As the holidays swing into full gear, sleep becomes a valuable but very truncated activity for both parents and children. I just wrote about the critical importance of sleep for the developing child, but wanted to share some fun ways I found to enhance the likelihood of sleep for you and your family- and they make great gifts! I rarely shop- as a pediatrician and mother of three I tend to shop on-line, late at night. So I am always searching and researching for the very best products and then I stick with them- especially when it comes to my children
- 1. Make those nighttime fears disappear:
If your child is Having Trouble Getting to Sleep at night because they are hearing strange noises or imagining things lurking in their closet or under their bed? Sunny, the Fearless Guard Dog will help make their fear disappear. He is an adorable dog that comes in two sizes and he sleeps with one eye open and one eye closed, so that he can watch over your child while she sleeps. This site also sells many other “fearless” products for your kids to combat fears of thunder, ghosts and goblins and other sources of childhood anxiety. And they sell an amazing inflatable toddler bed as well.
www.theshrunks.com/product/product_sunny.asp - 2. The Miracle pillow www.honeydumplings.com
They took a mat and stitched it together at one end – converting it into a shell then slipped a luxury, eco-friendly fibrefill insert inside and the mat now becomes a soft and puffy, hypoallergenic pillow for your toddler.
.Buckwheat toddler pillow comes wrapped in recyclable packaging. Parents swear these pillows help their child not only fall asleep but keep them asleep.
Why Buckwheat? Because it doesn’t require fertilizer or pesticides and is naturally fungus and mildew-resistant, so these pillows are especially good for children with allergies.
What they say: Buckwheat hulls are the husks that protect the buckwheat kernels from various elements in nature?
•Buckwheat crops do not require fertilizers, pesticides or tilling?
•Buckwheat hulls are odourless, pest, fungus and mildew resistant and naturally hypoallergenic?
•Buckwheat hulls come from a renewable source and are compostable?
•Buckwheat hulls are flexible and easily adapt to the shape of the body – minimizing tensions while maximizing comfort?
•Buckwheat hulls provide firm, even support for proper body and spine alignment?
•Buckwheat hulls are light and are able to interlock to one another while still allowing air to circulate freely. They do not accumulate humidity or heat from the body so they remain cool and dry ? a cozy surface never being too hard or soft, too warm or cold? 
3. NAP Time at school: The kid’s eco nap mats from SewnNatural www.etsy.com are handmade from organic cotton and a cool eco-friendly fabric that combines hemp and recycled plastic bottles and look super comfy. They fold up for easy transport, and can be personalized with your child’s name.
There are some other wonderful nap mats at Chocolate Cake Club, www.choclatecakeclub.com including the Stephen Joseph new Cat Toddler Nap Mat by Stephen Joseph which is perfect for taking to daycare or overnight trips. Each nap mat is extremely soft and comfortable and are easy to take trips or to school. …toddler tiger mat- 4. Donate Stuffed Animals, Baby Blankets, and Children’s Books
Project Night Night donates over 25,000 Night Night Packages each year, free of charge, to homeless children who need childhood essentials to feel secure, cozy, rand eady to learn. Each Night Night Package contains a new security blanket, an age-appropriate children’s book, and a stuffed animal — all nestled inside of a new canvas tote bag. By providing objects of reliable comfort, Project Night Night reduces trauma and advances the emotional and cognitive well-being of the children they serve.Project Night Night is a tax exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Service code.Get involved by hosting an event, sponsoring a package or starting a corporate program.
