Tag Archives: sleep

Review: Good Nite Lite – a great gadget for kids ages 3+

Age 3-5, Age 5-7, Bedtime, Must Haves, New posts, , ,

This is a great gadget for a toddler or school age child or a parent who’s child’s sleep patterns need adjusted… like mine!  What a dream it would be to sleep in until I WANT Madelyn to get out of bed… 9:00a.m. would be great but I’d settle for 8:30.  With the help of the Good Nite Lite she is beginning to understand that she can’t get out of bed in the wee hours of the night.  The Good Nite Lite sun illuminates at 7:30 a.m., the time I’ve programmed it to so that she knows that it is OK for her to get out of bed.  I’ll let you know when I can push the time back to 8:30a.m… which will be.. uh, never.

Good Nite Lite

More about the Good Nite Lite

  • Program the time you want the sun to illuminate in the morning and when you want the moon to illuminate in the evening so your child knows when it’s time to get up and go to bed.
  • It’s fun to look at!
  • The Good Nite Lite features a friendly, glowing moon/sun face that changes from a Moon to a Sun at the programmed “wake-up” time and from a Sun to a Moon at the programmed “bedtime.” Children rapidly come to associate the moon image with the knowledge that it is still bedtime and the sun with the idea that it is the correct time to wake up. During the day, the Good Nite Lite automatically shuts off to eliminate any distractions and to conserve energy.
  • The Good Nite Lite will help your child learn that he/she needs to stay in bed until the ‘the sun is on’ as Madelyn says.

One minor fault I see with the Good Nite Lite is that it covers both outlets so you can’t have another device plugged into the second outlet while the Good Nite Lite is plugged in.

The Good Nite Lite is available online at www.goodnitelite.com for just $34.99.

Review:
The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime

Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Books, New posts, ,

The No-Cry Nap SolutionI am a firm believer in naps. It was difficult for me when Madelyn started fighting nap time at about 2 years old but I am determined for her to nap until she’s 10 at least 4.  Sebastian, now 9, took naps until he was 5 and still would if it was up to me! I need ‘nap time time’.  I need that couple of hours to work in peace, take a shower, or exercise and she needs the nap for many reasons.

In ‘The No-Cry Nap Solution‘ Elizabeth covers many reasons why your child may fight nap time including irregular schedules, being overtired and over-wired by nap time, and reliance on a specific sleep aid.  I believe that Madelyn started fighting nap time when we re-scheduled her nap time to 1:00 from her regular 11:30 nap time.  She was too wired and tired to settle down at 1:00 so it was difficult to get her to sleep.  I would not have thought about her being over-tired, but once we got her back to going down around 11:30-12:00, she fell asleep much quicker and with less of a fight.

Daytime naps might last just a few short hours, but they can affect all twenty-four hours of a child’s day. Naps can improve a child’s mood and reduce fussiness, crying, whining, and tantrums. Studies show that children who nap daily get sick less often, grow taller, and are less likely to be obese when they grow up. Naps enhance attention span and brain development. Naps can also help make up for any shortage in nighttime sleep. Even a one hour shortage in overall sleep hours can have a negative effect on a child – compromising alertness and brain function, and increasing fussiness and fatigue.

Author, Elizabeth Pantley, is the author of several other parenting books including the popular No-Cry Sleep Solution and has four children of her own so I trust that she knows what she’s talking about.  I highly recommend The No-Cry Nap Solution for any new parent or even parents of toddlers.. it’s never to late to figure out why the heck your child won’t take a nap and learn how to make nap-time happen!

You’ll find information about all 9 of Elizabeth Pantley’s books on her website.

Review: Jewel Lullaby CD

Bedtime, Music & DVD, New posts, , , , , ,

The combination of Jewel’s angelic voice and the timeless lullaby classics such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star will make your heart flutter and you’ll want to stay in your baby’s room while she is lulled to sleep by Jewel’s voice.

Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Jewel partnered with Fisher-Price and Somerset Entertainment to debut her first-ever independent release, Lullaby.  The 15-track album features 10 self-penned songs and classics including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Somewhere Over the Rainbow which as you can imagine are beautifully sung by Jewel.  The acoustic record is reminiscent of Jewel’s twelve-time platinum album, Pieces of You.

Lullaby is a wonderful album for busy moms to listen to at the end of the day and if you’re like me and you need to create a peaceful car riding environment for the kids (and yourself!), just put Lullaby in your car CD player and I’m pretty sure your kids, no matter what their age, will be calm and quiet within a matter of seconds.  Just don’t fall asleep while driving!

Jewel states that “It’s the perfect album to relax to at the end of a long day,” and I agree.  “It’s really a mood album.  It’s great for children, but adults will love it too.”

Lullaby was produced by Jewel and recorded at her home studio in Stephenville, Texas and is available at major retailers in the baby and infant departments, as well as online at jeweljk.com and iTunes.  Get your copy today!
Listen to samples here.

Review: Create your perfect pillow by Select Comfort

New posts, Relaxation, ,

I’ve been on a quest for a good night’s sleep for about.. let me think .. 10 years. Since I was pregnant with Sebastian, almost 10 years old. I didn’t know at the time that the sleep I got during the first trimester of my first pregnancy included my last full nights of sleep. I would have thrown a farewell party.

Select Comfort - Create your own pillow

Just because I dont’ get a full night’s sleep doesn’t mean I can’t be comfortable when I am sleeping or in bed wishing I was asleep.  I was lucky enough to receive a Select Comfort personalized pillow recently and now know that a good pillow can make a big difference in the quality of sleep I get as well how good or bad my back and neck feel in the morning. Before using my new Select Comfort pillow created just for me based on my sleep position and comfort ‘requirements’, I woke up with a sharp pain in my neck and my neck would be uncomfortable for an hour or so after I got out of bed. I am a stomach sleeper (not so good) and my previous pillow had my neck in a very bad position, several inches above the level of my spine which I learned was not good for my neck or spine.

My new Select Comfort personalized pillow was created based on my answers to several questions and my comfort preferences.  My personalized pillow is filled with Down alternative, has a silver outer ‘shell’, and a silver protector.  Down alternative is less expensive than Down, equally shapeable, and hypoallergenic unlike Down. Other fills include real Down, feather, silver, and memory foam.   I love the silver outer protector.  It’s cool to the touch and is naturally antimicrobial (inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, or viruses) which is great for “germaphones” (Sebastian’s word for germaphobe) like me.

My Select Comfort pillow goes everywhere I go.  No, not to the living room.. just on vacation.  Once you get used to your very own personalized pillow, leaving it home when you travel is like forgetting to pack your bra.  Not good!

Go ahead, create your perfect pillow here.

Pilloroo – a pillow for kids with a surprise inside!

New posts, , , , ,

Pillaroo The Pilloroo is a gift givers (and recipients) dream!
Pilloroo is a 14″ pillow with a zippered pocket that opens to reveal a coordinating surprise.

Madelyn got a Pilloroo for Christmas and now has 3 comfort blankets and a Pilloroo.  I have to stop the growth of her comfort clan soon or it’s going to get out of control!

Perfect for long car rides, the Pilloroo is an all-in-one comfort item, and toy.. and in our case, a snack carrier too!  When we are going to scouts or going to be in the car for a while, I pack a snack bag and stick it in the Pilloroo pouch for Madelyn to find.  I love the surprised look on her face when there’s something new or different in the Pilloroo pocket.  Now, if I would find a million dollars in there, I would be thrilled.

Each pillow comes with a stuffed animal that lives in the pillow’s secret pouch.  Pilloroo pillows make great gifts and with about 20 designs to choose from, you’ll find one for every child you love.