You kid’s bedroom have to follow some norms and rules in order to be the cozy and safe nest your want it to be, where you children will be able to grow safely. These are a few tips.

Choosing the right crib
The frame of a crib is more than a fun decorative frame, it has to respond to very strict regulations before being brought to the market. Cribs that do not meet one of the requirements are banned and considered hazardous. For example, to be within allowed regulations, the crib must have slats that are not more than 2 2/3 inches apart (2.5 inches with the wedge test) or not allow a rectangular block of 2 ½ inches by 3 ¼ inches by 3 ¼ inches inserted in any position to pass in the case of contoured or irregular slats. Regulations were created to avoid the risks of the baby’s head or limbs to get stuck between the slats or other parts of the crib. For maximal security, it is highly recommended to buy a new crib than to use a second hand crib frame, as they may not pass new security norms, or may have been recalled for various problems. You can find more information about baby cribs at http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/regsumcrib.pdf.

Look out for electrical sources
As soon as baby will start crawling around, we bet that the first thing they will do is touch anything that mom and dad don’t want them to play with. This is why it is important to remember to block any electrical outlets and to hide any wires that are easily accessible.

Your favorite furniture : a potential source of hazards
Babies are curious and unfortunately, very brave. They will climb the highest furniture : the couch, the sofa, the small dresser, the shelfs of… You get what we mean. To prevent accidental injuries and unecessary worries, use safety brackets to secure your furniture to the wall. Use edge and corner guards for your furniture and any edge that could potentially be dangerous for your little one. Also think about removing the keys from the locks!

Try to purchase furniture for your baby or kids. This will help baby develop their own autonomy. For example, look for a small table where baby will be able to sit at and draw and colour. This will also reduce their temptation to use the big tables.

Make clean up something fun
Your little one will find out quickly how to make their clean bedroom into a real warzone. A messy bedroom is an environment full of hazards, such as tripping over a toy or slipping on a sheet of paper. It is never too early to teach your kid to clean up after they are done cleaning. Kids can learn how to put their stuff away as early as 30 months. Buy him or her a little box on wheels, that they will be able to push around to clean up. At that age, your little one can make the difference between what goes where. Present them their new responsibility as something fun. Plus, they will be more than happy to be regarded as a grown up.

From the moment the baby is born, parents are extremely careful and worried about what their little one is eating and how much quality sleep they are getting. Instinctively, parents know the importance of a good sleep, and this is for a good reason!

Who needs a clock when we have circadian rhythms
Babies have to slowly get used to the biological rhythms that are carved in their genes. Indeed, humans, and many animals, are “programmed” so they can function during the day and sleep at night. All mammals have these common intermittent phases : to be awake and to sleep. These intermittent phases are regulated by an internal clock located in the center of the brain, the hypothalamus.

Our internal clock works by cycles of 24 hours. This is what we call “circadian rhythms”.

When we are tired and when there is less light, the human body receive some signals. They yawn, they scratch their tired eyes. These signals tell them that it is time to go to bed.

The truth about a good night of sleep
However, a good sleep is not inborn. As a matter of fact, children, especially infants, have to learn and acquire it. And this learning of a good sleep has to be guided by the parents. Sleeping well at night and staying awake during the day is a key step in their development, just like walking or talking. It is important to instill good sleeping habits in children as early as possible.

Newborn babies
A newborn baby does not make the difference between day or night. They sleep whenever and wake up whenever. During the first few weeks/months, parents have to accept their sleeping habits and their rhythm : their sleeping patterns still follow the cozy pre-born rhythm. As time goes, babies will physiologically adapt to their new rhythm, and a right 24 cycle can be make easy, but parents bad habits can also slow it down (leaving the lights on at night, feeding them at night, checking on them too often at night, etc). The use of a baby safety monitor can be advantageous as they allow parents to directly see or listen to their baby without disturbing their sleep cycles.

For more information, visit Baby Safety Monitors.

Cozy in the belly of their mom, the fœtus sleeps and wakes up anytime they want, with no distinction of the day or the night, unlike adults. This is why asking a newborn baby to care about the day or the night is pointless. It is not until 3 to 6 months that the biological clock starts working properly, giving the baby the ability to organize his or her sleeping phases, allowing for complete nights of sleep, or at least 6 full hours of sleep in a row.

Newborn to 3-6 months of age.

Infants less than one year of age and especially less than 6 months of age will naturally wake up several times during the night. Even though it is a natural thing, it is never too early to give your little one some good sleeping habits (see below), and especially to teach your baby to fall asleep without your or your spouse help or presence.

3-6 months to 1 year

At 6 months, if your little one still doesn’t have a regular night sleep pattern, you may need to start reinforcing good habits. Here are some tips to help your baby sleep through the night.

