There are hundreds of products on the market meant to help improve your baby's sleep, but in reality most don't work.

In this article I'll walk you through the only products you need that will actually improve baby sleep.

Many of the products that claim to help with baby sleep either just don't work (best case), while some have even been shown to be dangerous when used in a crib.

This article will help you avoid those unnecessary baby sleep aids, saving you time and money, and helping you avoid potential safety risks.

The baby sleep products shared here are all safe to use, and there are proven reasons as to why they actually help improve your baby's sleep.

I hope this helps both you and your little one get more much needed rest!

The ONLY Items You Need to Improve Your Baby's Sleep

Use This For Fewer Accidental Wakes

Most baby sleep products are a waste of money.

And some like wedges and crib bumpers even pose a safety risk.

So the question is, which ones are actually worth buying? These are my favorite baby sleep products that are proven to help your baby fall asleep and stay asleep for longer.

Let's start with a white noise machine.

Unexpected noises make it harder to fall asleep.

And when you are asleep, sudden loud noises can jolt you awake.

And babies are no different, but often when you've got a newborn, the only chance you get to do these things like washing clothes, washing dishes, or tidying up is when they're sleeping.

And the problem is all of these things can be quite noisy, and can keep your baby awake.

Now, although they can and do eventually fall asleep in a noisy environment, they fall asleep a lot quicker in a quiet room, and they're more likely to stay asleep if the room remains quiet.

Also, there are two important differences between adults and babies that you need to consider.

Firstly, babies spend a lot of their time in light sleep, which means that they are easily woken by noise disruptions.

And secondly, babies are most sensitive to noise disruptions during the early morning hours as well as at nap time.

This is where a white noise machine comes in as an extremely helpful tool to help your baby sleep.

Playing the white noise machine continually at a level, which does not seem intrusive, and is position well away from your baby's head or cot will mask environmental noises like a TV, dishes being put away, neighbors yelling, garbage trucks rumbling down the street, birds chirping, or dogs barking.

And this will help your little one fall asleep quicker, and then stay asleep for longer.

And if you want to avoid short naps and four or 5:00 AM wakes in the morning, a white noise machine is a must.

A white noise machine is just one element, which is going to help create a great sleeping environment for your baby.

Avoid Early Morning Wakes With This

And something else that is essential for a great sleeping environment is a dark room.

And my favorite product to keep your little ones room nice and dark are portable blackout blinds.

Sleeping in a dark room will help your baby settle and fall asleep quicker, and stay asleep for longer.

And there are two reasons for this.

Firstly, the darkness helps to neutralize their surroundings, and make them less interesting.

And that means if your baby opens their eyes either before they go to sleep or in between sleep cycles, there's less chance that they'll see something interesting in the room, and wake up fully.

And this means that they'll fall asleep quicker.

And when they wake up between sleep cycles very briefly, they're more likely to go back to sleep.

And secondly, if your baby is over two months of age, the darkness will tell your baby's body to produce melatonin, which will make them drowsy and sleepy, and that will make it easier for them to fall asleep.

And most importantly, keeping the bedroom dark in the early hours of the morning will also ensure that your baby is more likely to sleep until your desired wake up time, rather than waking up when that sun starts to rise at four or five in the morning in those summer months.

As a general guide, do you want to keep the room dark enough that you can't actually read a book, and often curtains alone still let in a little bit of light.

So adding portable blackout blinds are a simple way for you to achieve this level of darkness.

The Best Thing To Wear For Sleep

Now, before I cover the next must have item, if you haven't already, make sure you click on the link in the description box below to get the free "New Parent's Guides To Naps" so you'll know what to expect in regards to your little one's sleep, and total sleep requirements over a 24-hour period.

Another great product which can significantly improve a baby's quality of sleep is a swaddle or a sleeping sack.

Now swaddles help newborns achieve good quality sleep, because it creates an environment like the mother's womb, and this gives them a sense of security and warmth.

Furthermore, a swaddle can also help to dampen that startle reflex, which is a normal reflex that's triggered when sudden movements or noises occur.

And this in itself can often result in waking a baby prematurely from their sleep.

At the point that it is no longer safe to use a swaddle, swapping to a sleeping bag or a sleeping sack is ideal, and that's because the sleeping bag will tell your baby that it's time for bed, and essentially act as a wearable blanket, keeping them comfortable throughout the night and during their naps.

Wearing a sleeping bag will ensure that they don't get too hot or too cold while they sleep, and this will help them fall asleep quicker and stay asleep for longer.

In addition to avoiding overheating, a sleeping bag also eliminates the need for loose blankets.

And these two factors help to reduce the risk of SIDS.

Use This to Avoid Frequent Wakes During The Night

Now, although sleeping bags and swaddles do promote sleep, overdressing your little one or using a sleeping bag or swaddle, which is simply too warm or too light, can actually result in your baby waking prematurely from naps as well as waking more regularly during the night simply because they're too hot or too cold.

So you can significantly improve your little one's sleep by ensuring that they are dressed appropriately for the temperature of the room.

And I find a room thermometer is a really handy item, which can quickly let you know what the temperature of the room is, and this can help you determine which TOG sleeping bag your little one needs to sleep in, as well as, what you need to dress them in to ensure that they remain comfortable throughout the night and during their naps, and they don't wake prematurely.

Use This To Avoid Accidentally Waking Your Baby Prematurely

Now, something that I've talked about before is the mistake of entering your baby's room prematurely, and accidentally waking them up before they're truly awake.

As I mentioned earlier, babies spend a lot of their time in light sleep or REM sleep.

And unlike us as adults, they don't experience sleep paralysis, which means they are very active and noisy sleepers.

While sleeping, babies grunt, scream out, smile, giggle, roll over, squirm, and even open their eyes.

Furthermore, every 30 to 45 minutes during a day nap and every 60 to 90 minutes at night, babies who are older than three months of age may wake briefly between sleep cycles, and if they're tired, they will go back to sleep.

However, if during these brief wakings or light stages of sleep, an adult walks into the room or picks them up, then they will wake up fully, and be unable to go back to sleep, and this will result in a cranky, tired baby.

That's why the other sleep product I recommend using is a baby monitor with a camera.

These allow you to see your little one when they do make noises or stir during a nap or overnight, and you can check to see if they are truly awake before picking them up.

I cannot count the number of times that I thought my children were awake, only to check the monitor, and realize that they were stirring.

It saved me from waking them prematurely countless times, which in my opinion, is well and truly worth it.

While we are on the topic of preventing short naps, if this is something you are struggling with right now, then make sure you check out this article, where you can find out this common reasons babies have short naps, and most importantly, what you can start doing today to try and extend them.

Baby Development