@Kenson Parenting Solutions

How is that my once sweet, lovable infant who went to bed so easily when I put him down and walked away has morphed into this tantrumming toddler, screaming at the top of his lungs who bangs the walls, shut doors in my face, then trashes his room by dumping all the books from his bookshelf on the floor? I’m mortified and horrified to think what he’ll be like as a teenager. What on god’s earth did I do to this poor child to have a 2 hour tantrum before bed that has him pushing me with two hands and screaming these words, “Go Away!” So I walk away. Then it’s “Come Back You!” “Lie Down You!” “Right there, you can see, he has no idea what it is he wants, I think he’s just over tired and just looking to control me.

Then, I proceed to scream at my husband from the top of the stairs during the whole incident that he better be “googling” how the hell to help this kid while I’m up there taking my nighttime beating physically and emotionally after working all day when I have very little left to give.

There are any number of things that may or may not have happened for us to be the recipients of Gavin’s new found ways of love these days. For sure the holidays definitely got us off our bedtime schedule out late at parties. He’s had multiple sinus infections, respiratory infections and a bout of diarrhea. A few days after Christmas, we transitioned him to a full size bed because he was climbing out of his crib like a circus act. And well, there’s the he’s just a toddler excuse. This is what toddlers do, this wonderful, I guess, thankfully normal stage of development where they are trying to become autonomous. Oh, one more. Since all his teeth are in, he’s definitely got to be growing.

So now that we’ve gotten through the excuses– I will say, parents, it’s so much easier and calmer to help someone problem solve this from the clinician side, being stuck in the trenches yourself does not allow for a lot of mental clarity, that I will say. So I called my best friend and toddler expert, another OT who works with this age group and bounced some ideas off of her to get back on track. Phone a friend people, you are not the only going through this, I promise.

Here’s the plan and though it’s not perfect, the tantrums are not 2 hours long anymore and it’s getting definitely easier. This routine may not work specifically for your child or family but it might spark an idea that will. Whatever the case, make sure to read about my reward chart secret weapon, that is the take home piece of this story.

- We needed to get back to a very structured bedtime schedule. I’ve started the bedtime routine at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. to allow for more time and am trying to focus solely on him. I leave my iPhone downstairs so there are no temptations to “tweet, pin, or update my facebook status.”

- Being in winter we haven’t been doing regular baths to save time and my energy, but it’s definitely a routine with warm water and calming capabilities so we’re back to short, nightly baths.

-For safety purposes, we gated the door of his room with a First Years gate that he can not climb over. So if he’s mad I can come back and check on him without needing to go into the room.

-After bath we put on his diaper, he has a choice of his pajamas (only 2), and I’ve started a lotion routine. It helps keep his dry skin at bay and he seems to enjoy the massage effect.

-We actually go back down stairs after he’s in his pajamas, which may not be the best choice, but we bring his blanket and pacifier with us. Before, if we tried to stay in his room to do the entire bedtime routine he knew it was coming and the  behaviors escalated. I wanted to keep time in the room to a minimum, so he knows it’s bedtime and not playtime.

-Then here comes my secret weapon, the I Can Get Ready for School Chart (pictured above), which is a reward chart from Kenson Parenting Solutions. This company makes a whole host of customizable charts to help kids be rewarded with stars for their good behavior from daily routine charts, to getting ready for school charts, to potty training charts. They have different pictures that can be attached to the chart and there is a magnetic back to be placed on a refrigerator or metal door. It costs $9.95, much less than a sleep specialist.

-I pulled out several of the velcro squares. Clean Your Toys, Brush Your Hair and Teeth, 3 Blank Ones (1 for each book we read) and the Go to Bed/Stay in Bed square.

-We clean up his toys, then he removes the square and places it on the opposite side of the chart to indicate it’s finished. We brush his teeth and do the same.

-We dim the lights and sit on the couch together with his blanket. The 3 blank squares signify the 3 books we read. He has a special bag of library books and choses 1 book at a time. After each book is finished we move over the square. When we reach the time to Go to Bed square he moves it over and  we head upstairs.

-Once in his bed, I read one final story. His absolute favorite which is the same book every night, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen. I leave only the hallway lights on when we read together, at this point I know it by heart, and he holds his special Lighting McQueen flashlight.

