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Nap and Nighttime Sleep Solutions

Tips to Create the Perfect Sleep Environment

By Shannon McKelden

What about pacifiers? Are they comforting or more trouble than they're worth, especially at night? Spivack acknowledges a problem with using pacifiers for bedtime soothing. "For babies who are able to replace pacifiers when they fall out, pacifiers can be wonderful for sleep," she says. "However, most babies under the age of about 8 or 9 months cannot replace the pacifier and so parents become 'slaves' to retrieving them for the baby."

Spivack does recommend a safe, breathable blankie or small stuffed animal with no removable parts to comfort at bedtime. Otherwise she believes in avoiding toys, mobiles, etc., which can all be too stimulating to invite sleep.

This seems to cause the most difficulty for parents. Whether it is noise from inside the house or out, it's the hardest to control.

"Some babies are simply more likely to wake at the slightest noise, while others have no problem sleeping through a rock concert!" Spivack says. "Know your baby and act accordingly. Many babies need to sleep in fairly quiet conditions once they reach 4 months and become more engaged in the world and don't want to miss the party going on outside of their rooms."

Some parents try white noise, which doesn't have to be complicated or fancy. "I use white noise, a radio set to a static station, all night long," Willoughby says.

Other parents find that simply keeping a fan running in the room works well. "When [my kids] were babies I used classical music softly playing and/or a fan ... to drown out any noise in the rest of the house," says Lana Figgs, a mom from Westover, Md.

"If you are actively working on helping yur baby learn to sleep for the first time, use white noise until he strengthens his self-soothing skills," Spivack says. "Once he's a champ at putting himself to sleep, you can experiment with turning down (or off) the white noise."

Want to see more?

• Hit the Sack, Baby: Why Are Some Experts Recommending Sleep Sacks?
• Bedtime for Toddlers: 10 Steps to Sleep Without Tears
• Sleep Soothers: 7 Ways to Get Baby to Sleep
• Check out our Article Library.
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