Oh, sleep. It’s a wonderful and rare thing after you have a baby. Luckily, there are products available that can allow you to help your little one get some much-needed sleep. Here are my top must-have baby sleep products for newborns to 6-month-olds!
Best Sleep Products for Babies 0-6 Months
These products will help you with everything from creating a relaxing sleep environment to soothing and monitoring your baby at night:
1. SnuzPod
When considering baby sleep products, the first thing baby needs is a safe place to sleep. You need to decide if you’ll do bed-sharing, have a co-sleeper, use a bassinet, or have baby sleep in a crib. There are many options, so do your research and choose which one is best for you and your family.
An option I love and highly recommend is the SnuzPod. I’ve had the pleasure of testing out a lot of bassinets and co-sleepers, and when we received and tested this one, it immediately became one of my favorites! There are so many reasons why I love it:
- Keeping baby close and safe: One of my favorite features of this bedside bassinet is that you can customize the height (seven positions available) to ensure the bassinet is level with your mattress. No more leaning over and hurting your back! You can lower the side mesh wall of the bassinet and easily bring baby to you for a feeding. Especially in the early days, babies wake up frequently.1 So, it’s helpful to have your little one close by and within arm’s reach.
- Their innovative ComfortAir breathable system: They designed this bassinet with their breathable system. This helps with temperature regulation and includes a 3D mesh mattress. I also like how the mattress is firm but not too hard. It’s safe for sleep but still comfortable for baby. It also has dual mesh windows that provide better airflow and let you easily see your little one.
- Portability: I thought it was so cool that you could easily lift the bassinet out of the wooden rocking stand. This way, you can move baby’s bassinet to whichever room you please!
- Beautiful design: I love how the SnuzPod is crafted from sustainably sourced wood. The Scandinavian-style design would complement any room or nursery. And it’s available in four colors!
- Rocking your baby: The bassinet stand rocks, which is perfect if you want to rock baby to sleep without taking them out of their bassinet.
Other Sleep Options We Love
Parents today are learning about the benefits of room-sharing with their babies in the early weeks and months after birth.2 They’re now looking for solutions that keep their baby close and at hand in the same room — but in a safe space of their own. There are so many great options like this, such as:
- Moses basket with a stand: This is a great option for the minimalist family who prefers organic, natural options and wants to use the sleep space around the house.
- HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper: The BassiNest is perfect for new families, especially mamas recovering from a C-section.
- Sleep-safe stroller bassinet with a stand: This is a great idea for the family that’s saving money and wants to use a safe-sleep-approved stroller bassinet as their baby’s sleep space.
- Graco Pack ‘n Play Travel Dome LX Playard: Here’s another great option for a money-saving family who can use it as a safe sleep and play space as their baby grows.
- Happiest Baby Snoo Smart Bassinet: This is for the tech-savvy parent who wants to spend a little extra to get some extra sleep.
2. Swaddles
The quickest way to calm your little ones down when they’re upset or restless is to hold them and emulate all the sensations baby felt while in the womb.3,4 One of those sensations is being tightly held in your uterus. The best way to mimic that snug feeling is by getting baby in a good swaddle.4,5
As a postpartum doula who’s helped hundreds of mothers with their newborns, I’ve never met a baby who didn’t like to be swaddled. Even when parents swore their baby didn’t like being swaddled, I was able to help them find the right swaddle for them. For me, it’s all about swaddling the baby correctly and tightly and finding the best swaddle for you and your baby. Also, by containing the arms in a snug swaddle, the Moro reflex is inhibited, which avoids startling your sleeping baby awake.6 Longer stretches of sleep make babies and parents both happy. 🙂
One of my go-to swaddles I recommend to parents is the Love to Dream Swaddle UP wrap. I’ve used this swaddle with so many of my doula clients and with my own kids when they were babies! Parents love how easy and fast it is to get their baby in and out of the swaddle. They also like that it just zips up and is machine washable! You don’t have to wrap baby in a burrito (so they won’t break out of it) or mess with loud Velcro with this one. I love it because it allows baby’s arms to remain up, which can help with self-soothing. Plus, I love that it has a dual zipper (so diaper changes are easier) and is certified hip-healthy (because it allows recommended flexion for baby’s hips and legs).
Recommended Swaddles To Buy
There are tons of great swaddles on the market! My advice is to buy a few different styles and see what works for your family before ordering more. Here are some of my other favorites:
- Gunamuna Unisex Baby Swaddle Sleep Bag: This swaddle provides a secure, snug fit. It grows with your baby into a sleep sack, which is helpful when baby begins to roll.
- Ollie Swaddle: This cult favorite has a lot of families singing its praises! I love how it’s one-size-fits-all and meets the needs and size of each little one.
- SwaddleMe Velcro swaddles: This has been a family favorite for many, many years. The Velcro wings are simple to use and keep baby swaddled up.
- ergoPouch 1.0 TOG Swaddle Sac: This dual-zippered swaddle is another easy one to use. It can transition baby from arms-in to arms-out sleep.
As I’ve mentioned, you may want to look for a swaddle that can grow with your baby — transitioning from both arms in, to one arm out, to both arms out — for a great wearable blanket.