- He lies down on the pillow and I give him his pacifier and blanket. For some reason he started requesting months ago that I pat his bum, which I do, usually for a count of 10, then I kiss him goodnight, leave the room and shut the gate.

- I have joined the rank of every good parent and for successful diaper/dressing changes, and attempts at peeing on the potty, he gets an M&M as a positive reward.

Last night it took him almost 45 minutes to settle down and fall asleep but it was without any major tantrum incidents. I could hear him talking and he called for me a few times, but it was much better than previous nights. He is very rules oriented and structured, so the visual chart has been the best choice for us at this point.  This is the part of parenthood that is so hard, especially when you are tired and spent at the end of the day. Being consistent is the hardest thing to do, but a visual chart may help keep you both focused when you are both to frustrated for words. What ever you do, don’t weather the storm alone, because you definitely aren’t alone.

Kenson Parenting Solutions has provided these reward charts free to facilitate this review. The opinions above are my own with a little help from my best friend Debbie Beaulieu, a magnificent OT in Connecticut.

@American Innovative

This fabulous kids alarm clock called the Teach Me Time! Clock from Onaroo by American Innovative, is more than just any ordinary alarm clock. Aside from having a face that shows time the digital way, it also shows analog time, which is the traditional moving hands of the clock. This is such a great feature for older school aged children learning to tell time because they can have immediate gratification of seeing both times displayed. Though here’s my most favorite feature, the clock is also a dual-color nighlight. The LCD will glow yellow, but you can set the clock to turn green, when it is okay for your kids to get out of bed. Amazing, right? Great concrete feature for those older toddlers, like mine, that don’t understand the ability to recognize numbers and have no concept of time.

There is also a Teach Me Time! game with 5 different difficulty levels. A small button on the left side of the clock will display a random time in analog fashion. The button on the right, front side of the clock, will speak the time and also display it in digital fashion, so older school aged kids can practice telling time and self-check it.  For kids who have learned all these great skills, the clock is also a regular alarm clock where the left button functions as a 10 minute snooze button, while the right button silences the alarm. The clock comes with 3 different colored bezels to customize the color, which include blue, pink and yellow rings. The clock runs on AC power to the wall, but there is also battery backup available (2 – AAA batteries required, but not included). I know all of these features sound difficult to remember, but thankfully the parental controls are hidden on the back and a shortcut menu is included directly on the back of the clock.  This product is available for purchase through Amazon.com.

Lately, Gavin has been waking up really early in the morning, like 5 a.m. His internal alarm clock definitely doesn’t understand it when I tell him, “It’s too early, you’ve got to go back to bed.” I’m hopeful that the glowing green light will help us teach him how to stay in his room because the leap to the big boy bed is right around the corner.  I know as parents we’d all love to stay in bed until forever, but you may want to consider setting the clock to turn green, 5-10 minutes after the time your child typically wakes up. As they learn the concept and become successful with staying in bed, you can slowly allow for more snooze time!

I received a media sample to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

@Sesame Workshop

Even before Gavin was born, I knew I wanted him to have a pacifier, despite many people’s contradictory opinions. Working with children who have self-regulation difficulties, or kids for some reason or another who haven’t learned to soothe themselves when they are upset, I was determined to find something for him that would help him self-calm that wouldn’t be me, the bottle or my breasts. And much to the lactation consultant’s dismay, he had a soothie pacifier the day we left the hospital, and never suffered a moment of nipple confusion. Call me crazy but my personal philosophy was simple, you can’t cut off a child’s thumb or fingers, but at some point when they are ready, you can transition them away from the binky by throwing it away, cutting the nipple or giving it away. Gavin is now 2 and his Wubbanub soothie pacifier is his best friend, and I’m not kidding.  As he has learned to talk, he has had multiple nicknames for it along the way, “ming ming, minky, my minky, binky,” and I know as well as anyone, once he named it, we were doomed. Now, like many people, here we are right in the throes of trying to figure out how to get rid of the pacifier.

