toddler won't sleep - Stuff Parents Need

When I was a child I was genuinely excited about when it was time to go to bed. I would always think about what I wanted to dream about that night and then close my eyes good and tight so that I could fall asleep as quickly as possible.

If you want to know the truth, I still do this. Sleep rocks, and I always get a little burst of energy just before bed because I’m so darn happy to be going to sleep.

But here’s the thing: that’s kind of unusual. Especially for a kid. Many kids argue with their parents and have a whole bag of tricks that they use to try to avoid going to bed each night. Darah sometimes doesn’t want to go to sleep, but she takes after her mama in that once she is down, she is usually asleep within 10 minutes.

If that’s NOT the case for your little one, Shushybye products might be of some help! From their site, “SHUSHYBYE is the land way above the clouds – and the land where the resident Shushies live and make dreams for children. Led by Snoozles, Dozie and Zeez, the Shushies place their completed dreams in Dream Boxes that are sent to children via the Shushybye Train driven by Conductor McCloud as they fall asleep. Nothing brings the Shushies more joy than to make the most wondrous dreams for little ones.”

Shushybye has a fun line of products including plush figures, cds and books. They also have a live tour! I will say that the stories and music don’t seem to be about helping your child feel sleepy, which is what I was initially expecting. They are really about helping your child get excited about the dreams that await them at night, and the fun they can have while they are sleeping. The cd is surprisingly upbeat (I was expecting lullabies, and I was totally off base!). This is a different approach to talking about bedtime, as the focus isn’t so much on whether or not the child is sleepy, but rather, what fun they are missing out on if they aren’t sleeping. It’s all about shifting the attitude toward sleep, which is really a much better approach than simply trying to wear your kid out or somehow trick him/her into falling asleep.

I think Shushybye products are ideal for 2 and up, and I would recommend them to anyone whose child thinks bedtime totally stinks.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Shushybye book and cd! The contest will run until August 23rd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.