And remember, once baby is rolling over, you’ll need to transition from the swaddle to a sleep sack for older babies. Here are some of my recommendations:
- Love to Dream zip-up transition swaddle: The Love to Dream swaddle I recommended above also has this transition swaddle, which is a great one to use!
- Halo Sleepsack multi-way swaddle: A classic favorite for decades, this swaddle adjusts from arms-in to one arm-out for self-soothing or two arms-out for an easy transition when it’s time to stop swaddling.
- Kyte Baby sleep sack: This is the softest and most luxurious sleep sack for your baby to transition into and wear. It will keep them warm, but they won’t get tangled up in loose blankets, which is much safer!
- Ollie World Alphie Pouch: This is another great wearable blanket to transfer baby to after swaddling.
3. Sound Machine
You may not know this, but it’s very loud in utero.7 While you were pregnant, your baby heard your heart pump blood, your lungs inhaling and exhaling, your voice as you spoke, the blood rushing through your veins, and food and gases being passed through your body.8,9 This is why dull, loud noises will lull your baby to sleep. Instead of running your vacuum or hairdryer to calm baby to sleep, some awesome white noise sound machines can help! A few that I recommend are the Hatch Rest and the Nanit Sound and Light. Or, if you’re on the go, try the Hatch Rest Go or the Yogasleep Hushh. A sound machine is on every sleep consultant’s baby sleep products must-haves list, and it’s on mine, too!
4. Blackout Curtains
Establishing day and night with your newborn is essential. They need to learn that we’re awake and play when it’s light out and that we go to sleep when it’s dark.10 Sleeping in the dark helps produce the hormone melatonin, which helps regulate night and day cycles or sleep-wake cycles.11 Keeping your baby’s room dark will help your baby sleep better. So, getting some blackout curtains can help create a good sleep environment for your baby. Here’s a good set if you don’t have some already. I also like this adhesive set and these portable curtains.
5. Pacifier
The sucking reflex helps babies calm down and stay calm.12,13 According to the Mayo Clinic, pacifier sucking might even help them sleep, reduce the risk of SIDS, and reduce crying after shots and blood tests.14,15 Once you have baby snuggly swaddled, white noise playing, the lights down low, and a pacifier in their mouth, this can dramatically help soothe a fussy baby and help them drift off to sleep.3 A few good pacifiers that I recommend are BIBS (I love this pacifier set) and Nanobébé’s silicone pacifiers.
6. Sleep Book
I recommend reading a baby sleep book (or two) before your little one is born to determine your family plan for baby’s sleep. There are so many methods out there, so do your research and have a game plan for your baby’s sleep routine. Here are some sleep books I suggest checking out:
- “The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems” by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau
- “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” by Marc Weissbluth
- “The No-Cry Sleep Solution” by Elizabeth Pantley
- “Baby Sleep Book” by William Sears, Robert Sears, James Sears, and Martha Sears
- “The Sleepeasy Solution” by Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack
- “Moms on Call: Basic Baby Care 0-6 Months” by Laura Hunter and Jennifer Walker
7. Sleep Courses
If you want more support and visual guidance, I suggest taking a baby sleep course! I know expecting parents are increasingly limited on time, so a sleep course can help you learn everything you need to know about your baby’s sleep before their big arrival. Some sleep courses I recommend for families to add to their baby registry are:
8. Lotion or Oil
Infant massage is a great way to help baby relax and get ready for sleep. Doing a good bedtime routine with a bath and then a little massage is super helpful to get their bodies and minds ready for bedtime.16 Before using any lotions or oils on baby, I suggest applying a small amount on the inside of their arm. This way, you can see if they have an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients. Here are good lotions and oils that I recommend for babies:
- 8 Sheep Organics Junior’s Bedtime Lotion (get 10% off with this link): Rub some of this on their feet before bed!
- Lizush baby oil: This is a great organic massage oil to use on baby. It’s made with organic lavender and organic chamomile.
- Oilogic baby sleep set: Oilogic’s Slumber & Sleep line includes their 3-in-1 All Over Wash, Calming Cream, Linen Mists, and Body Oil — all made with pure essential oils.
- thisworks baby bedtime set: This baby set includes their gentle wash, bottom balm, pillow spray, and massage oil.
9. Baby Monitor
These next two products on my list are more for you than for baby. It’s reassuring to see and hear your little one breathing deeply and sleeping peacefully. It’s also good to know when they wake up and need you. With a baby monitor, you can see if something is wrong, if they’re looking for their pacifier, or if they’re hungry. Getting a baby monitor with night vision and two-way communication is a wonderful tool! The monitors that I love are:
10. Owlet Smart Sock
I know a lot of super high-tech monitors now have breathing sensors. But if you decide to get a simpler monitor and still want insights on how well your baby is breathing at night, I suggest getting the Owlet Smart Sock. It’s a wearable monitor that tracks your baby’s oxygen levels and heart rate and alerts you if either goes outside the normal range. I used it with my kids, and I can’t tell you enough how much it helped me and my husband sleep easier at night. It was great knowing we had the Owlet “watching” our babies as we all got sleep. Tons of parents have said the same. Check it out here!
These are my top baby sleep products for babies 0-6 months old. You can even use some of them beyond that time! I hope these help give your baby and family better nights and naps. 🙂 Let me know if any other baby sleep products have helped your little one!
