Giving Your Baby the Gift of Sleep

Few things play as important a role in the development of small infants as the environment in which they sleep. Babies who are able to rest in relaxed, secure surroundings have a better chance at becoming confident, secure people.

Chances are, if you don't have the nursery finished by the time the baby shower comes around, your friends and family will buy you appropriate nursery items as baby shower gifts. Many of the items and accessories suggested here would make excellent and thoughtful baby shower gifts.

Furniture: The Main Event

The most important part of a comfortable sleep environment is the bed - in this case, your infant's bassinette or cot. The main attributes every baby's bed needs is sturdiness and adequate space. With a newborn, a bassinette is usually best for the first few months at least; large spaces can be startling to a baby. Cots aren't cheap, but a basic bassinette, bedding set, or removable "gym bar" with toys would all make affordable and thoughtful nursery-building baby shower gifts.

Secondarily, you might want to look into a glider or a small reclining chair for the baby's bedroom. This will come in very handy during late-night feedings. They're very comfortable, with a smooth and easy motion that makes rocking a baby to sleep easy as pie. Gliders are a bit pricey, but if two or three friends pooled their budgets, they'd be able to get you one of the greatest baby shower gifts and mommy inventions ever made.

Create the Mood with Lighting

Lighting is often overlooked in a home's interior design scheme. The brightness and location of light fixtures are very important in a nursery, as they're instrumental in teaching a baby the difference between night and day. Light brightness should be adjustable or always a bit dim.

Fortunately, there are many options for nursery lighting. Dimmer switches and ceiling fans are both unusual and very practical baby shower gifts. Many modern mobiles and attachable crib toys come with a soft internal light, and if one of those is outside your budget for baby shower gifts, nightlights with artistic shades or colored bulbs can make for equally helpful baby shower gifts.

Helping Baby Sleep Soundly

In addition to comfy bedding and low lights, babies tend to fall asleep much easier with the help of white noise. A window or ceiling fan provides the added benefit of keeping the air circulating. Studies have shown that having a fan in your baby's room reduces the risk of SIDS. As baby shower gifts go, this one is multi-purpose and very thoughtful.

If you can afford to splurge a bit on your baby shower gifts, consider buying a white noise machine. These stylish radio-like boxes come with preset soothing sounds, such as ocean waves, birdsong, and crickets. If the mommy-to-be in your life lives inside the city, one for her and one for the baby would be great baby shower gifts, as they drown out background noise with gentle and soothing sounds!