In a bid to try and make her own bed a more appealing place we have tried using new blankets (Ella's special 'blank' as she calls it), regressing slightly by giving her a bedtime bottle and reading a multitude of stories before she falls asleep. Admittedly all of these attempts have failed and call me a bad parent but I've had to leave her crying herself to sleep because otherwise she'd be up all night. It's really awful. It makes me feel like a failure, Fraser & I sometimes come to disagree because we are frustrated and all the while we have got a little baby to watch too. It's just a terrible combination. I often but it down to being lucky in all other aspects of the day & this is just my deserved dose of bad behaviour because it's only fair.
Although this is only a recent issue, maybe the past 4 weeks, it hasn't really translated to overnight stays at my mums house. My mum has her own bed time routine with Ella where she puts her to bed and uses her Sonos Music System (basically speakers integrated into her ceiling and operated by a base unit) to play lullabies and this really works to send her off to sleep.
We looked into doing the same in our house and it was going to cost a fortune. We often thought about leaving our phones/tablets in the room too but then notifications from social media or if I have to do a little bit of work meant that wasn't the best option. Plus it would also involve having to go back later to take it out and risk waking her up - not one I was willing to take!
Then I seen the Zazu Music Box and thought we'd found a cheap solution! We opted to get Zoe the Penguin, a cute little speaker that connects via bluetooth to your smartphone and plays your music. It's even compatible with your spotify playlists so you can create your own or use the handy pre-made Zazu Night Time playlist.
If you're out and about you can take Zoe the penguin on the go and it even has an attachment to clip on to your pushchair meaning you won't lose it. The speaker has some pre-programmed music too including white noise, heartbeat, birds tweeting and many more. Ella's favourite is the lullaby which we have been playing for her the past few nap times/bed times and although there may be a few tears and tantrums, they're short lived!
The speaker also has volume control which I love! Most of these products only have one setting whereas at least you can turn this up and down dependant on the setting you're looking to accommodate. It works wirelessly and the battery life lasts forever. We haven't had to charge it in the week that we have used it and Ella has also been playing with it outwith napping.
I'm glad to see a product that has actually adapted with the changes in technology and can fit in with a modern lifestyle but more than that I love that it may have brought us a solution to a stressful bedtime!
*ZAZU MUSIC BOX GIFTED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
