Cool Baby Tips!

What Would The Baby Whisperer do?

First, let's all agree that no one book is going to solve all your parenting problems. Afterall, if they did you would never need CoolBabyTips.com. Our Cool Baby Tips approach is to take the most helpful aspects of several popular books and customize a parenting approach that fits our needs, our babies' needs, and our beliefs. When it comes to sleeping, we found that as your newborn ages, you may need other tips to supplement The Happiest Baby on The Block techniques recommended by Cool Baby Tips for newborns. We used a blend of the concepts in The Baby Whisperer and Babywise (disregard the conservative prosletyzing and some of the archaic disciplining methods of babies in the latter and use what feels right). Both these international best-sellers give parents an understanding of how sleep cycles work in babies of different ages, which helps you figure out how to make baby sleep better. Before we had these books, when baby cried 45 minutes into her nap, we picked her up and felt sorry for ourselves that baby was not taking the standard 2 to 3 hour nap others do. After reading the books, we learned that all babies stir or cry about 45 minutes into a nap or night time sleep. It's part of the sleep cycle. If you ignore the stirring or crying, they go right back to sleep after a few minutes, for another hour or two, which means you can take a nap, too! Priceless information. To find used or new copies and read reviews go to www.amazon.com

Swaddling is not only effective during the night.

Swaddling, especially with an “Amazing Miracle Swaddling Blanket” is not only effective on newborns during the night.  Swaddling our baby during naptimes helped her take better naps.  We also used the swaddler until she outgrew it at five months, which we believe helped her go down easily at night and sleep a consistent 11 hours! Find it at: http://shop.nurturecenter.com/miracleblanket.html

Why should you care about circadian rhythms?

Sunlight, even if indirect, will help baby set circadian rhythms. Why should you care about circadian rhythms? Because they help baby differentiate between night and day, which, in turn, helps make baby sleep through the night without waking.  And, that’s a good thing.

Desperate For Baby To Take a Nap, But Tired of Pacing?

Try rocking baby in his car seat or on your shoulder as you sit and gently bounce on a yoga exercise ball (preferably with stabilizer stand).  Reasonably priced yoga balls (aka "Bouncy Balls" in the baby retail world) can be purchased at Target or can be found online at www.onestepahead.com.

Placing an air purifier with a HEPA filter in baby’s room can serve multiple purposes

Placing an air purifier with a HEPA filter in baby’s room can serve multiple purposes:  it cleans the air of pollutants and allergens and works as a ‘white noise’ machine to comfort babies to sleep and tune out other household noises that may distract or wake baby.

Newborn Sleeping and Calming Techniques...

The sleeping and calming techniques in the video and book The Happiest Baby on The Block by Harvey Karp can help make you the happiest new parents on the block.  Order new or used at www.amazon.com