A cot bed is a small bed designed specially for babies, and young children. When it comes to picking a cot bed for your baby, there’s really more to consider than just interior design. While safety during your baby’s first twelve months of life is nonnegotiable, you also want to ensure their sleeping space is as comfortable as possible, in order to make them calm and drift into sleep effortlessly. Apart from the comfortable sleep, this can give your baby, it can also spare you a few hours to catch up on quality sleep during the day.
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A handful of parents have issues getting their babies familiar with sleeping in a cot bed. If you belong to this category, the next thing you want to do is make the bed cozier for your baby, so they can get used to it in no time. In this article, we give you 5 practical tips to get this done.
Ways to Make a Cot Cozy but Safe for Your Baby
- Use a Mobile Crib Hanging Toys
Do you want to make a cot cozy but safe for your baby? A mobile crib hanging toys may be an ideal place to start from. Baby mobiles hang over your baby’s cot with an array of toys attached to it, and a musical cot mobile is one of such. With a musical cot mobile, your baby listens to soothing lullabies, relaxes with ease, and is lulled to sleep in a little time.
Babies are lovers of routines, so making a practice of turning their mobile on when it is time for sleep can get them accustomed to their little cot. When they wake up in the morning, they see the same hanging toys they saw last night, and this helps them relax. Not only them though, you too!
- Use White Noise
Babies can hardly get over the noise they experienced in the womb, so the sound of white noise can overwhelm other distractions and, quite effectively, lull them to sleep. Interestingly, it can also help them relax by drowning out other external simulations. And no, you don’t need to break the bank for a white noise device. Simply improvise by switching your radio to analog and turning the dial until you discover a great white noise frequency for your little one. Another thing you can do is, download a white noise app on your phone.
Here’s a bonus tip you can also consider, and it has to do with a hair dryer. Follow the tips below.
- Place your baby on the cot bed
- Put pillows around it
- Turn on a hair dryer and put it at a safe distance from your little one
- Leave it there for a minute or two
And watch your baby fall into a cozy and soothing sleep as soon as the twinkle of an eye.
- Use Mom’s Clothing To Provide Sensory Comfort
Some babies like to stay around their parents. And if this describes your baby, it is probably because they find your warmth reassuring and love the protection cuddling provides. Roll up a shirt that you have worn before, and place it around your baby’s head in the cot bed. Your baby just needs the bed to smell like mom or dad, and they will feel very safe in their space. If you have a twin, it is okay for them to share a cot bed for a few months.
This method is sure to have a helpful effect on your baby’s sleep in their cot bed, so long you repeat it every night. They’ll blend, in no time.
- Swaddle The Baby
Parents have been swaddling their babies since time immemorial and it is due to one simple reason; it works! Sometimes, all you need to do is wrap your baby in a blanket and fashion them into an adorable burrito, and boom, they have their comfort. One of the reasons babies may not do well with the transition to a cot bed is, you are moving them from the warmth that mummy’s body provides to a cot that is relatively cold. This is why a number of babies love swaddling, as it makes them feel swaddled and close.
Just get a breathable, lightweight blanket, and swaddle your baby snuggly in it. This is a surefire way to recreate the familiar support they felt in the womb, calm them down, and help them fall into a deeper sleep. If you want to know what a swaddle blanket looks like; they are usually thin in texture and particularly shaped in a wrapping-friendly design.
Please note that not every baby is a fan of swaddling. If it makes your baby sleep better at night, that’s fine, and even at that, it shouldn’t be used beyond your baby’s third month of life.
- Use The Right Crib Mattress
To make a cot cozy and safe for your baby to sleep in, you have to be sure you are using the right mattress. Basically, baby bed mattresses are in two types; foam mattresses and innerspring mattresses.
Although they differ in density and quality, foam mattresses are lightweight and cost-effective. When weight pressure is removed, a denser foam mattress assumes its original shape faster. In this way, it offers your baby more support and comfort while they sleep. Innerspring mattresses are more durable, but also quite pricey.
Bottom Line
If you have a baby who will not sleep in their cot bed no matter what you do, there are two choices before you. One is to switch to another type of bed. And two is to allow your baby to sleep in your bed with you.
Switching to another type of bed is not always easy for every baby. While little babies may accept a cradle or stroller, toddlers may not. Co-sleeping is another alternative, as many babies prefer cuddling up with their mum in their first few months of life.
The best idea, however, is to make the cot cozy and adaptable for your baby. With the few tips we have provided in this article, we hope you found help.
