Douglas suggests that parents use baby-soothing strategies to help induce sleep, including sound/vibration, scent, massage, motion, patting and numerous other strategies, which can, she says, be highly effective in soothing an overtired or over-stimulated baby to sleep.

There are a variety of products designed to facilitate each of these techniques, from cot mobiles offering visual and audio comfort, to rocking chairs and Moses baskets that simulate the gentle rocking motions used by parents.

During the summer months, Douglas offers a number of tips for getting baby to sleep which are also relevant to you right now as a retailer. For example, she advises keeping the room cool and monitoring temperature, so if you have a range of thermometers and fans, start promoting them more heavily and if you don't, think about introducing them next year.

Though black out blinds may not seem an obvious choice of product for a nursery retailer, at this time of year parents will be finding it increasingly difficult to get their baby or toddler to sleep, due to the sheer amount of sunlight coming into the room. Douglas suggests darkening the room and we would advise stocking a range of ready made blinds as a solution.

Many parents recognise the benefit of establishing a bedtime routine, which often involves dinner, followed by bath and a story. You should take the opportunity here to link sales and increase your customer's spend. Take the time to understand your customer's needs; explain the link between hunger and night time waking; offer bath time products and suggest books and musical toys that might also help soothe baby to sleep.

"Although most parents recognise that bonding with a comfort object is a sign of healthy emotional development, they may worry that a child's dependence on a teddy bear or other object may discourage him from becoming more independent. Actually, quite the opposite is true. Allowing your child to turn to his comfort object for reassurance whenever he needs it actually encourages great independence. After all, it's a whole lot easier to go to sleep by yourself if you've got your best friend (a.k.a. "Bunny") tucked under your arm." This sound advice from parentsconnect.com is reassuring for both parents and retailers.

Be innovative in your buying, seek out products that offer sound/vibration, scent and motion as Douglas suggests, in addition to a range of soft toys and rattles that babies and toddlers will associate with the security of sleep.

Most important however, is a range of quality cots, mattresses and Moses baskets in which baby can settle. Be sure to offer a full selection of blankets and sleep bags that will provide an appropriate level of comfort all year round. If you can help your customers to find ways of overcoming countless sleepless nights, they won't be able to thank you enough!

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