August is “Good Night, Sleep Right” month at ButYouDontLookSick.com!
One thing I have learned from my first year of parenting is that if the baby isn’t happy, no one is happy! The next thing I learned is that no one is happy if they don’t get sleep. This whole month we have been talking about the importance of sleep for adults, and especially those living with chronic illness. Sleep is equally important for the children in our lives. Children live happier, healthier lives when they get a good night’s rest (or a good nap). We have scoured the internet for children’s sleep products and have listed some of our favorites below. If you have children, or if you know someone with children, check our top ten new sleep products for kids.

1. Be the Boss of Your Sleep Book – We need to give kids more credit for what they can and cannot do. This book gives them the tools they need to understand their bodies and help them learn self – care for sleep. I loved the easy to understand tips for calming down, and relaxing. If it was good for me, it is great for the kids in your life! Kids self-care techniques help them fall asleep faster, stay asleep, and deal with fears and discomfort so they can feel well rested and energized every day. This book is recommended by Andrew Weil, MD and I recommend it too! Recommended for ages 8+.

2. “Stuk on U” Pajamas – whoever thought of these was GENIUS! Imagine it is 3am, you need to change your baby’s diaper, you are tangled up in pajama feet and buttons. You and your baby are not happy. You are frustrated and cranky and can’t get your baby re-dressed. Who made pajamas with 52 buttons? The person who invented “Stuk on U” pajamas, with all Velcro closures, is fabulous and has made late night changes a breeze! Two seconds to undress and even quicker to get dressed again. Velcro is quick and easy for late nights and mom’s with fumbling hands. I want to go buy 100 pairs. If you want your best friend to love you, go buy her some too. Note: be careful when throwing these PJ’s in the dryer, as the Velcro stuck to everything! You can buy these pajamas at www.StukOnU.net for $14.99. They come in sizes from 0- 18 months.
3. Lullaby music Cd’s. – I know I can not sleep without soothing, relaxing music in the background. Not only does it sound pretty, but it blocks out other noise like cars outside, or other people in the house. Why not try this method with your kids? There are SO many music Cd’s you can choose from. You can do a simple search on amazon.com for lullabies, or why not check out some of these lesser known musicians. The musicians below prove your kid’s will love music without a big furry puppet singing to them on TV.
a. Good Night Lullabies, gentle soothing music by Patrice Cosier. The artist actually studied how certain tempos and rhythmic patterns actually assist the brain in entering a sleep state. If it can sound pretty and put my child to sleep it is worth a try! * The good people at Good NIght Lullibies have offered our readers a 25% off discount!! Put “bydls25” in the coupon box to receive the discount.
b. Stardust – by Cher and Gene Klosner This CD has over 2 ½ hours worth of music with each song having an instrumental and vocal version. This CD won tons of awards for 2008 including the iParenting media award, Parent’s Choice Award, Creative Child Award and the “Family- Approved” seal from The Dove Foundation.
4. Sleep themed books – We have all heard kids ask for bedtime stories, but it is even better when the books are about bedtime! Not only is reading to your child a great time to foster a love of reading, but it is also a great time to set an example by reading stories about wonderful sleep-time habits. There are tons of books about sleep-time, including some of your child’s favorite characters like Elmo takes a nap, etc. Here is one book you
might not have heard of:
“Ready for Bed – a Tale of Cleaning Up, Tucking In, and Hardly Any Complaining” (What a great title!) This series of books are meant for parents and kids to read together and are written with great messages that families will love.

