

Preventing Flat Head Syndrome (Plagiocephaly) For Babies That Sleep On Their Back

How to Create a Safe and Cozy Newborn Sleep Space

Creating a Sensory-Friendly Bedroom for Your Toddler: A Guide to Better Toddler Sleep


REFERENCES:
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Pinterest perfect nursery, is not what your child needs. It may be what you want, but it's not what they need. And it's definitely not going to help them go to sleep. Hey, their friend, I'm Unnati Patel, you're certified pediatric sleep consultant, also known as your sleep bestie. And the host of creating well rested families, the podcast by nested to rested sleep consulting, we're on a mission to empower, support, and educate you with the tools and answers you need to help make sleep a reality for your family. All while offering the support and guidance you crave. So grab your notebook. Or if you're like me, open up your notes app on the phone. And let's make those sleepless nights a thing of the past. And if you're just like I need a little bit more information, then I have tons of resources available for you. Just click on the show notes below and go check them out. Some may be free, some may be paid, whatever you want, is available. Now, let's tune in to today's episode. In today's episode, we're talking about something that every parent needs to know about. And that is how to create that perfect sleep environment for your little one. We need to make sure it's safe, because safe sleep practices are very, very important. And we also need to make sure that it's ideal to help promote sleep. So let's dive in. We've got a lot to cover today. 

First and foremost, let's talk about safe sleep practices. As a certified pediatric sleep consultant, the safety of children is always always always going to be my top priority. So I am always going to be educating families on how to keep things safe while helping your baby's sleep. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is an organization followed by here in America, where I am, the best way to ensure safe sleep for infants is by following the ABCs of sleep. So what are the ABCs of sleep, they are a fur alone, so nothing in their crib, in the first year. B always sleeping on their back, or being placed on their back or see in a crib, which technically doesn't really have to happen from day one. Because it could be a bassinet, a pack and play or a crib. Just keep in mind that the surface that they're sleeping on is firm and flat. This also means that your baby should not be sleeping in the same bed as you because chances are, there is going to be an increased risk of suffocation. So torn in order to prevent SIDS. You want to take the steps needed to allow your baby to sleep in a safe space. Something else to keep in mind is that even though you're placing your baby on their backs, in their sleep space, they may not always sleep on their backs, right? Once they start to roll over. They may show preference to sleeping on their side or sleeping on their bellies. Or some may just sleep on their backs naturally, right. So it's really important to keep in mind that once your baby starts to roll over, that you're practicing those skills with them throughout their awake windows. Because it is very very important to have them master their skill, that skill of rolling over. In order for them to get comfortable, maybe get back onto their backs in the middle of the night when they're sleeping. Another safety precaution you want to take is to not have any loose bedding, any crib bumpers, mesh bumpers, any kind of toys. I even tell my clients to remove their crib mobiles because is those may be distracting for some babies. So remove the crib mobiles, you can always put them back on. Let's say if you put your baby in the crib for some downtime, maybe you're putting away their laundry and you just need a safe space for them to be in and you want to entertain them, by all means, but attach the crib mobile on the crib, put them in their crib and let them get entertained, right. But when it comes to sleep, I advise you to remove the crib mobiles, remove any kind of soft toys, any kind of pillows, blankets, any loose bedding, basically, from the crib. The only thing that should be in your child's sleep space, in that first year should be a firm and flat crib mattress or a bassinet mattress, right, depending on where your child is sleeping. Your baby obviously. And then they're either swaddle or asleep, spat sleepsack. Can't talk right now. sleepsack. Um, so just keep that in mind. That's all they need in their first year. Some may need a pacifier or two, that's totally okay. Now, another thing that I advise parents on to remove by their crib is like hangings above their crib. And this includes frames or those cute little name, things that parents hang over their crib or anything like that, right? Because we don't want that thing, whatever that could be, to fall inside of their crib, and potentially hurt your baby, right? So nothing around the crib, nothing on the walls by the crib. No loose cords, none of that. Okay, if you are using a sound machine, which I do advise you to use a sound machine. And that is something that we will talk about later on in this episode, is to make sure that the cords with the sound machine are away from the crib, especially as your child gets older and is grabbing all the things. 

Now as a parent, I know we may be created Pinterest boards of how we want that nursery to look like. And I want you to know that a Pinterest perfect nursery is not what your child needs. It may be what you want, but it's not what they need. And it's definitely not going to help them go to sleep. So if you want it picture perfect, by all means, do it. Just keep things safe. But understand that if you made the boards, you have everything saved in Pinterest, and you just didn't have time to set up that Pinterest perfect nursery that you imagined, then that too is okay. My daughter did not have a nursery, or even her own space, like room until she was like nine months until we moved into a house and she had her own room. So it's okay. It's okay for them. They're going to be in your room anyways for the first few weeks or months if that's the decision you take for your family. So I wouldn't sweat of getting their nursery ready right away. That's not going to help them sleep. Honestly. So do what works best for you in the moment. That's like my mantra, do what works best for you in the moment. And if the moment is not right for you to set up that Pinterest perfect nursery, then do it when the moment is right. Or if the moment never comes. That two is okay. But two is okay. So what other things do you need to create that ideal sleep space? The next thing is after you've covered the safety, right, we've covered all the safety tips, hopefully implemented all of that. 

