Ahhh Sounds of Silence

Sounds of Silence is a baby settling and health guide in addition to soundtracks by Dr. Harry Zehnwirth, a pediatrician. This comes as a set and includes a condensed and informative book on baby sleep. I agree with the advice Dr. Zehnwirth shares, along with his advocating of white noise. He has a very realistic way of communicating through his book- he even challenges us to rely more on a very under utilized skill- intuition. The book covers sleep and health issues. Where it discusses sleep I am almost in complete agreement. The only two things that I differ slightly on are: total amount of sleep needed each day- it seems slightly low but just slightly, and the age a child can be sleeping through the night. He suggests 6-7 months, I have experienced it happening earlier on a pretty regular basis. BUT I highly recommend this book- it really covers many great areas and provides you with great information as you sleepily wade through the first months of being a new parent.

Not only can you use the soundtrack for home- you can put it on your computer, iphone, or some sort of traveling music player- then, whenever you have to put down your baby out you have their chosen white noise with you. I don't know how many times I have put a radio alarm clock on static or dealt with the interference in some alarm clock sound makers, or pulled a white noise track off the internet to play in the room with my child. This is a way that you can keep your white noise with you as you put your child down out.

*Make sure you read the HOW TO USE section. You need to play Sounds of Silence loudly!

They have generously given a set for a GIVE-A-WAY. Comment on this post to enter. The winner will be selected the last week of November.

Sleep Ponderings from Me: Newborn Sleep-On-The-Go

A great part of newborn sleep is that they can sleep anywhere for the first few months. First time moms appreciate this as they transition from "no kid" life to "kid life". And moms with other children appreciate this, since they can easily continue with their other childrens' activities or out of the house play.

Take advantage of this 'skill' that will disappear quickly. So, how does this "Sleep-on-the-Go" work?

When: Newborns need to sleep again after being awake for 1-2 hours; I always tend to lean more towards the one hour window- look for your baby's sleep signs (yawning, rubbing eyes, mild fussiness, not wanting to be put down...)

Where: Carseat, Bassinet stroller attachment, sling or front-pack carrier, your arms, a pack-n-play at someone's house, etc.

Why: Because newborns can sleep out and about. Take advantage of the short lived freedom that allows you.

How: If your baby falls asleep in an infant carseat- just take them with you in the carseat. If your baby needs to take a nap- swaddle them and put them in the stroller bassinet or pack-n-play, or Kiddopotamus swaddling blankets have holes in the back where carseat buckels can go through and you can buckle your swaddled baby into your carseat. Or put your newborn who needs a nap in a sling or other newborn carrying device.

Other tips: you can put a sound spa wherever they are sleeping... and really try to mimic their sleep environment when you are out. Check out this past post for an example of how one mom extended her sleeping-on-the-go to 7 months: sleep environment to go.

Sleep Product Review: The Ultimate Out and About Sleep Set-up

The best place for a baby to take a nap is in their bedroom, but let's face it there are times when we can't or don't want to stay at home so our sweet little babies can take all their naps in their peaceful bedrooms. Sometimes we want to go to breakfast or take our other children to the park. Or sometimes we just have to take the other kids to ballet or gymnastics or wherever. There are solutions to allowing your precious little baby get their nap and still be out. Here is one option a friend of mine came up with:

Description:
Inside of a stroller that has a bassinet type option or possibly inside of their carseat create a sleep environment as close to their one at home as possible:

The Stroller
She uses the Easy DuoWalker (http://www.easywalker.nl/usa/duowalker.html) with the CarryCot (GREAT set-up). I have used my Graco stroller- fully reclined with the feet part up so it turns into a bassinet (http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber=7B11CAD3&CategoryID=12).

Noise Machine: Put some batteries in yours and take it along- put it right inside the bassinet. She uses the same wave sounds that she uses in her sons bedroom.

Sleep Positioner: Grab the sleep positioner from their crib (If they are out of this now- skip it).

Swaddle: Swaddle your baby just like you would at home (If they have outgrown the swaddle skip it too).

Darkness: Lay a breathable blanket to create the same dark environment at home over the top- block out that sun.

Binkie/Paci: She gives her little guy his favorite, loves the sucking and sleeps longer with it (just like she does at home).

The Goal: to create the same sleep environment you have created at home- to maximize the nap on-the-go.

Thank you DeNai for sharing. And good luck creating your sleep environment on-the-go. Please share any other sleep set-ups you have created for sleeping on-the-go.

Sleep Product Review: Noise Maker/Sound Spa

White noise, sound spa, noise maker, fan...

I have found that some sort of noise making machine is helpful in sleep (especially when you have a small or loud house). After various loud sounds would wake my first child ALL THE TIME, I began using a fan to drown out outside noises during sleep.

After my fan stopped working- they do get old... I switched to a "sound spa". I have a Conair Infant Sound Machine in two of our bedrooms. I love this one- great sound selection, clock, reliable, easy to use, plug or batteries. (*The battery feature is great for traveling.) I have used a few other "sound spas" and this is currently my favorite. I have had no problems with this one. I have had difficulty finding it in stores- but it is easy to find online. Any other favorites.