@Wubbanub

We tried for a week over the summer taking it away cold turkey when he was about 20 months. For those of you familiar with Wubbanubs, which is an adorable animal, attached to a Soothie pacifier, we actually removed the pacifier from the stuffed animal and gave him the animal to sleep with. That week was the most miserable of our lives, probably more so than his. After 1 week of being pacifier free, we actually gave it back. Yes, I broke the rule and did what everyone told me not to and I went back on my word. Nap and nightime got harder and harder for him to fall asleep, or he would wake up in the middle of the night and would be crying desperately trying to find it in the crib. Being a full time working parent and blogger, I personally needed Gavin to sleep consistently because his nap time and bedtime is my work time. Though we didn’t fully transition him away from the binky forever, during that experience we did make some headway. He stopped bringing the binky to daycare for naps and at home we have tried to allow access to the pacifier only in his bed or in his room.

So now that he’s two, we are on step 2 of the plan. A few weeks ago, was national “Put Down the Pacifier Day.” I was asked about reviewing a copy of a new Sesame Street DVD, called, Bye-Bye, Pacifier! Big Kid Stories with Elmo and I jumped at the opportunity. This DVD features 3 different segments with Elmo and his Sesame Street friends that help kids make the leap to big kid things like saying good bye to the pacifier, riding a bicycle and getting a haircut. Gavin is mesmerized by the pacifier segment. What I love about it is that there are multiple strategies that Elmo proposes as ways that he tried to stop using his pacifier. He places them all in a box to give to another baby, he attempts to trade one in at Hooper’s store for another comfort item, and leaves them under his pillow for Abby Cadabby the Binky Fairy. Multiple times along the way Elmo is not successful or ready for the big transition either. That’s the message I love about this DVD, it gives kids a way to practice and plan for the big event. There’s an adorable song that Elmo sings along with Gordon called, “Bye- Bye Binky, Binky Bye -Bye,” which Gavin frequently requests that we watch together on Youtube and I hear him singing on his own when he’s playing. We don’t have a specific timeframe right now of when the big day will come that we will say goodbye to his best friend again, but in the meantime, we’ll keep watching Bye-Bye Pacifier! Big Kid Stories with Elmo hoping that our good friend Elmo will help pave the way for a successful transition, whenever it may be.

Wubbanub Review at Toy Fair with ToyQueen

Pufferfish Squishable

Our pufferfish, squishable stuffed animal, has a permanent home on our couch. Pufferfish doesn’t match any of the decor in the living room, but this 15 inch, plush stuffed animal, is a people magnet. Honestly, anyone, including both kids and full fledged grown adults who have entered our living room over the last few weeks has noticed him immediately, sat down on the couch, placed it on their lap and has immediately begun hugging and squishing it. We entertained a lot of friends and family members at my son’s birthday party over the weekend and this cute guy was seriously the topic of conversation at one point.

My 2-year-old sits on it, bounces on it, launches onto it, carries it around the living room and even tries to squish us with it.  This morning I caught him carrying it into the bathroom before I saved the fish from his attempts at flushing it, though he got an A for effort, it would have never happened just to the shear size of this giant stuffed animal.

I have fallen asleep on him watching television and this Squishable makes an amazing pillow. This also  got me thinking, do you remember those old corduroy overstuffed arm chairs  (which we called husbands) that some of us brought to college for studying? How cool would one of these Squishables be in a tween or teenage dorm room? My niece  in high school said she has seen them online and wanted one for her room. My best friend told me she now wants her own for Christmas.

Squishables are about 15 inches in diameter, full of polyester fiber fill and recommended for kids ages 3 and up. I am typically not much of a plush toy person, but these giant stuffed animals come in 40 different variations! Drawbacks include the ability to only be spot cleaned or dry cleaned, because washing machine use is not recommended. Adorable, silly, fuzzy, soft, squishy fun for kids, tweens, teens and adults of all ages.

Squishable.com provided this stuffed animal free to facilitate a review. The opinions are my own.

So what if you are a child at school, and life hasn’t yet taught you about all the “normal” and “acceptable” ways to fidget. So at school maybe  you chew on your collar or shirt sleeve, impulsively leave your seat, fall out of your chair, rock back in a chair, doodle, bite your finger nails, have a hard time sitting with your class during morning meeting on the floor. To some people these ways of trying to focus attention are perceived as annoying, and sometimes attention getting behaviors. So as more teachers and educators recognize that these are warning signs that a child is trying to pay attention, fidget toys have become a mainstay in many classrooms.  Many people have found that if kids are provided with a more appropriate way to fidget, with strict rules and regulations on what is an acceptable way to use these great toys in a classroom setting, kids can actually use these small toys to help them focus their attention on learning. Though the tricky part is, what sensory experiences I like, might be very different from what another person likes, so here are some great items that have a lot of different sensory attributes.