And the next is lighting. So with lighting, you want to make sure that you install a dimming switch in that room. Why I like to say this is because as you're doing the bedtime routine, I recommend families to start Damian the room where they perform their bedtime routine, because it really helps to be helps stimulate the production of melatonin in our bodies. So the darker the space or you know, the less bright the space, the more production of melatonin our bodies are going to use do. And that is what's going to help them fall asleep. So start Dimming the lights, install a dimming switch. First of all, if you don't have one in that room, and start Dimming the lights as your bedtime routine progresses, right. And then ultimately, the room should have blackout curtains or shades. That creates a dark space for them. That where they're taking a nap, let's say and you go in, turn off all the lights, and you can't even see the hand in front of your face. That's how dark it should be. Keep in mind, that should happen after your eyes have adjusted to the darkness, right? Because I think like when you go in and you shut off all the lights and you like you can't see anything, those first few seconds. So once those first few seconds have ended, and your eyes have adjusted to the dark, then you should not be able to see your hand. Are you ready to become a well rested family. I'm here to help. I've got tons of resources for you, from courses to DIY sleep plans, as well as the ultimate VIP sleep coaching experience. So whatever you need in this sleep journey, I have it all from free to paid, grab what you need. And let's get sleeping. So we've covered safe sleep, and we've covered blackout curtains. The next thing your child needs to help promote healthy sleep is a sound machine. And that sound machine can be anything that you want it to be whether that's a hatch, or any kind of machine that produces white noise. And reasons why I love love using white noise or a sound machine in general is that helps calm babies down. It keeps them calm. Or if they're in that witching hour, just having that sound machine playing in the background really, really helps calm them down. It also allows them to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. 

So yes, I love a good sound machine. My favorite one is linked in my favorite products list which you can grab below in the show notes. And it is the hatch. I love love love the hatch because it really grows with your child. Wish I had it with my first I bought it with my second and kind of love it and we still use it. It travels really good. It shows the time I can program it with my phone. I know exactly how loud it is, you know so if I'm like going into attend to my child, I can put it a little bit higher or a little bit lower, I can turn on a nightlight so I can see I can program it basically on the app on my phone, which I love. Another thing to keep in mind with a sound machine when you use one is that the American Academy of Pediatrics does recommend you to follow certain guidelines when using a sound machine and that is to place them at least seven feet away from your little one. I typically recommend keeping them on the opposite side or you know a few feet away from their sleep space especially having the cords tucked away so they don't tug on the cords or anything and then turning off the sound machine when they are awake as much as possible. Now, if you are using the sound machine in times of the witching hour or colicky phases, then that is totally okay obviously. The next thing to keep in mind is to use it at a decibel of 50 or lower as recommended by a piece safety guidelines. So that is something to keep in mind. Now how you determine what the decibel is, is you download a free app, you turn on the sound machine. You open up the app on your phone, place it in sight of your child's sleep space. And that reader should read it at the decibel that your baby hears at so keeping it The sound machine at 50 year low over is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, I typically recommend it to be about 4550, at least. So it helps block out or drain out all of those household noises that might be happening from your laundry, your washing machine drying machine, maybe the Amazon guy is knocking on your door to deliver another package guilty. Or, you know, maybe you want to microwave that cup of coffee for the 10th time and finally drink it. And all of those extra noises are just going to help get blocked out with a sound machine. And if you have more than one child at home, you definitely need a sound.


There's there's no stopping another child from staying quiet when your baby is napping. So get that sound machine, maybe even put one in the hallway if you have another child. So we've got the Safe Sleep covered, we figured out how to create that dark space for your child, we have a sound machine. Now the last thing you need to do to create an ideal sleep space for your child is to make sure that the temperature is appropriate. And ideally, it is recommended that the temperature be anywhere from 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Now keep in mind that again, this is a range and your child may prefer it to be cooler. And that's totally okay. I just probably would not advise you to make it any warmer than 72. And I would also recommend you to turn on a fan if that is an option for you. And if your child is like my daughter who slept in like 60 to 63 degrees Fahrenheit, then you need a sweatshirt or a hoodie or some warm clothing for yourself, especially if you plan to room share with them. Because some babies do like it that cold. And that's what we had to do with my daughter and I live in Atlanta, I slept in sweatpants and sweatshirts in the middle of summer because she needed it to be that cold. So you sometimes just have to do some trial and error, figure out a temperature that works for them. Because I have a great chart that you can reference down below that you can just print out and save a copy of take a screenshot of it, send it to the other caretakers so they know how to dress the child in you know different sets of clothing are what options they have at a given temperature. So it's really, really important to make sure that your child is comfortable in the temperature that they're sleeping in. And all the things use a fan if you have that as an option. And just keep in mind that you want to check if your baby is too hot or too cold. So that's all for today's episode, I hope you found some nuggets of good information that you can apply. Maybe go grab that favorite products list and go purchase that hatch if you need. Go grab those ideal blackout curtains and shades that I typically recommend that I have personally used for my son.


You know, again with my daughter, I did not do anything right. And basically that's how I feel. But with my son, I did so much right? So I learned my lessons, I want you to know them the first time around or second or third, whenever you're listening to this. And know that there are options available for you. You don't have to do this alone. Grab that favorite products list. Create that nursery that suits you, your family and baby know that it does not have to be Pinterest perfect and know that it has to be safe for your child to sleep in. And that's all that matters. So I appreciate you for being here. And sticking with me throughout this episode. And till next time, stay rested. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode and letting me be part of your parenting journey. I hope you gained some insight and are ready to put the work in. And don't forget, stay consistent and keep practicing. If you liked what you heard, then be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss a single episode. And leave a review by sharing a few kind words. This allows the podcast to get in front of more eyes or ears should I say of pay Aaron's just like yourself that can really benefit from the juicy sleep tips we have to share. And if you just need a little bit more TLC and making sleep a reality for your family, then I have tons of resources free as well as paid from courses to DIY sleep plans to the ultimate VIP sleep coaching. I have it all as well as a membership that is available to you to join and let's make sleepless nights a thing of the past and get you to become a well rested family. Until next time, keep resting. And remember, you're doing an amazing job.