Nobody told me the room itself was a variable. I was doing everything right with the routine and she was still waking at 5am, and the answer turned out to be a streetlight and a radiator. Dark, cool, quiet — that is the whole brief, and these five things are how we got there.
MIULEE 100% Blackout Linen Curtains for Bedroom 52×84 Inches Natural Beige
Properly blackout, not room-darkening, which are not the same thing and I learned that the expensive way. In a natural linen so the room still looks like a room. Hang them wider than the window on each side or light crawls round the edges.
Tommee Tippee Sleeptime Portable Baby Blackout Blind, Large, Travel Window Blinds
For everywhere that is not home — my mum’s spare room, a hotel, the one holiday we attempted. Suction cups, folds into the nappy bag, and it has saved more naps than anything else I own. Clean the glass first or it drops at 4am.
Momcozy Sound Machine for Baby – 20 Soothing Sounds and Touch Warm Light
Steady, boring sound at a low volume, placed across the room rather than next to the cot. Ours has a dim warm light for night feeds, which beats turning on a lamp and waking us both all the way up.
Antonki 2 Pack Room Thermometer Indoor Hygrometer
The one I did not know I needed. Her room ran several degrees warmer than the hallway and I was dressing her for the wrong temperature every night. Now I read the number and pick the layers instead of guessing.
Momcozy Sleep Sack for Baby 0-6 Months, 1.5 TOG Baby Wearable Blanket
Which brings us to the layer itself. A sleep sack instead of a loose blanket, sized for the first six months, with the warmth rating printed on it so it matches what the thermometer says. No loose bedding in the cot — that part is not negotiable.
The 5am waking stopped within about a week of the curtains going up. It was not a sleep training breakthrough. It was a streetlight. Check the room before you blame yourself.
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