3 Products That Help My Toddler Sleep Better
Welcome to the February 2013 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Addressing Sleep Challenges.This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. This month our members have written posts about how they address sleep challenges in their homes.
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We have had more than our share of sleep challenges in this house. Our son, now 2 1/2 years old, has always struggled with getting a good night's sleep. (You may remember my posts about my son's parties in the middle of the night as a baby, the wonders of co-sleeping, and all of the gentle methods we've tried to better his sleep.) Shortly before he hit the age of two, things started to come together for him, but he has had a few bumps in the road since then that have led to bedtime becoming a time of high anxiety and stress for him. Thanks to the products below, we are back to a mostly calm and peaceful nighttime experience.
I am in no way affiliated with these products. I'm just sharing three products that have really made a difference in our little guy's life - and believe me we've tried it all!
1. OK To Wake! Owl With Night-Light & Music
Our son was having a really hard time with knowing when it was okay to wake up. Wake up times could range from 4:30 am to 7:00 am. He also struggled with waking in the night and then feeling scared. The Wake Up Owl has made a huge difference for him (and us!). You can set the time inside of this soft and cuddly owl for whatever time you want your child to sleep to. We set ours for 6:30 am. At this time, the owls face gently glows green. When our son wakes and presses the owl's button, it plays happy music and tells him it's okay to wake up now. If he wakes too early and presses the owl's button, the face will glow yellow and tell him to go back to sleep. It will then play some comforting music. Big Brother loves interacting with the owl, and it has really helped him to learn how to comfort himself in the night and sleep later in the morning.
2. Indigo Dreams: Relaxation and Stress Management Bedtime Stories for Children, Improve Sleep, Manage Stress and Anxiety
I have to thank Melissa from Vibrant Wanderings and Julia from A Little Bit of All of It for recommending this CD! Big Brother went through a really difficult phase where falling asleep was so, so stressful for him. We bought him a small CD player and this CD, and almost immediately, he went from taking up to an hour and a half to fall asleep to under a half hour. During the half hour, he would be calm and relaxed as he listened to this meditative CD of stories about children and animals. The narrating voice is very unobtrusive and hypnotic. It actually reminds me a lot of the Hypnobabies CDs I listened to in preparation for my son's birth.
3. HoMedics Sound Spa Nature Sounds Machine
White noise seems to be a go to sleep solution for most babies, and we used a regular white noise machine or cool mist humidifier for a while, but the choice of nature sounds that this machine offers is much more appealing to my son, and I would guess that would be the case for most children. Depending on the week, Big Brother usually favors the ocean sound or the thunder sounds. Having the choice of nature sounds is a fun way for him to customize his bedtime experience.
Have you had a toddler or preschooler face sleep challenges? What recommendations can you share?
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Visit Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival!Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed:
