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Writer's pictureKathryn Stoneman

Top tips on how to create the best sleep environment for you and your bub.

Updated: Jun 17, 2022

I am going to start this post with total honesty my bedroom is not a good sleep environment!!


I have the ‘clothes dump chair’ next to my bed – a chair piled with clothes that are not dirty enough for the laundry yet not clean enough to be hung up!


Anyone else got a chair like this in their room??? It stresses me out every time I go to bed but not enough to make me do anything about it!!! When the clothes pile topples over, I know it’s time to tidy it up!!!


Does this chair of doom really make a difference to my sleep? What else in my room effects my sleep?? What is the best possible environment for my bub to sleep in as well? I love my sleep, as I am sure you all do, so here are some top tips on how to create the best environment for you and your bub to get the best night sleep…


For bubs


  1. Have their room nice and dark – this helps produce melatonin which is our sleep hormone! Another way to increase melatonin is a red light I have got these in both my children’s rooms.

  2. Low lighting for breastfeeding – if you are feeding bub at night keep the lights to a minimum you can do this by using a salt lamp or a dim light bulb in a bedside lamp. For other options check out this article.


3. White noise – I love white noise for my bubs and my 6-year-old daughter. I have found it stops any sudden noises waking them up or if you have children sharing a room it is great to stop them waking each up!! I use the Aroma Snooze which is 3 in one – white noise, lights, and a diffuser.


4. Warm and cosy, cool and calm – baby is sensitive to temperature. So, making sure they are cool in summer and warm in winter is important as they will wake up to let you know if they are too hot or cold!!!

The room wants to be around 22 degrees, so in the summer months having light cotton sheets and a light sleep bag can help regulate their body temperature. In the winter months flannel sheets and warm cosy sleeping bags help keep children snug.


SIDS recommend the safest place for baby to sleep is in their own safe space, in the same room as their parents or adult caregiver for the first 6-12 months. Fore more information on safe sleeping check out https://rednose.org.au/section/safe-sleeping


For you


  1. Uncluttered room = uncluttered mind – sleep studies have shown that a cluttered room can cause sleep problems such as difficulty falling asleep and a disturbed night’s sleep. Ok, ok, the research is there I promise to tidy my room!!!

2. A sanctuary – treating your room like your sanctuary, making it a space that looks and feels calm with calming colours and textures, plants and soft lighting. This will make you want to go to bed, relax in your room instead of in front of the TV and drift off into a beautiful sleep.

3. Calming smells – having lavender or other calming scents in a diffuser these smells will start to trigger your body making it ready for sleep. You can get beautiful scented calming room sprays as well– I would highly recommend Podorganics and this could become part of your wind down bedtime routine for you and the children.

4. Mood lighting - if you use a bedside table lamp get a nice dim, warm bulb. Also, if the sun wakes you up early (if you are not already woken by the kids) a good sleep mask could help get that extra 30minutes sleep in the morning.

5. White noise for you – yes why not! Do you have a partner that snores or maybe a creaky home (we do!), find a noise that relaxes you or maybe its music and enjoy a deeper sleep!!

6. Sleeping naked – our bodies are not affected as much by temperature as our babies but being too hot or too cold will affect your sleep. Have you every fallen asleep with cold feet??? So, in the summer cotton or silk pillowcases help keep you cool, while in the winter, warm cosy flannel sheets are best. I have also heard that sleeping naked is the best way to keep your body temperature regulated in summer and in winter!!!


On doing some research into how important our sleep environment is, I am making a vow, right here, right now, to keep my room tidier as I want to be get the best night’s sleep possible! Who else is with me?


To check out what my set up now looks like i have done a reel on my insta page - https://www.instagram.com/mamma.nurture/

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