GoodyBlog

This Clock Lays Eggs

I’m on a never ending mission to become a pleasant morning person. Maybe this chicken clock can do the trick. When the alarm goes off, five eggs drop into the mini-basket. The only way to turn it off is to place all five back in the top of the chicken. Yes, it comes with an extra egg.
Has anyone tried a gadgety alarm clock like this? I know there are runaway clocks and puzzle clocks out there too. But I feel like I’d be less likely to actually get angry at this one. It’s too cute.

Good Deed Friday: Pillow Talk

Want to help a child staying in a hospital room sleep easy? Try one of these pared down comic pillowcases from Chatty Pillows. Each one is printed with a cheeky phrase that conveys just what your pillow might be thinking. In hopes of making hospital rooms a little more funny and a little less scary, for every 10 pillowcases sold on their website, Chatty Pillows will donate one pillowcase to the Children's Hospital of New York, Presbyterian. They won’t stop there either. Chatty Pillows will keep this going even after every bed is filled, with plans to move on to other hospitals.

Baby Surveillance

Specs for the Portable Color LCD Digital Wireless Monitoring System from closed circuit TV company, Lorex, came across my desk with the heading “Taking ‘Baby Monitor’ to the Next Level.” Not one to back down from a new level, I read on.
With it, (and for a decent chunk of change) you can view from one to four secure wireless cameras on one base, meaning you can watch more than one child or part of the house at the same time. This is a growing trend with baby monitors and, it seems, a practical way to keep an eye on multiple kids at night.
The Lorex model can also be set up outdoors. So, I thought, does it come with a loudspeaker? As in, “Get OUT of the shed. I can see you!”
It does not have a loudspeaker. It does have high sound quality, no interference from other electronics, an automatic on/off function that corresponds with its ability to sense movement, a remote nightlight switch, a rechargeable battery, and nightvision. Oh, and the monitor can be hooked up to your TV.
In other words, this is serious surveillance. And it begs the question: Is this type of technology a busy parent’s dream come true, or a little too Big Brother? 

Braaaaaaaains! (or, How Did You Survive Sleep Deprivation?)

Let's face it: Uninterrupted sleep is a luxury that most new parents don't get. At least, that's what I always heard. I never thought much of it while my wife was pregnant. I always assumed this truth statement and moved on with life, not comprehending what was to come.

After all, I survived college! For example, when I was the managing editor of my college's student newspaper, there were production nights that lasted 30+ hours. Sure, I was delirious and there not a few times when I started losing it and/or hallucinating. During one famous "episode" brought on by sleepless hysteria and stress, I took a black magic marker and labeled everything in my office. Including the walls. Seriously.

But, the one thing that always followed said production night-mare was a long coma-like stretch of sweet, sweet, delicious sleep. After I woke up (occasionally at 5-6 p.m.), all was well with the world. Suffice it to say, that ain't an option anymore. Not only is it hard for me to sleep past 8 a.m. nowadays, I do have a few more responsibilities. That, and I think my job security at America's Leading Magazine for Parents would be in severe jeopardy.

Don't get me wrong. I love my daughter. She is the CUTEST BABY EVAR. I love when she coos and smiles and does cute things with the little hanging toys on her bouncer. I even love calming her down when she's being a bit cranky. But...not having a large chunk of uninterrupted sleep is killing my wife and I. By three o'clock in the afternoon...I'm done for. I long for one of those gourmet sleep sessions that's available up the road a bit.

So, I ask you gals and guys: How did you survive these first few months, and what advice can you offer a sleep-deprived dad who feels as if he should be an extra for Night of the Living Dead?

Extreme Product Testing: Graco Sweetpeace Soothing Center

I'll just say it: My wife and I love the Sweetpeace Soothing Center. It's the Rolls Royce of baby swings. And, thanks to the generosity of my coworkers during my baby shower here at Parents, my wife and I have one. (I propose Graco make one that's adult sized, with surround sound, built-in remote, and cup holders.)

When we need Em to chill out a bit, or if we need to do something unnecessary (such as cook, eat, or clean), we put her in the Soothing Center's grasp. You can choose seven different speeds, four different seat positions, vibration—it even has a speaker that plays music and sound effects. And if you don't like any of the music offered, you plug your iPod into the bloody thing. Seriously.

Another great feature: If you're about to head out the door, and you have a Graco-made car seat, it snaps right into the Soothing Center. We use it many times as a prep station for Emily when we're getting ready to leave the apartment.

It even gave us a new nickname for Emily—Emily Bear. This is because the headrest looks like a teddy bear head. It's aww cute and fuzzy and wuzzy and et cetera.

When it comes to the soothing aspects of this product, we find that calms the crank once she's subdued a wee bit. For a while, she'd only completely chill if she was sleepy or entirely subdued. Lately, she tends to respond nearly instantaneously once the vibration, rocking, and sound commences.

The only slight drawback is that it does take up a large footprint in the living room. But who cares? I don't. The thing is awesome. I'm restraining myself from using the word "awesome" another 18 times, because we really do love this thing. It's worth every penny.

The Science of Waking Up

This watch has a super power. It’s designed to make waking up in the morning (or middle of the night, depending on your kids’ ages) easier. You program the alarm with a time frame when it would be good for you to get up. Then the SleepTracker uses a special motion detector to set off the alarm at the moment in that range when your sleep cycle is at its lightest. The idea is that you were almost awake anyway. So you’ll open your eyes feeling refreshed, not groggy. With the newest model, the SleepTracker Pro, serious insomniacs can upload and track your data to see what factors are influencing your sleep. Although, lots of you already know what those factors are and just want to be alert enough to avoid tripping over their toys some mornings. The only drawback: it’s pricey ($149 to $179). Have any sleep-deprived gadget-lovers tried this already?

