How we helped change sleep for the better with Lulla Doll

My kids are not the best at sleeping. They generally constantly want to nurse, or just wake frequently at night. My first born is the best of the bunch – once he’s asleep, he’s out for 12 hours – but getting him to fall asleep and stay asleep in early days was tough. Our second still wakes at least once a night, and, of course, we have a five month old to contend with.

In my time as a parent, I’ve tried all sorts of sleep methods (or lack thereof) and we’ve been pretty happy bedsharing over the years, but I don’t know if it’s just because we haven’t had the time, or if it’s because we just need a bit of a break, I realized it was time to try something we’ve never used with any consistency or success – a lovey.

I don’t even know why we never tried these things besides the fact that I’m pretty sure that my sheer laziness was to blame. Five years and three kids later, I was hoping for a little relief, and then Lulla came along.

This thing is everything that I’ve ever wanted in a toy and I’m pretty ecstatic about it. Five years ago, I would have poo-pooed this thing as “gimmicky” and “a crutch” for parents. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME?

Lulla dolls are the brain child of Icelandic mother of two Eyrun Eggertsdottir. Designed with the idea that babies like to feel close to a caregiver, she designed a soft, allergen free, organic doll with a small playback machine inside. When you press the doll’s heart, low-decibel heartbeat and breathing can be heard. The doll has a neutral skin tone that’s neither white nor black making it ideal for any baby and it’s just got short “hair” allowing it to be genderless or gendered depending on your child’s preferences.

As I drove home with our Lulla (who I’ve named Homer), I wore the doll in my shirt to allow it to pick up my scent. As soon as I walked in the door, I showed its little face to the baby and he was thrilled! Its big, sweet face is perfect for little guys (who love seeing faces). He immediately took to Homer in daytime but I was so curious to see how bed time would fare.

OH. MY. GAWD.

When I put Gus down for his nap, as I rolled away, a firetruck blared down our street and he stirred. I thought, “Oh, crap!” but no! Gus turned his head towards Homer and put his arm lovingly on the doll and proceeded to sleep for two hours!

Our Lulla Doll has been a wonder for making bedtime transitions easier for the little dude, allowing me to sneak away and work or tidy or whatever. Is every bed time perfect? Absolutely not, but I’ve seen a marked improvement in my ability to bail away from Angus after he’s fallen asleep.

For very small babies, and even for preemies, there is a little strap tether thing hidden in the back which can allow you to securely strap the Lulla onto a crib, car seat or stroller so that you have nothing in the crib/bed/whatever with baby. And while the price tag is a little steep ($99!) I actually think it’s a worthwhile investment and an excellent baby shower ask.

If you are having a baby shower, I HIGHLY recommend putting Lulla on your registry. You will not regret it.