How to Introduce Lulla to your Baby

Firstly, please let me make you aware of safe sleep guidelines. The Lulla Doll is AUST/NZ safety approved and has been thoroughly safety tested to be suitable for babies from birth. The whole design was made with safety in mind. The doll is very light, made from natural materials, has no loose items nor toxic chemicals. The sound is set at a safe volume of 65db but is clearly audible even from a short distance. The benefits of the doll can be experienced even though the doll is placed away from the baby.

️Pediatric guidelines all over the world do not recommend that caregivers have loose items in the babies sleep environment from birth to 12 months. With this is mind the Lulla doll is designed to be a cot-attachment, with velcro straps located in the back pocket for easy attachment to most cots, car seats, strollers and other carriers.

️We strongly recommend that from birth to 12 months the doll is kept away from the face and is not loose in the cot during sleep.

️There is no right way or wrong way to introduce your Lulla Doll to your little one, but some tips from our resident Sleep Consultant may just be what you need to tame the more difficult sleeper!

️It is important to wear your Lulla Doll to make her nice and Mummy smelly, or Daddy if you prefer! Lulla’s material was especially selected by our Icelandic mums to absorb your smells more readily. We recommend sleeping with Lulla for a night to accomplish this.

Lulla needs to be pressed for 3-5 secs to activate/deactivate the sounds.  The volume switch on the side of your sound box has three volume settings.  With each click of the button, the volume setting will change.  Please remember the changes are subtle.
Lulla will seem quieter during daylight hours and louder during night time hours, especially if you have a noisy house full of kids during daylight hours like me!

All sleep consultants advise that changing sleep patterns that have been in place for some time (especially in older babies) will take longer as they have been in place longer. Toddlers are creatures of habit, so I hope that makes sense. For a sleep pattern that may have been in place for 6 months or more, it can take a month or longer to see a change (why we have our money-back guarantee for that period and why we can extend your guarantee period).

Introducing 0-4 months

At this age, it is very simple to introduce Lulla. The aim is for Lulla to become a positive sleep association for your baby. Whether they are crying or not, have Lulla switched on during your normal bedtime routine, i.e. patting, rocking, feeding or cuddling. Be consistent with your approach, and use the Lulla Doll for every nap/sleep. Although we see instant success so often, some babies may take a little longer, and we suggest being consistent with your Lulla Doll routine for a month or more.

Lulla is very special because the heartbeat and breathing play for 12 hours and reminds baby of sleeping on or near you. All babies sleep in cycles of approximately 20-50 minutes. “Good Sleepers” can resettle themselves, but babies often seek the initial sleep cues that put them to sleep. We want Lulla to become that sleep cue, so although you may not be there, or the rocking may be gone, Lulla’s sounds, smell and touch (if they are old enough to cuddle) will remain. Many other sleep aids turn off after 30-40 minutes, just when your baby is transitioning to their next sleep cycle, and this is why it is so important that the Lulla sounds play right through their sleep cycles until they fall into a deeper sleep. Lulla plays for 12 hours continuously and does not rely on a cry sensor to switch back on.

️Introducing from 6 months on
The most crucial factor during this age is to take your time! I know it’s very tempting to grab Lulla straight from the mailbox and straight into your baby’s bed (especially if you are in a deprived state of sleep), but unfortunately, your baby is more likely to see Lulla as being a replacement for mum at bedtime and maybe resentful of Lulla for this reason. This is called a negative sleep association, and we don’t want Lulla to be associated with significant changes to your baby’s sleep routine

️Initially, introduce Lulla to your little one with NO sounds, during playtime, when your baby is happy and more willing to accept and bond with Lulla. Encourage cuddling, dressing, wrapping, and general role-playing to encourage this bonding. After 1-2 days or longer, if you feel your baby/toddler needs more time, turn Lulla’s sounds on and make lots of fuss about how beautiful Lulla sounds. Ohhhh and Aahhh and make your baby see just how special you think Lulla is

Now it’s time to introduce Lulla at night as part of your regular bedtime routine, i.e. reading or lying with your baby. Talk to your toddler about what Lulla is for and how Lulla will look after them at night time. It’s incredible how much our little ones understand when being spoken to, even if they can’t express themselves fully.  When you feel that your little one is very confident and secure with Lulla, you can begin to transition away before your little one is asleep. This transition may take a little time to complete, so be patient!

Below is a link to a guide written by Amanda Bude, a very experienced sleep consultant who has worked alongside the Lulla Doll for many years.

https://www.dropbox.com/introducing

️Please, if you have any questions about introducing Lulla Doll, pop us an email or give Michelle a call info@sleeptightbabies.com.au at 0405259674