What would you give for a good night's sleep?

Kangaroo care, family beds, your baby using you as a pillow or insisting you stay close when they sleep.. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why children sleep so much sounder when a carer is near?

The smaller the child the less of an understanding they have of what sleep means. They are not sure what happens when they fall asleep and if they will still find the world as they know it when they come back. Will they still be in the same place? Are mummy or daddy going to still be there? For a child to fall asleep they need to be able to let go, to trust that they are in safe place, that they will still find their way back to this world after the sleep. This takes continuity, routines, and comfort. 

Scientists are not quite sure if babies dream, or rather what they dream about, since we can't just ask them. We do know, however, that they spend a good amount of their sleep in the REM face, during which the brain is actively processing information and learning, so good quality sleep is super important!

Sometimes it's not possible to stay close to provide comfort to your child even if you wanted to though. Sometimes we're forced to leave them overnight in a hospital or nursery. Or perhaps you just didn't win the sleeping-baby-lottery and were given a restless baby who wakes up every two hours. Let's be honest, the lack of sleep (theirs and subsequently yours) can drive a parent a little nuts! This is why an Islandic mum, working in close collaboration with nurses, doctors, child pshychologists and midwifes, created the Lulla Doll Sleep Companion. 

The Lulla Doll is gender and race neutral. It's soft and machine washable - in fact some hospitals are already using it also with premies and other babies with extra scpecial needs on hygiene.

The Lulla Doll also has a soundbox playing a recording of a real life mummy's heartbeat and breathing.

Why should a slightly creepy sounding baby doll be the solution to your sleeping problems, you may ask? Well this is where we come back to those basic needs babies have. If you think about it, we all spend the first 9 months listening to our mother's heartbeat and breathing. This is the most familiar, comforting sound a baby can hear. Babies actually synchronise their heartbeat to the mother's (or the doll's in this case), which means the heartbeat remains constant and calm, reducing the possibility apnea and SIDS. The sound of the Lulla Doll also keeps the environment unchanging, which will help the baby relax.

The soft cotton of the Lulla Doll will also absorb some of your smell (or the smells of your home) which will be familiar to your baby even when sleeping elsewhere.

We can't promise the Lulla doll will make your child sleep all night every night, but we can tell you it has been a huge help for a lot of parents. Don't take our word for it though. Read what they say about the Lulla Doll for example in here or here (in English), or in here and here (in Italian).