The Absolutely Essential Sleep Tools for Babies and Kids

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about kids and sleep lately!  Just to cover the basics, these are the sleep tools we are STILL using for our almost 4-year-old.  If you’re struggling with your child’s sleep, I’ll run through this basic checklist with you.  These tools have made a big difference for us since the beginning.

1. Blackout Curtains – a must!  Keep that room dark! It will help if your kids goes to bed before dark (as mine does at the moment since we’re in summer) and it will buy you more sleep in the morning.
2. White Noise Machine – another must!  Our kids love the white noise machine.  It provides a strong “go to sleep” cue and I find it especially helpful for naptime when it’s brighter. The one I have is a basic no frills Conair machine from the US.  We use the “running stream” sound at the highest volume.
3. Bunny/ Lovey – both of our daughters sleep with a lovey, their comfort item. Those have been in use since they came out of the swaddle. My older one finds it soothing to run her fingers over the pills on her bunny, which she very cutely calls “bunny bumps.” Sometimes she let’s me do ‘bunny bumps’ too   We love the Bunnies By the Bay brand which is pricey (thank you Grandma!) but sooo soft and sweet.
   
   
   4. Digital Alarm Clock – this is a new addition for my older one … training her to stay in her room till 7 instead of wake us all up at 6:15 or 6:30 … happy to say it is WORKING!  I just got a cheap digital one, but they also have these fancy Gro Clocks that light up when it’s time to get up. My sister swears by them. (More on solving the crisis of my toddler waking up too early.)
   
   
   

   5. Quiet House – the girls have always lived in cities (NYC and Mumbai) so of course it’s not totally silent, but we certainly don’t have a TV blaring in the next room. Except on rare occasions, the house does get peaceful at bedtime.

   Once you have these basics in place, you’ll be ready for more advanced sleep troubleshooting!