Aside from those hard to squeeze stress balls, here are some of my favorite fidget toys. These toys are not recommended for children under the age of 3.

The first 3 choices are from Tangle Creations. The original Tangle Jr. is a fidget with a series of interlocking pieces that can be pulled apart and put back together. It is also fun to twist and turn on it’s own, without pulling the pieces apart.

Tangle Jr. Hairy - 

The Tangle Jr. Hairy, places a soft, hair like covering over the Tangle Jr. for added sensory awareness, but still allowing smooth twisting and turning.

Tangle Jr. – Textured -

This Tangle Jr. has pieces that are grooved, bumpy and textured.

Tangle Jr. – Fuzzies -

Instead of having grooves and bumps, this fidget is covered in a soft, fuzzy texture.

Orbo by Popular Playthings/Plasmart -

Use your fingers to push the balls back inside the Orbo and mix them up. Then use your brain and finger strength to match the colors back up again! Though when the balls click into place, they are kind of loud, so best to not use this toy in real quiet situations.

Wikki Stix

These different colored, wax covered strings of yarn can be cut, squished, twisted, squeezed and molded. One Wikki Stix can be easily placed in your child’s pocket  or wrapped around the end of a pencil so they can fidget with it very indiscreetly. They are non-toxic and do not contain latex or other allergens. Pictured here are Super Wikki Stix, but these can be purchased in a variety of sizes.

Tangle Creations, PlaSmart and Wikki Stix provided free samples to facilitate this review. The opinions are my own.

Last night, Gavin and I read one of our favorite board books “Who’s in the Garden.” For the first time, I brought along a few Folkmanis puppet friends for the read. I can not describe to you the giggles and laughter that followed, when a soft little bunny puppet popped up behind the book, and out of the garden into Gavin’s hands. Tonight, we read the same stories again, though since my husband was home, he took control of the puppets while I read the story.  For older children who have favorite stories they have committed to memory, why not rejuvenate them with a little something different? Words can not describe to you how enjoyable it was for all of us to take part in such pure, simple, fun. If you haven’t ever paired your bedtime stories up with some finger puppets, as a special bedtime treat give it a try, the smile and laughter that followed were absolutely priceless in my book.

What are your favorite bedtime stories that encourage your family to do a little something silly?

Barefoot Books provided a variety of books and a few Folkmanis puppets free for my review. The opinions in this post are my own.

Good Night Scout is a hard plastic book, with a simple story and a few pages to easily turn. If you push the music button on the top it will read the book and if the book is closed and you push the button it will play lullabies. There is an on/off switch and even better it is Tag Jr. compatible. The Tag Jr. is a small handheld device that encourages literacy through “magic!” When the child places the Tag Jr. over certain places in the book, it might read the story, ask questions, and label pictures. What I love about this particular story is that it incorporates simple words that young children are learning like dog, ball, duck, bye bye, and goodnight. It plays either five or ten minutes of lullaby songs and I really enjoy watching the little ones independently explore the pages as they point at the pictures and label them.

To accompany Good Night Scout is Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout. This is a soft plush animal with a detachable blanket. When you touch the various buttons he will simultaneously play 10 or 20 minutes of lullabies while the moon on his tummy blinks as a night light. Scout sings basic counting songs and also encourages body part awareness. This has been such a great addition to our nap and night time routines. As soon as Gavin hits the hay he turns Scout on and lies down immediately. At around 15 months, he is learning to point to and say different body parts and this is a great toy to help young children with this skill. I love Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout so much , I even included him in my Top 12 Interactive Toy and Game awards of 2010. For those of you with little girls, check out Twinkle Twinkle Little Violet.

Leap Frog provided these toys free to facilitate a review. The opinions expressed in this post are purely the bloggers own.

At Toy Fair 2010, we had the chance to preview the Firefly Soother from Infantino. It’s an adorable looking firefly jar that attaches to the crib slats. It plays music, has blinking lights and is a great toy for infants that will help them to fall asleep by themselves or calm themselves when they might be upset. If you are looking for a great baby registry gift or developmental toy for an infant, consider this toy. One issue we had with toys attaching to our crib was that due to the design of our convertible crib, we could not attach many other mobiles or aquarium toys. However, Infantino had this in mind with their design, which allows it to be more easily attached to convertible cribs.

