Continuing with our monthly topic - The Wonder of Sleep - we caught up with our resident Wondermum (and Bonds Head Designer, Kids & Baby) Phoebe Rofail, who kindly shared with us her journey with sleep and motherhood. As the mama of three, here she reveals the differences between how her children slept as babies, what inspired her to create the latest Bonds Wondercool range, and what she wishes she could change about those bleary early years. Over to you, Phoebe…

My first-born, Sophia, was an amazing sleeper. I could pop her in the cot, in her sleeping bag, and she would put herself to sleep. Although at two-years old Sophia decided day naps were not her thing and has since never slept during the day again. Then Alette arrived and I was not prepared for the sleep deprivation that came with having a toddler, who didn’t day nap, and a baby who didn’t sleep for more than a 40-minute stretch at night. So, in the end I got some expert help.

At around 6-months old Alette finally slept through the night and it was heaven. Getting expert advice from doctors and healthcare professionals was a game-changer. For Alette, it was all about getting her eczema under control, increasing her intake of solid food, and establishing a really strict sleep routine that made the difference. Whilst we managed to finally get Alette to sleep through the night, she has always woken early. And after years of 4am starts, she has now - at the age of eight - started sleeping in until 6am, winning!

My youngest, Noah, thankfully arrived and went with the flow, sleeping soundly and putting himself to sleep as long as he had a large chunk of my hair in his hands. So, co-sleeping with a toddler bed up against our bed for Alette’s late night/early morning wakeups made it work for us.

Back when I had Sophia, the Bonds coveralls were designed with poppers and the Zippy didn’t exist. When I went back to work and we designed the Zippy I was so excited to trial it out on Alette as anything that made late night nappy changing quick and simple was crucial. The beauty of optional cosy cuffs for feet and hands is also another favourite feature. Optional cosy cuffs are so versatile as they help to minimise scratching with eczema babies. They also help to keep babies warm and simultaneously not overheat them. The sleeping bags are also great as a sleep signal when establishing sleep routines.

With three babies who were very different sleepers one thing that always made a difference was temperature. Which is why I was so excited to work on our newest Bonds baby range, Wondercool. Sophia loves to snuggle up and stay warm whilst Alette and Noah always kick off the blankets and hate having their feet covered. As a parent you always worry if they will be warm enough or cool enough, so having a product that reacts to the skin’s temperature thanks to adaptive cooling is something I would’ve loved to have back when they were babies.

When buying any products for sleep it’s really important to make sure it’s from a trusted source. At Bonds, we adhere to very strict checks all the way through the design process, manufacturing and our supply chain to ensure our products are safe. With Wondercool, we worked closely with Red Nose Australia on the styling of our garments to guarantee they are safe for sleeping.

When I do get the rare moment when all kids are asleep and I’m still awake, I love to watch reality TV or read and indulge in another life that doesn’t revolve around getting kids to bed. And back when I was sleep deprived, I wish I would have stolen every opportunity I could to nap and ask for more help. Tucking the kids into the pram and sending them off with Grandma for a walk were the golden moments I should have asked for more of.