1. If you haven’t already done it, let your baby sleep in their own bedroom. Throughout the night, your little one will probably wake and cry. This is normal for an infant, and you need to resist the temptation of jumping out of the bed, run to your child’s bedroom and pick him or her up in your arms. Having your child sleep in a separate bedroom will make this more easy.
2. Give your child some hints to help him make a distinction between day and night. Leave the blinds on during daytime and turn off the lights at night, when you are putting your little one to sleep. Try to not turn the light back on until the morning.
3. If your little one cries at night, do not automatically run to the bedroom with baby’s bottle. Otherwise, you might open the door to bad habits, such as asking for food every night for the next months to come.
4. If your baby sleeps through a whole night, congratulate him or her. It is not because he still an infant that baby doesn’t understand encouragement. This will only help you child evolve faster.
5. Do not let your baby fall asleep on your or in your arm like a newborn baby. Put your baby to sleep in their crib, and don’t forget a little “good night” when they fall asleep. Don’t cradle your baby and leave the bedroom quickly, to allow your child to get use to sleeping without you in the same room.

For all these reasons, it is a good idea to have a baby safety monitor. Baby safety monitors allow you to check on your little one without having to rush in their bedroom at the first noise.

1-3 years old

Is your child between 1 to 3 years old and is still waking up at night on a regular basis, asking for you attention? In this case, you need to introduce and impose strict routines. At that age, your child is learning to earn their own autonomy. They are learning to talk and to walk, no wonder they want to do what they want at night. This is the “I don’t want to go to bed” stage, a stage that may last longer if you don’t impose on them good sleeping habits. So here are some tips to help your child sleep at night.

1. If you are coming back from work late, don’t send your child to bed right away. Your child is probably too excited to spend some time with you to fall sleep. Chit chat with him or her, read a book, tell them a story. This will allow your child to relax and fall asleep faster.
2. If your child is in the middle of playing a game or drawing, don’t send them to bed right away just because it’s bed time. Allow them to finish what they are doing, with the promise that they will finish what they are working on quickly.
3. Give your child a relaxing and calm environment and make bedtime something they will look forward to. Sing a song, listen to their favorite song, tell a story or ask them to tell you a story. Being with you just before bedtime will make transition from playtime to the loneliness of bedtime much easier.
4. Check out for sleepy signs. As soon as your little one starts yawning, it’s probably bed time.
5. Don’t be too rigid about bed time. If your kid is not sleepy yet, allow them to sleep a little bit later, then come back to a more reasonable sleep times.
6. If your kid sneaks in your bed every morning at 4 or 5 AM, don’t simply ignore it. This occasional habit might become a bad habit and worsen their sleeping problems. Be firm and explain them that parents have their own bed, just like he or she has his or her own bed. You can allow you child to sleep in the same bedroom with their older brother or sister, for a little while. This can solve some problems without enforcing the bad habit of needing a parent to fall asleep.

For more information, visit Best Baby Monitor.

In the 70’s, parents were told to position their baby to sleep on their stomach, or prone position, to lower the risks of the baby inhaling their burps. However, this sleeping position seemed to also be associated with a higher incidence of SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrom.

This is not until 1992 that, with clear and precise stats, a reports by the American Academics of Pediatrics advised that tummy sleeping in babies was increasing the chance of SIDS. 1994 marks the initiation of a national campaing to advise and encourage parents and caregivers to put their healthy infant for sleep on their back or side (nonprone or supine position) unless advised otherwise by a pediatrician or a doctor for specific cases (premature infants while they are experiencing respiratory disease, infants with symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux, and babies with certain upper airway malformations such as Robin Syndrome.).

Why back sleeping

• When sleeping on their back, it is easier for babyies to breathe, which is even more true in case of rhinopharyngitis or bronchiolitis.
• Infants will regulate their temperature better, especially if they have a fever.
• Avoid asphyxiation risks (due to obstruction by the crib mattress, the side of the bed, or a heavy fabric).

Remember that while supine position is advise during baby’s sleep, it is still recommended to give your child some tummy time when they are awake, for developmental reasons.

What you should rigorously follow

• Avoid the use a quilt or a pillow until the baby is at least 12 months.
• Avoid using any soft surfaces and gas-trapping objects, such as fluffy stuffed animals.
• Use a firm crib mattress that will fit the crib properly.
• Use a swaddle blanket to cover your baby, or a surpyjama.
• The ideal infant room temperature is between 65F-67F (19°-20°C).
• Never smoke in the room where baby sleeps.
• Don’t put anything around baby’s neck, including necklaces and pacifiers with a cord.
• Never leave your child alone at home.

While it is recommended to have baby sleep in their own bedroom, to avoid bothering them during his or her sleep, it is okay to let your infant sleep in the same bedroom. Make sure, however, that you are not making baby sleep in the same bed as you, but in their own crib, next to you.

For more information, visit Baby Safety Monitors.