Sleep. Everyone wants to know how you and your baby are sleeping. From co-sleeping to a cot, to up all night to sleeping through. I can't even begin to tell you how many cashiers have asked me how Joshua is sleeping and when I reply, "really well actually" it's as if that wasn't the answer they were looking for. Weird. The sleep talk when it comes to babies also ignites some form of jealously between parents but we're not here to talk about that, we're here to talk about what baby items have worked for us when it comes to sleep.
We're not a co-sleeping family, Joshua has always slept in his own space even if it has taken hours to keep him there but we have been relatively lucky in the sleep department and have always had just the one milk wake up even in the newborn days. I spoke about our routine in my Soothed, Settled and Skin happy for sleep post if you wanted to have a read but here are five things that are our sleeping essentials.
We have an Eve mattress ourselves so there was no question about what we would be buying for Joshua when the time came to move him into a cot. We chose the Sundvik cot from Ikea and then ordered the Eve mattress directly from them. The mattress kept coming up in every best mattress list I looked at so I knew we'd made the right decision. They're handcrafted in the UK and are designed for comfort, durability and support during those early years. Also, 15% all profits on the baby mattresses are donated to The Lullaby Trust for safer sleeping babies. I love that he has his own baby eve.
We've used sleeping bags for Joshua since he was a month old and our trusty Snuz pouch saw us through the winter. We recently upgraded to the 1.0 tog in 6-18 months for summer for Joshua in the Blue Geo Breeze print. These pouches are our favourite because they have a handy zip meaning if we need to change his nappy at night (we really try not to because it wakes him up more) then it takes no time at all. There are a range of togs and designs to choose from and I already have my next design decided on for this winter.
Whisbear The Humming Bear (£49.99)
After our faithful Zoe the Penguin stopped working (but was quickly replaced) I needed some white noise and quickly, and the guys at Whisbear came to the rescue and sent us Whisbear. The award-winning bear was created by two mothers who knew the importance of having a sleep aid such as this. Whisbear is the first sleep aid to feature a cry sensor which automatically activates when bubba cries or becomes restless which is such a godsend for sleepy parents that have just found themselves super cosy. Arran is still a little sceptical on the powers and prefers Ollie the Owl but I'm a big Whisbear fan. It's like a battle of the white noise bears in our house. Whisbear is pricey but it's battery operated (although a chargeable USB would be v handy) so it'll last the test of time. Plus it's pretty cute, don't you think? I love the sensory arms too which is great for Joshua's motor skills.
I mentioned above how our faithful penguin stopped working but we're now on number two and still obsessed with our beloved penguin. Zoe also plays white noise, something I love for when we're out as it's more portable but that's not all she does. The music box is a jack of all trades, it's a night light, music box and wireless speaker as you can connect your phone to run Spotify from it. It is hands down, one of our best baby items and I would never be without it. Plus, you can't beat a penguin, right?
I couldn't write a post on sleep essentials and not include the love of Joshua's life. Bert the Sloth used to belong to his Auntie Emmy but after Joshua discovered it and became very attached, very quickly his auntie gave him up and let her baby nephew take him for himself. He has slept and played with it every day since so it has fast become an important part of his and our lives because god forbid we put him to sleep without it. I've linked the same sloth above in case you want one of your very own too.
Features press samples - see disclaimer.