5 of the Best Sleep Gadgets
Getting your little one off to sleep is often a difficult task. Sleeping through the night becomes the ultimate dream for many parents and unfortunately for most babies, that solid block of sleep does not come naturally at first.
Babies are used to being close to their mothers during pregnancy and now must learn how to sleep by themselves. Most new parents will agree that anything that helps a baby sleep is worth it’s weight in gold so here are our favourite inventions which may help settle and soothe your baby.
- Nightlights
Whether you choose a basic nightlight like the Lindam Nursery Safety Sensor Light (£8) or go for something slight more high-tech, a nightlight can work wonders when it comes to soothing your baby. Not only will it ease your child’s fear of the dark but it can also create a welcome distraction for them as you leave the room.
The Boon Multi-coloured Nightlight (£59.95) has detachable glowing balls of light whilst the Tomy Winnie the Pooh Sweet Dreams Light Show (£15.98) and Cloud B Twilight Turtle (£29.95) perform mesmerising ceiling projection shows.
- SweetDreamers Ewan® The Dreamsheep
Ewan the Dreamsheep is a must have for many parents around the country and regularly wins awards. It is a soft, cuddly sheep that helps soothe your child to sleep with 4 different calming sound tracks, combined with mum’s resting heartbeat and a soft pink glowing light in his chest.
Suitable from birth, this toy acts to reassure your baby and if used from birth, babies often associate the sounds and soft light with tranquillity and sleep. Ewan can be used both as a handheld toy or attached to the side of the cot and costing around £30, can be bought from Boots, John Lewis, Argos and Amazon.
- A mobile
A mobile attached to a cot can also be a great distraction for a tired and cranky baby but should only be positioned where it is completely inaccessible to your little one. There are so many different mobiles to choose from – your biggest challenge will be whether to go for something traditional or whether to go for something that incorporates a lullaby function. There are some beautiful handmade mobiles available such as the Butterfly Baby Mobile Rainbow (£30) and the Needle Felt Space Mobile (£210) but there is no shortage of more mainstream and more affordable options that come with musical accompaniments. Two coloured options with detachable toys are the Fisher-Price Rainforest Peek-a-Boo Leaves (£47.99) and Lamaze Jungle Dreams Mobile (£25.84).
- The Gro Anywhere Blind
This blind is the ideal method to block out sunlight from long summer evenings and early dawns and creates the perfect sleeping environment for your little one. The Gro Anywhere Blind is also extremely versatile and can be put in place in just a number of minutes, attaching directly to the glass of windows by the use of suction cups.
With a new Stars and Moon design, this gadget conveniently packs into a handy travel bag and has Velcro fastening which is both easy to use and quick to adjust making it a fantastic holiday essential. It costs just over £20 and can be bought from Argos, John Lewis, Tesco and Amazon.
- Serenity Star
The Serenity Star is a multi-tasking, 5-in-1 gadget that combines a feeding diary, room temperature indicator, sound machine, night light and clock. Whilst the nightlight and sound machine helps to keep your baby distracted and soothed, the feeding diary is an excellent addition for tired mums. It has a stylish and modern design and can be plugged in or battery operated for easy use in and out of the nursery. This gadget costs around £65 and is perfect if you are after a gadget that does everything!
We hope that these gadgets will assist in both you and your child having a peaceful and long night’s sleep.
Do however remember that your baby will not sleep through the night right away with any of these gadgets - sadly there is no such thing as an instant fix!
Sleep tight little ones!