Creating your little one’s perfect ‘sleep bubble’ (part 1)

Creating a ‘sleep bubble’ is an incredible way of helping your baby sleep well. Without setting up a ‘sleep sanctuary,’ you may find your little one has difficulty napping/takes short naps and is not as refreshed and happy as you know he/she can be.

A sleep bubble helps your little one feel calm, safe and secure and makes for a beautiful sleep environment which is restful and comfortable.

What is a sleep bubble?

Every space had a feeling to it. Ancient studies go years back proving this; you are likely to have heard of Feng Shui before and possibly even dabbled in it. Now I want you to get solemn about it. It may sound a little ‘woo-woo’, but you know this for yourself if you’ve ever walked into a house, office space or seen a gorgeous home in a magazine and felt how calm and comfortable the room or space looks/feels. In comparison have you ever felt the difference walking into a messy house or office or if you’ve ever watched one of those reality series shows on people who hoard? The feeling of a space is tangible and real. I know I can tell when my house is due for a good clean, apart from seeing my house look a mess, I feel irritable, and like everything’s a mess, but once it’s all clean and beautiful, I feel happy and comfortable again.

A sleep bubble should give your baby’s nursery the feeling of calm and comfort and be as conducive to sleep as possible. It should act like a total ‘sleep sanctuary’.

My dear friend, Feng Shui specialist and author, writes ‘One of the main places Feng Shui affects you is in the bedroom, the place you spend around one-third of your life. The bedroom is directly connected to how well you recharge your personal energy, or Qi, during the night. In any home, the bedroom is one of the three most important Feng Shui areas after the front door and kitchen. So understanding the Feng Shui of your baby’s sleeping place is fundamental to her rest and wellbeing’.

I asked Denise for a case study, and she shared this with me.
‘Lovely new parents of a gorgeous baby boy contacted me for some Feng Shui advice. Since their baby was born, he never had, in 10 months, slept for more than a couple of whole hours during the night. Getting him to sleep had become a long routine of special toys, his favourite mobile, white noise playing in the background and total silence in the rest of the house. If his parents left the room before he was fully asleep, he would wake up, and the routine of getting him back to sleep would start all over again. His parents were exhausted.

Once I arrived at the house and saw where he was sleeping it was evident straight away that some simple Feng Shui changes would help sort out the problem. His cot was still in his parents’ bedroom, and they had placed it near the foot of their bed. Not only was there no solid wall behind the head of the cot, or support either side from bedside cupboards, but the spot he was in was the absolute centre of the room. In Feng Shui, the centre has its own special energy and should be kept clear. Sleeping here is much too active and interferes with his sleep. To add to this, the little boy’s bed was too close to the door, and the Qi was, therefore, fast and unsettled. Poor baby!’

We moved him into the Command Position furthest away from the door, with his head against the wall, added a small table either side. That night, for the first time, he went to sleep easily and slept almost a full night. Happy baby and happy parents!

Things are about to get messy and a whole lot of fun!

Setting up your nursery to become the perfect sleep sanctuary

Declutter

Look at your baby’s nursery and be ruthless. Ask a family member or your partner to take your little one for a walk one afternoon and get stuck in. Tidy your baby’s room, not only what you can see on the outside but in the cupboards and under the cot too. Pack away anything that he/she no longer fits into and organise all closet space so that when you walk into your baby’s room not only does it look and feel good but it looks just as good when you open the cupboards and drawers. If you don’t need it, pack it away, bin it, give it to charity or find another place to put it but get that energy feeling light and comfy.

Your baby’s room shouldn’t feel as though it’s being used as a storage room or as a guest bedroom with a cot stuck in it. It should be his room, his special place. His place of rest and rejuvenation, his sleep sanctuary. Just like your bedroom is valued as a place of rest to you, so should it be for your baby. Respect that.

Get rid of anything that is not of use to your baby. I recently visited a mum, and her baby was staying in what still looked like a guest bedroom. There were dusty photo frames everywhere, you could hardly see the counter tops through all the photo frames, and although the sentiment is lovely, it does nothing for the feel of the room. Save the pictures and excess ornaments for a more appropriate place in the house. There is nothing wrong with a well-positioned frame here or there, but if while setting it up, you think the room begins to feel cluttered, ask yourself if the object really has to be in the room.

Your baby’s room should feel energising, refreshing, calm and comfortable. It shouldn’t feel cluttered and busy. It should look neat and tidy and give you a lovely peaceful, light feeling when you walk in. To all intent purposes, It should give you a good feeling.

AAAHHH that’s better

Find out more about Feng Shui for baby’s nursey’s here from my dear friend, author and Feng Shui specialist Denise O’ Dwyer http://www.fengshuielement.co.uk/

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To find out how I can help get your little one sleeping well, book a free call with me here