Keri talks with Carla, the designer of the Wubbanub. The Wubbanub was designed initially as a soft cuddly attachment for the Soothie pacifier. The Soothie pacifier is very commonly distributed to parents for their infants throughout well baby nurseries, special care nurseries and the NICU. Wubbanubs come in a variety of different animals including a duck, giraffe, lamb, red dog, cow, monkey, bear, frog, pony, and kittens. There are beans designed into the limbs of the animals to help provide a calming effect for deep pressure while it rests on the infants chest. The animals are soft and also allow for fine motor development and hand eye coordination. While the child is riding in their carseat, the limbs of the Wubbanub can also be placed underneath the straps to keep the pacifier in place. Go to www.wubbanub.com to find a list of local retailers.

Gavin is now 7 months and he LOVES photographs.  He will look, smile, talk to and touch pretty much any photograph we give him. We joke that he’s so photo oriented because his father is a photographer, but due to his love for pictures, we have turned his Sassy Look Book into a personal photo album that includes pictures of us, him, his grandparents, friends and the family dog. What better way to promote language than to use real pictures of the people and things that are constants in his life!

Younger infants a few months old may enjoy focusing for a few seconds on the patterns.  You can also move the book side to side from left to right, or up and down to work on visually tracking an object in their visual field.

Babies also have a preference for smiling faces, so like we did, turn your Sassy Look Book into your family photo album with all the smiling faces of your nearest and dearest.

Other developmental skills that can be promoted using this photo album can include:

- For a child having difficulty separating from you, include pictures of the child, the car, daycare, mom/dad at work and pictures of the child with you at the end. Read the book telling their individual story and reiterate not to worry that you will come back!

- Pictures of the daily schedule can be included for visual reminders of the days events (child eating breakfast, getting dressed, in the car, school, home, dinner, bedtime). This can be helpful for some children who need pictures to assist them with structure and routine.

- Many young children can use a photo album as communication device where you can put pictures of a sippy cup, favorite foods, and favorite toys so they can get their  needs met by pointing to a picture of something they want to minimize frustration until they can say the word.

- Encourage the child to turn the pages and use an isolated index finger to point to the pictures.

- Some children have difficulty regrouping after temper tantrums, take pictures of them resting in a quiet space, reading a book, eating a snack or drawing, so when they are frustrated they can identify a picture of a preferred activity that allows them to settle back into the routine if they are too frustrated to be able to tell you what they need.

Sassy provided the Look Book free to facilitate my review. However, the ideas and opinions provided in this post are purely the bloggers own.

Gavin and I had the luxury of attending a free Isis Parenting group, Jelly Jam Babies, at the Prudential Center location in Boston last Saturday morning, as Isis Parenting assisted Brigham and Women’s Hospital with celebrating the launch of The Stork Fund. The Stork Fund is Brigham and Women’s new philanthropic initiative geared at raising funds for clinical care, research, and education for their gynecology, pre/post natal care, delivery, birth equity and neonatal intensive care departments.  At Jelly Jam, we sang, danced, played musical instruments, and had a great time connecting with others as part of the Isis Parenting experience.  Being a full time working parent, I’ve been challenged to find parent groups that he and I can attend on the weekend, I’m so happy to find such a welcoming place that takes into the consideration the diverse needs of families.

If you are in the Boston area, visit the Isis Parenting location closest to your home to benefit from their wide range of supportive and educational services.

Please consider The Stork Fund (www.thestorkfund.org) if you are inclined to make charitable donations.  As part of my pregnancy with Gavin we accessed many services within Brigham and Women’s Hospital and I can not personally say enough about the positive experiences and wonderful clinicians we encountered as part of our care.

Follow Isis Parenting on Twitter: @Isis_Parenting and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IsisParentingInc

As part of my participation in these events, Isis Parenting provided gift bags with free promotional items for my enjoyment and/or review.  As part of the community event launching The Stork Fund, Gavin and I attended a free Isis Parenting Jelly Jam Babies group. The opinions expressed in the blog are purely the bloggers own.

