If I could go back in time to when Kate was a newborn, there are two things I wish I
would have known before she was born. More like two things I would have wanted but didn’t know I needed at the time.
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The first is a white noise machine. We got one when she was about 8 weeks old and that began the beginning of better sleep. As each baby was born, they each got their own white noise machine.
To this day, at 6, 5, and 3 years old, the girls still use their white noise machines. They continuously play all night long while they sleep. Not only do they not hear each other, they don’t hear the trash truck, fireworks, or storms. They sleep through everything and it’s wonderful! Another great part is the girls easily fall asleep when we travel. They’ve been so conditioned to fall asleep when they hear the white noise. They also can’t hear the strange noises that occur when we stay somewhere else. It’s a beautiful thing!
This was our favorite white noise machine. It stays on all night while some others have timers that shut off after a certain period of time.
The other thing I would have liked was the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby, by MarcWeissbluth. It is AMAZING. As far as I know, he was one of the first pediatricians to formerly study infant sleep. His book provides excellent information about how many hours a day a
baby should sleep and taught me that babies need to be put down for a nap one and a half hours after they wake up. It was a lifesaver. I loved learning that daytime sleep and nighttime sleep are compartmentalized in different parts of the brain (which is why Kate slept through the night at 11 weeks but refused to sleep during the day.The book includes many different stories from different families. I felt so much better being able to find stories that were familiar to ours. I wasn’t alone!
I still use this book today as a reference for the girls. I give it as a baby shower gift and I think it’s often put aside because everyone has this belief that babies just sleep. A few months later when moms are asking, “Why doesn’t my baby sleep?” or “Why doesn’t my baby like to sleep?” I always recommend they pull the book out. I liked the paper back version instead of the Kindle version. I liked being able to flip through the book to find what I needed.
I could have easily lived without every other baby gadget and piece of baby equipment
except for these two items.
What is the one baby item you couldn’t live without?
xoxo
–k