Sleep Success

Last week, I wrote about my high hopes for a new plan to help my 3-year-old, Jane, fall and stay asleep on her own. I vowed not to spend another night asleep on her floor. Inspired by Dr. Alan Kazdin's new book, The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child, I poured on the praise ("WOW!!! That's so great!! You fell back to sleep without me in the room!!!! I'm so proud of you!!!!!) and gave her big hugs and put rainbow-colored star stickers (thanks, Oriental Trading) on her pink sleep chart. We played the "going to sleep game" where we pretended that she was falling asleep and I said goodnight and left the room, as well as the "going back to sleep game," where she pretended to wake up in the middle of the night and come into my bedroom and then go back to her room to sleep by herself. Every time that she pretended to do what I wanted her to do "in real life," she got the same mega-praise and a sticker (or three) on her chart. Amazingly, she totally jumped on the bandwagon. We only spent two days practicing, and she fell asleep solo all week. To celebrate, we went to Target and bought her a new princess nightgown. "I slept through the night!" she now says gleefully when she wakes up in the morning, "How did you sleep, Mommy?"   So far, so good!

Summer of Sleep

Once upon a time, my 3-year-old daughter, Jane, was an amazing sleeper. For more than two years, we'd kiss her goodnight, she'd fall asleep by herself, and we wouldn't hear from her until morning. However, a few months after she graduated to her big-girl bed, she decided she was afraid of the dark and didn’t want to stay in her room alone (perfectly age appropriate, I know). She started screaming “I don’t want to go to sleep!” or “I can’t close my eyes!” REALLY LOUDLY. Despite my best intentions, I ended up lying down on her floor every night at bedtime (resting on her giant stuffed dog), and often for hours in the middle of the night because I didn't want her yells to wake her big sister in the next room. It became a big bad habit for both of us.

Now that my older daughter has left for sleep-away camp, I knew it was time to get serious about this situation. My initial plan was to gradually shorten the length of time I spent in her room (and edge closer to the door), but the problem was that I was so tired that I kept falling asleep myself.

Last night, my husband had a sincere heart-to-heart with Jane. He told her that she really had to stay in her bed when she woke up during the night because Mommy gets really grumpy when doesn’t get enough sleep. "Okay, Daddy," she said. Although bedtime was still an ordeal, when Jane came into our room in the middle of the night, we insisted that she go back to her own bed. And amazingly, she did.

This morning, I suddenly realized that I needed to use Dr. Alan Kazdin’s technique for changing kids’ bad  behavior. I had heard Dr. Kazdin—director of Yale’s Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic—speak about his research-backed method earlier this year, and decided that we should do an article about it in Parents. (It’ll be in our August issue—stay tuned.) His basic premise: Praise—not consequences or time-outs—is what makes a child change her behavior. If you want your child to do something (play nicely, stay in her room at night) you need to give her over-the-top praise every time she does it—and also make a game out of “practicing” the good behavior so that it becomes ingrained. Every time your child does the right thing (for real, or as part of the game), she gets a sticker or point on a chart.

“WOW!!! You went back to sleep on your own last night and didn’t need me to sit with you!!! That’s so great!!!!” I told Jane, and gave her big hug. Then we went into the living room and I made a chart out of construction paper, and let her put a big star sticker on “Monday.” Then I said, “Do you want to play a game where you practice going to sleep on your own? I’ll get in my bed, and you get in your bed, and you pretend to wake up and call me. If you can stay in your bed and pretend to go back to sleep, I’ll give you another sticker!!!” We did it, and she was so excited. “I want to do it again and again and again!” she said. After a few more times, we pretended it was bedtime, and I read her a story and then she practiced staying in her room all by herself. We had to add a second sheet of paper so there was room for all the star stickers.

It’s only day one, but I’m hoping that July will be a breakthrough month. (And since I keep hearing that a lack of sleep makes you gain weight, maybe I’ll get skinny too.) I’ll keep you posted.

Ambient 1: Music for Emilys

Our little Emily was wide awake last night after her "nighty night feeding." Mommy and Daddy, however, were ready to drop like a sack of lead bricks. So, I figured I'd try something that helped Daddy sleep during his caffeine-addled college years: Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports. Within minutes, Emily drifted into a sleepy baby coma.

Once we had her in the bassinet, I loaded Music for Airports into an iPod and brought it into the bedroom along with our iPod boombox. In order to test out my hypothesis, I'd leave it off and shortly afterward Emily got fussy. I turned it on, sweet blissful rest.

I don't know if this will work for everyone—and it may not work long for us—but it seems to work now. Besides, if you're into electronic music, this album is a pivotal one in the development of the genre. And even if you're not into electronica, it's nice to listen to when you need to chill out and you want something gentle in the background.

Put on Your Sleeping Cap

Sleep and baby...we all wish they went together like peanut butter and jelly. Wouldn't you do anything to get your baby to sleep anywhere at any time?

If the answer is yes, then take a look at the Downtime Organic Sleepy Hat at Zoe B. They say it's designed with safety in mind: it's completely breathable, super soft, 100% organic, and very light-weight. I wonder though, would I feel comfortable pulling the little cap's flap down over my baby's eyes while she's sleeping? Would a baby wake up and freak out if their vision was suddenly obstructed? Or would she just respond by yanking the eye cover off?

I'd buy one for myself if I could, but I think I'll have to just settle for these.