What things have you used to help your newborns be more comfortable?

[WhoahThereCrazyHorse]

I know that some babies just don?t sleep, but new dc is due in October and I?m trying to give us the best chance of helping him/her sleep. I remember with dd (now 19mo) that we followed all the guidelines on back to sleep etc, but I always used to think that it mustn?t be that comfortable coming out of the womb and being expected to sleep flat on your back in a Moses basket (when newborns? bodies don?t even really go that flat!) on a fairly hard mattress, with no pillow or anything else. She didn?t sleep very well at all and took forever to go through the night, and while I know a lot of people have it much worse, I did still struggle with lack of sleep.

Obviously I will stick to guidelines but I?m a bit more relaxed this time, and just wondered if anyone had tried things like those lambskins you can get ? or baby pillows, or hammocks, or even those moulded things you can get to keep newborns on their back but in a more ?fetal? position, at least for the first couple of months? And if so, have your babies been good sleepers? Also, I read an article ages ago ? think it might have been in the Sunday Times but can?t remember ? about Scandinavian parenting, and I?m sure it mentioned there about those countries taking a different approach to the UK, and giving their newborns loads of soft blankets and things to make them comfortable, and that they have the lowest rates of cot death.

Can anyone offer any knowledge or experience? Thanks very much

I bought a sheep skin and both mine slept better on it, the wool company.co.uk do great one's

Marking my place as I'm interested in this too. It does seem odd as you say OP.

For example I have read lots of comments on the sling pages that a "legs straight down" position is bad for the baby's hips and they should be in a more "froggy" position with hips and knees bent, more like a foetal position. And yet in a cot or moses basket they are expected to sleep with hips and legs stretched out.

I have also heard of many babies who will sleep better in cars or baby bouncer chairs - this is usually put down to the movement, but I wonder if the more curved seat shape might have something to do with it too? On the other hand I know it is bad for their spine to be in the car seat too long.

As an aside - for anyone who used a sheepskin in their cot, did you reduce the amount of blankets/bedding because of the extra warmth of the sheepskin?

I would class my DS as a good sleeper, he's now 7 months old and sleeps 12 hours straight at night and has a morning and afternoon nap of at least one hour each.

As a newborn he either slept in his Moses basket which we moved to whatever room we were in, his bouncy chair, on myself or DH. Taking him out for walks was the best way to get him to sleep and in a car seat too. I did move him to the Moses basket when he was asleep as I was terrified of falling asleep with him and I think this helped him to be in his own bed. We also found swaddling him in a shawl worked wonders too! Overall I think it depends I'm the baby though.

Marking my place. I have no idea so would like to see what others say.

Heard the same things about car seats and spine and needing to lie flat...

It's not true that babies are expected to sleep with their legs stretched out - newborns are quite capable of sleeping on their backs with their legs up like frogs!
I think you would be mad to use a pillow, or otherwise ignore the SIDS advice that has led to a reduction in cot deaths.

Hit send before I meant to - with ds2 what has helped him sleep better has been buying a bednest, I can reach him anytime and it's easy for nightfeeds.

Dont know if these will work for you (I only have a research group.of one ) but I swaddled dd for every sleep day and night for the first three / four months.

Id also pop her in her moses basket when she was awake too so she got used to being in it.

ah ok iggi then that makes more sense! (spot the person who's not yet had a baby ) But doesn't swaddling hold their legs straight-ish?

I had a goi goi cushion for dd which goes under the sheet and is very flat and safe in sids terms but helps correct (or guard against) flathead syndrome.

Dd was quite snuffly and the Dr advised us to put a towel under her mattress to raise it very slightly which helped.

Just remember that more than 6 in 10 kids don't sleep throw until 1 year and when Drs talk about sleeping through they mean 5 hrs - not what I consider sleeping through!

Swaddling doesn't straighten them out, its hard to explain but once you do it it makes sense as does using a sling with froggy legs

Yes you do the wrapping when they're in their natural position. I did that for a couple of weeks too. Now he's in a grobag which he loves (the other night it was just too hot for it and he refused to sleep until I felt the temp had dropped enough to put his bag on!)
But ultimately babies are never as contentedly asleep as when they are in your arms. (What, you thought you'd get a sleep too?!)

I co slept and DS slept on his side with his head resting on my boob

Midwife told me side sleeping is just as safe as back, but it's too complicated to explain that you must be sure they can't roll forwards (which a newborn will) and that you mustn't prop them up as it's a suffocation risk. She said it's fine if co sleeping but again they don't recommend that without a long list of conditions.

He was a great sleeper, but TBH, I don't think anything you can do will influence how well they sleep, you're either lucky or you're not, and some of it is about expectations too. I know that lots would consider "sleeping in parents bed" to not mean "good sleeper", but I didn't mind at all and would definitely do it again.

What Bertie said. The only thing a newborn needs is you.

No amount of fancy pillows or wrapping, or sheepskins or swings can replace you.

DS was a snuffly c section baby who hated his Moses basket. We used an Argos catalogue (!) to raise the head end of the Moses basket stand. Also used a rolled up hand towel down one side of the basket so he didnt thrash around so much, though I'm sure it's not good practise from a ids point of Jew but it worked for us. We also used a cotton swaddle wrap from the gro company to loosely swaddle him, it was a godsend, wish I'd bought 10!

*sids
*view not Jew!

Bloody predictive text!

Get an Amby hammock. Colicky DD slept very well in it.

I am ten days into life with dc2 (dd) and although it helps that she is slightly more chilled out than her brother, the biggest difference is me. I am calmer, more relaxed and just willing to go with her. So we co-sleep, I hold her most of the time (or in a sling) and just accept she is in her fourth trimester and it will take time. Oh and given a dummy too!

As it happens she hates being swaddled (ds loved it).

Both of mine slept with me at first, well until they were about 15 months. My SIL used one of those mattresses that stop flat head sydrome and swears by it. Says her DS started sleeping through almost right away.

I used a sheepskin this time and it was lovely. I'm sure ds was happier in his Moses basket because of it. Quite honestly if I was expected to sleep on a chilly rock hard Moses basket mattress I'd struggle. I wrapped a muslin over the sheepskin where his head was and then as he got older I put it under the Moses basket fitted sheet. I got the baby dan one from amazon for £30. You can use it in the pram and cut holes in it to use as a pushchair liner.

It was feb when he was born so was wrapped in 2 blankets and he seemed to sleep slightly on his side. As soon as he was old enough he was in a sleeping bag still on top of the sheepskin.

I've just got a sheepskin footmuff for his pushchair and he sleeps like a log in it.

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Swaddling is amazing and worked beautifully for us. We used the specially made Mothercare blankets - you can get them cheap on eBay. A sling is also great - a simple wrap or an Ergo. Once asleep, put them down and walk away. I believe many babies sleep better left alone - my DD used to cry if I hovered by her cot, and settled within minutes by herself right from the start. You just have to trust that they can do it, and try.