New Mom Sleep Tips [Owlet Review]

If you’re a new mom, you’re most likely in one of two camps. There’s the ‘I’ve been sleeping 20 hours a day and my baby is a dream boat who never cries and breastfeeding has been super easy and everything is just amazing’ camp and then there’s the ‘I haven’t slept in weeks it seems like and this baby sure does cry a lot and are you sure that’s normal?’ camp. And let’s be real here, the latter are generally a little more honest. But even new moms don’t have to be sleep deprived. Some babies sleep better than others, sure, but there are ways for all new moms to squeeze in a little sleep. And now Owlet makes it even easier!

(1) Sleep when the baby sleeps. I know you’ve never heard this one. But seriously. Don’t stay up late to get that alone time in. I need to remember this more often. It might be nice to get some alone time, but you need that precious sleep. Every time I stay up later than my children to get in alone time I regret it the next day.

(2) If you do stay up later than baby, use it to get your body ready for sleep. This means drink a glass of hot tea while you read a book, or take a warm bath. Try to avoid screen time as this can actually make it harder for you to sleep.

(3) Don’t get up throughout the night to check on the baby. I know, this might seem crazy, but you really don’t have to and getting 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep versus waking up every hour for four hours to check on the baby is going to make a big difference. And the best way to sleep easier? Know that your baby is sleeping safe and sound! That’s where Owlet comes into the picture. Read my Owlet review now!

I’m obsessed with this thing. Owlet is a little monitor in a sock that goes on your baby’s left foot. It then uses the hospital technology of pulse oximetry to alert you if your baby stops breathing. It’s completely wireless, and connects to your phone over WiFi.

Most moms are paranoid. It’s just what we do. I find myself wanting to check on both my kids when they sleep. I love that with Owlet I don’t need to wake up and check to see whether my baby is breathing – if Tripp were to stop breathing Owlet would sound an alarm and wake me up. In fact, if his oxygen or pulse rates are anything other than normal, it lets me know. This means I can sleep much better without having to wakeup throughout the night and check on him. It comes with a few different sizes of socks to grow with your baby, which is great since SIDS is the leading cause of death of infants up to 1 year old so parents will love using Owlet with older babies as well as the socks are designed to fit most children up to 18 months.

You might think that there’s no way that sock will stay on my baby, but it really does! And if Tripp were to wiggle out of it, I would get an alert. But so far that hasn’t been an issue. Think Owlet is unnecessary? Go watch some real stories from Owlet parents here and you won’t think that anymore.

(4) Don’t exercise too close to bedtime. If you find yourself restless and need to do something, try a few easy and relaxing yoga poses that may actually help you sleep better. Cardio and strength training right before bedtime is going to wake your body up and make it difficult to get in those zzz’s.

(5) Take naps as needed throughout the day. I remember when Maddie Grace was born thinking that naptime was for laundry, dishes, cleaning, writing emails, exercising, and everything else. No, you can do those things when baby is awake. Or make your significant other do them. Seriously. To be the best mom possible you need some sleep, which is way more important than making sure all the clothes are folded and put away. If you have a bad night and need to catch up on sleep during the next day, do it.

(6) Have a routine. Just like you want to establish a routine early for your baby for better sleep, you want to establish a routine for yourself every night to get the most sleep possible. Typically for me once babies are asleep I respond to emails, get myself ready for bed, and then journal for a little bit with some hot tea.

Please mama’s of new babies – use these tips and get some sleep. The more rested you are the more energy you have to play with and take care of your new baby, which is the most important thing you can do.

*Thank you Owlet for sponsoring this post.