In terms of passion, Larry Balaban, the creator behind Baby Genius® is the first person to come to mind. At Baby Genius®, Larry has developed a line of musical DVDs, CDs and toys that use music to encourage “children to communicate, connect, discover, and express themselves.” While speaking with Larry, he was happy to crank the music to personally sing us the tune he wrote for an upcoming product! Aside from the Baby Genius® product line, Larry is working on an initiative with San Diego State University called the Circle of Education, creating songs to support the preschool and Kindergarten curriculum to teach children the routines in the classroom such as raising their hand, pinching their pencil and washing their hands. The Baby Genius® Baby’s Favorite Songs CD (2 CD’s are included: Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies) has become a daily favorite in my car on the way to bring Gavin to daycare. It is a beautifully composed music only CD that starts our day off so calmly that I will admit I frequently play it when I’m alone in the car and need a stress relief!

In terms of one stop developmental shopping, I could have spent the whole Toy Fair at the International Playthings, LLC booth.  Peter Smith, an inventor who has developed a variety of science kits, personally demonstrated the Ant-O-Sphere an interconnecting ant farm that children can utilize their motor skills to design themselves and eventually complete science projects of their own. International Playthings has also created many developmental toys and games as part of the iPlay Games® line such as Red Light Green Light. In this game, children learn about stop and go.  Children need to understand these words when parents use them in the community when navigating parking lots, the mall and crossing the street.  Stay tuned for more reviews on a variety of products from International Playthings, LLC where I found many developmental toys for children of all ages.

We also spoke with Jim Engle who initially created Little Kids, Inc.® with a product designed to stop children from over squeezing their juice boxes. The company is now well known for its development of the No-Spill® Bubble container. Jim was happy to share his enthusiasm for creating toys and bubble experiences that make children smile.

So who’s heard of the Wubbanub™? It’s an adorable, innovative product created by Carla Schneider, where a pacifier is attached to cute, cuddly animals that “prevents the pacifier from being lost, dropped or even forgotten.” These pacifiers are sold commercially, but are also used with premature babies in the neonatal intensive care and special care nurseries to teach young babies how to self-soothe. They have become a must have for any new baby I know entering the world and we surely don’t leave home without ours!

The passion and enthusiasm these creators, inventors and designers exude for their companies and products is infectious and inspiring. These are only a few of the stories we uncovered, flying through the exhibition halls of Toy Fair 2010, while hunting for outstanding toys that will enhance child development. What made my Toy Fair experience unforgettable was conversing with the everyday people whose passion and heartfelt dedication involves creating quality products that enhance any child’s educational experience.

Baby Genius®, International Playthings, LLC, Little Kids® and Wubbanub™ have provided samples of their products for review, but the opinions expressed in this entry are purely the bloggers own.

ShiShuStyle Baby Blanket review discussing self calming techniques and the benefits of a quality blanket for babies. Review provided by Keri WIlmot aka ToyQueen

Sassy Wrist Rattles- $6.00

These cute, crinkly, bright rattles attach with velcro to an infant’s wrist. When babies are first learning to move they randomly move their arms and legs. If the rattle is attached to their wrist, over time they begin to realize they can voluntarily move their arms to make the toy rattle.

These rattles are also great for promoting midline development- which is the ability to bring the hand to the mouth, and ultimately two hands together to explore a toy at the center of their body. After babies find their hands they eventually develop enough core strength to reach down towards their knees, then their feet. Even though these are marketed for the wrist, they can also be placed around the ankle as their skills progress.

Small World Toys – Infant Baby Buzzr – $15.00

A great toy for babies, 3-6 months old, is the infant baby buzzr. The toy has music, vibration, a button with blinking lights for visual stimulation. The nice handles encourage fine motor development for the transfer of toys from hand to hand. There is a mirror on one side where babies can learn to engage with themselves, look at their reflection and smile. There is an attachment for baby links so parents can attach the toy to the car seat or stroller in case the baby drops the toy. www.smallworldtoys.com www.toyqueen.com

http://tinyurl.com/2p9yhe

Fool proof swaddling! You can keep the top swaddled to change a diaper, or even swaddle the baby while in the swing or in the car seat! Swaddling provides nice firm input, similar to that of being in the womb, which can help your baby remain calm and focused during feeding, sleeping and interacting.

Sleep Sheep- $25.00
http://www.cloudb.com/ssandf/sheep.html

This adorable little lamb attaches to the crib and plays different selections of soothing music for baby to fall asleep with as part of their nighttime and naptime routines. Helps to promote self-calming.