Nursery to Toddler

Olivier Round Crib Bedding $810 Black and White Sophistication Create an environment of understated beauty for your precious newborn with this Olivier Round Crib Bedding Set in black and white toile silk enhanced with rosebud fur it is sharp bold and truly beautiful Just perfect for that mom that enjoys style and class along with the trends of the times

Jacqueline Round Crib Bedding $1180 Understated Comfort and Charm Luxuriously soft fabrics and understated charm is what sets the Jacqueline Crib Bedding apart from the rest It is set in soothing blue and white toile topped with beautiful bows and further enhanced with ruffles and cording With a simple yet classic design this enchanting bedding set is the set to buy

Nob Hill Round Crib Bedding $1200 From Fantasy to Reality This fantastical round crib bedding will set your little ones round crib into a class of its own With the softest velour fabric flowing skirt and ruffled edges this bedding set couldve walked out of a fairy tale book

Solid Color Round Crib Bedding $250 Create the perfect round crib bedding set Finally a classy round crib bedding set available in a variety of solid colors This four piece set includes: a comforter sheet bumper and tailored dust ruffle Additional items available upon request

Rainier Round Crib Bedding $1250 Have your Baby Sleep in Style This exquisite Rainier Crib Bedding – both elegant and full of style is a designer moms dream Set in soft ebony flocked silk and adorned with rosebud fur it is truly a magnificent set that expresses the styles and trends of the times lil Fabric Color: Ebony

Victoire Round Crib Bedding $1200 A Feminine Delight Create a beautiful environment full of exceptional quality and classic style for your precious new baby This enchanting crib bedding features deliciously soft crushed velvet in pink and green accented with gently striped silk embroidered with mini florets Truly something exquisite and magnificent

Dorothee Round Crib Bedding $1200 How Cute and Sweet Create a cute yummy and sweet nursery environment for your little darling with this adorable crib bedding Oh so soft pink micro-suede with chocolate dots decorated with both strawberry and chocolate rosebud fur make this simple yet classy set a fantastic centerpiece for your little ones nursery

Juliette Round Crib Bedding $1250 Soothing Elegance for you Baby Turn your darlings nursery into a room full of charm with this pretty and graceful crib bedding Made with crisp silk and daintily designed with beautiful bows it is truly enchanting and lovely Available in soft shades of either pink or green it will soothe your little one and ensure peaceful dreams

Monaco Round Crib Bedding $1499 Sheer EleganceBr Welcome your baby home with this elegant silk sheer tulle and luscious brushed cotton bedding collection Your precious little darling will sleep in utmost comfort snuggled in this simply elegant simply beautiful crib set

Audrey Round Crib Bedding $1180 Charming and Cheerful Create a cheerful environment full of exceptional quality and bright style for your precious new baby with this charming Audrey Crib Bedding Soft colors of pink and green in patterns of nursery toile and damask dots make this set truly beautiful and feminine Just perfect for your little darling

round crib bedding separates

Putting baby to sleep awake – Is it really that easy?

Putting baby to bed AWAKE – is it really that easy?

We know that sleep is necessary and natural, so why is it so hard to establish good sleeping habits for our babies?  If the magic formula is simply to put your baby down to for a sleep when he’s still awake, why is that so hard in reality?  I know from experience of both my children that as soon as I’d put them down awake, they would protest! Settling them would take so long I’d be tempted to feed them to sleep.  The easy option would only take five minutes instead of sixty!

In their fantastic book, ‘Sleep’, Hollyer and Smith describe how falling asleep can literally be a frightening experience for babies.  When we are asleep we are vulnerable.  So for a newborn baby (who is completely helpless) to fall asleep alone, is clearly counter-intuitive.  If we look back to primitive times, sleeping when not in the arms of a guardian may have meant death to a vulnerable infant.  So it’s no wonder they protest when we put them down!  Resisting separation from us is a basic survival instinct.

Add to that the sensation of actually falling asleep, which is alien and frightening for a newborn, and I can understand why our babies would prefer we were holding them close.  I must admit that I also had a secret desire to break all the sleep books rules and let my precious bundles curl up on my chest all night long.  But there’s only so long a baby will fit on your chest and once a sleep association is established, it’s hard to break.  Sound, peaceful sleep certainly goes a long way to helping us have fun filled days and a happy family.  And setting up bad habits in the early days only makes it harder to establish good ones later.  I recommend getting all the cuddles you can in the day and when it comes to sleep times, put your baby down awake so that he can transition to sleep on his own.  Your baby will need some support. He needs to know that it’s safe to go to sleep.

My first son always used to cry just before he fell asleep, sometimes for a few minutes, and my going to him only made him fully wake again, so he’d have to start the process of falling asleep all over again.  Once I realised that he needed to cry for a few minutes, I gave us both a break.  I stayed close and he was able to go to sleep without my intervention.

Here’s some tips for settling your newborn to sleep awake:

1 – New babies are easily over stimulated. Take him to a room that is dark and quiet to wind him down.

2 – Swaddle your baby so that he feels secure.

3 – A new baby (0-4 weeks) will only need to be awake for about 45 minutes before they need to go back to sleep. Leave it any later and they will find it harder to settle – which means more intervention from you.

4 – Hold, rock or feed your baby until he is drowsy but still awake and then lower him into his cot (bum first and then head – other way round and they wake right back up again!).

5 – Some little ones may need white noise to help them transition between sleep cycles.

6 – Keep a baby comforter close to your skin for a few hours and place it at the end of your baby’s crib so he is comforted by your smell.

By doing this in the early days, you will avoid setting up sleep associations that are later difficult to break. Your baby will learn an essential skill – how to go to sleep by himself, without your help. His need for sleep is both mental and physical. When our babies are sleeping, they begin to make sense of their worlds, their brains develop and their bodies grow. Sleep for our little ones isn’t something to hope for, it’s a necessity for us all!

Lucy Fitzgerald runs www.sleepytot.com, distributors of the SleepyTot comforter, renowned for helping babies and toddlers drift off to a peaceful nights sleep. Sleepytot can be contacted on 0845 009 4405 , by email info@sleepytot.com or at www.sleepytot.com

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