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How to create a sensory sleep space for your baby

November 20, 2021

How to create a sensory sleep space for your baby. A sensory sleep space will calm and soothe your baby and stimulate their senses.

 A sensory space is an area that helps to stimulate the senses of your child. Incorporating a sensory component within your baby's sleep space will help to regulate and calm your baby. Creating a sensory sleep space is beneficial if your child has specific sensory needs or not because it encourages strong development in all children by naturally encouraging exploration. 

This post will help you determine how to create a sensory sleep space for your baby.

Creating the sleep space for your baby

Deciding on where your newborn baby will sleep is a big decision for many parents. You may choose to co-sleep with your newborn, or you may feel that you prefer to put your baby in a separate sleeping space near you in a cot or crib. 

One way to create a cosy co-sleeping space is to use a carrycot or basket in your bed, which will give your baby a safe but separate sleeping area, but is still very close to you. 

If you decide to use a separate cot, you can still create a cosy sleep space by using the carrycot or basket inside the cot for the sleeping area and then putting toys for sensory stimulation on the sides. As your baby grows, you can transition to using the entire cot as the sleep space and add additional sensory components.

Incorporating colour into your sensory sleep space

When designing your nursery and sleep space for your baby, the colour palette you select is essential for creating the sensory environment. Different colours have different psychological effects and will improve the mood and the wellbeing of your baby.

To create a calm and soothing space, choose muted tones, such as soft greys and blues, greens, or pastel pinks. You can also consider neutral, earthy tones. All of these tones create a calm, soothing environment and will then flow into your baby's sleeping space. 

You will use this colour scheme to select your linen, cot bumper, baby mobile, and toys and other elements you choose to use in that space. These are the items that will be in your baby's immediate environment in the sleeping area, and the colour selection is a vital part of visual stimulation for your baby.

Using different textures in the sleeping space

Babies use touch to explore and understand the world around them. Incorporating different textures into the sleep space will stimulate your child's sense of touch. When choosing items with different textures, try to include a few different textures such as silk, felt, wool, and cotton. Using a selection of textures will encourage your baby to explore and investigate, and it helps develop their fine motor skills.

Bear in mind that the sleeping space is where your baby will fall asleep, but it is also where they will wake up. If you have created a soothing sensory space, this will help your baby feel safe and calm when they wake up. The colours and textures you have carefully chosen will help create this soothing, sensory space for your baby.

The way that you incorporate different textures in the sleep space is by incorporating elements with texture inside and around the cot. The cot sheets and linen that you use and the texture of the cot are items that your baby will be touching with their hands and face and will have lots of contact with your baby’s skin. The baby mobile you select has a combination of visual stimulation, texture, and colour, which is a perfect addition to the sleep space to create a sensory experience for your baby. 

Choosing the correct lighting for the sleep space

Room lighting is a fundamental component in creating a soothing ambience in your nursery and sleep space. You should consider where the sleeping area is situated in the bedroom so that you can control the natural light that falls where your baby will be sleeping. 

If you have chosen a sleeping area near a window, you will need to ensure that you can control the amount of sunlight and heat. Ideally, you want your baby to remain cool and in a darker space to get good sleep.

Bright lighting in the bedroom or nursery encourages activity, while dim lighting creates a calmer feel. One way to create a calming sleep space would be to include a tent over the cot to create a darker sleeping area. You can add smaller lighting elements inside the tent, such as fairy lights, to add visual stimulation for your baby. You can also incorporate different lighting elements in the room, such as a night light, to create softer light and a cosy, sensory environment during the night.

By Siham Arieff








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