5. Handmade Blankets – Every kid loves blankets, but this one is handmade and comes with hugs and kisses! I am totally in love with this pattern and wish I knew how to knit. Created from a cotton and yarn blend, the blankets have an “X and O” pattern on the edges to symbolize hugs and kisses and they are so soft and beautiful. The blanket is designed to hold the scent of the mother/father, so when the parents are away, the baby can be still be comforted by their scent. To make this product even better, a portion of the proceeds go to make blankets that are donated to deployed troops overseas so that the newborns will have “hugs and kisses” from their daddies far away. You can purchase yours at: www.bestillandknit.com. Please note that these gifts are custom made to order, so be sure to leave 4 weeks or so to get them. They come in a variety of colors for $40, what a special gift!
6. The Sleep Sheep – I have personally used this sheep from the time my daughter was 1 month old. This is my all time favorite baby item. All I can say is that it works like magic. My daughter has always slept through the night with no problem. It is easy to turn on and off even in a dark room. The few times she didn’t have her sheep, was when she didn’t sleep at home where her sleep sheep was and it was a problem. I didn’t know they had a smaller travel kind until I checked out their website! Maybe it is the soft soothing sounds of a mother’s heartbeat? Maybe it is a soft cute sheep that she likes to keep her company near her crib? I don’t know how or why this sheep works…. But it does! I plan on it being my “signature baby shower gift”. Every mom will thank you! Retails for $27 and worth every penny! Get yours at cloudb.com or at Amazon.com below:

7. Twilight Collection– very cool nightlights for your baby’s bedroom. We tried the Twilight Ladybug™ – Constellation Nightlight Transforms Any Room into a Starry Night Sky. As children get older a dark room can be a scary place. The twilight Ladybug makes bedtime fun and helps ease children’s fear of the dark by projecting a starry night sky onto bedroom ceiling and walls. Stars and Ladybug shell illuminate in three magical colors to help children sleep easier. The perfect sleep companion for children of all ages! This is such a cute idea for any child’s bedroom. It is a unisex gift that parents can start using right away and keep using into those toddler years and beyond. I even found it relaxing in my room! They do have a turtle and a sea turtle too. You can choose between red, blue and green light colors. The light will automatically shut off after 45 minutes. Hopefully your kids
will be asleep by then. Retails for $34 get yours at cloudb.com or at Amazon.com below:

8. The SwaddleMe by Kiddopotamus. Okay, this product does look a little silly. It is a cotton blanket that once you swaddle up, and Velcro looks like a little mini straight jacket. They come in every imaginable color and fabric. There are other “no-name” brands out there and even just regular blankets, but I have found that nothing works quite like this one by SwaddleMe. We started swaddling our newborn the moment we got home. It was suggested by the hospital, as it soothes all babies, but especially preemies. Our daughter slept like a dream every time we used the SwaddleMe. In fact when we tried other brands or plain blankets, she wiggled right out and was up and cranky. I think she liked feeling all cozy and tight. People have asked me how we got my daughter to sleep through the night at such a young age, and I truly believe this product is one of the reasons. Once I bought one to try and saw how well it worked, we were at the store the next day buying more!

9. Tell Me a Story CD audiobooks – Veteran columnist Amy Friedman and renowned composer Amy Hall have created an award winning collection of CD audiobooks. You might remember Amy Friedman as the piano player from the popular TV show “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?”. I love reading to my daughter, but there are some nights when I am so exhausted I can barely see the words on the page. These Cd’s are great for those nights when you still want the routine of a story, but are feeling less like Mother Goose and more like Sleeping Beauty. These Cd’s have timeless folktales that you will be happy to play for your little one. I like that many of the stories are multi-cultural and so creative. Sometimes it is hard to find those qualities in traditional, main stream books. I also think they would be great for entertaining the kids on long car trips. What makes this product even
better is that a portion of all proceeds goes to the organization Carrie-on.org which is a day recreation facility for children with terminal illness. Help your child sleep better, learn new stories and help other children at the same time. You can get yours on amazon.com below:

10. Johnson’s Bedtime products with Natural Calm – From the sweet lavender scent of the bath soap, to the baby lotion and massage gel – this 3 part system is a winner. Johnson’s is a name we all know and trust for baby products, but now they have added many products to their sleep line. Look for the unique colored purple bottles in your local store. Most major baby retailers have these items on their shelves. The aromotheraputic scents will set the mood for a peaceful bedtime. I find that I am more relaxed after using the lotion too. (If you like the baby line, consider looking for the adult sleep version from Johnson’s as well. Many doctors talk about
establishing a nightly bed routine for your child and for yourself to achieve optimal sleep habits. Use these wonderful smelling products to help start off your bedtime ritual, with scent and touch that your baby will love.

*Please use your own parenting judgment, or consult your pediatrician before using any of the above products.
Reviews written by Christine Donato, butyoudontlooksick.com ©