Over the years there have been many baby products that I've felt were just totally pointless (tiny baby shoes, I'm looking at you) and others that have been utterly amazing. The Lulla Doll by Roro falls into the latter!
I actually remember reading about the Lulla Doll in the news last summer, as it sold out within days of launching and desperate parents were willing to pay triple the price on eBay to get their hands on one. Last month Essie received her very own Lulla Doll for us to review and I have to admit I was really excited about it arriving as I was intrigued to find out why babies and toddlers love them so much and why parents were willing to pay over the odds to get one.
I actually remember reading about the Lulla Doll in the news last summer, as it sold out within days of launching and desperate parents were willing to pay triple the price on eBay to get their hands on one. Last month Essie received her very own Lulla Doll for us to review and I have to admit I was really excited about it arriving as I was intrigued to find out why babies and toddlers love them so much and why parents were willing to pay over the odds to get one.
What exactly is the Lulla Doll? The Lulla Doll is a uniquely designed sleep companion for preemies, babies and toddlers and has been created to provide a feeling of closeness and comfort when parents aren't able to do so themselves. Eyrún, the founder of the company behind the Lulla Doll, brought the idea for the doll to life after her friend had a baby girl prematurely and had to leave her at night in the hospital for two weeks.
The soft cotton Lulla Doll has a sound box inside which plays a real-life recording of the heartbeat and breathing of a resting mother for up to 8 hours. It is activated by pressing the doll's chest for two seconds and the sound plays at a safe volume of 65dB which is just fine for little ears. The soft outer of the doll is made from a natural cotton blend which can absorb scent from parents to help babies feel more secure and reassured. The doll has a neutral look and colours so that it will appeal to all children and it is machine washable, which makes it safer for poorly little ones.
On the whole I guess I am what a lot of people would label as a "gentle" parent. I believe in responding to my children's cries and needs and try to be led by them. I don't mind the night feeds, I'm not at all interested in sleep training and when people tell me that I'm making a rod for my back by cuddling my babies too much I tell them "my rod, my back". That said, I am a mum of three and so I have to be realistic. There are going to be times where I can't be everything to everyone and that's where the Lulla Doll has become super helpful.
Essie finds white noise sleep aids quite comforting in general so when her Lulla Doll arrived last month I was really keen to try it out and see what she thought of it. Now, I am going to be totally honest here: it takes a little getting used to for us parents! The breathing and heartbeat sounds are real recordings, rather than mechanical white noise sounds, and the first couple of nights that Essie went to sleep with her doll on, all I could think about was Darth Vader. Imagine Darth Vader walking up the stairs doing his heavy breathing: that is what the Lulla Doll sounds like.
It didn't take long to get used to though and after a couple of nights I was finding it just as soothing as Essie! Essie loves it. Really loves it. Sometimes after I have finished breastfeeding her she might stir as I am transferring her back to her crib, so now I turn on her Lulla Doll and it helps her drift back to sleep. Before the Lulla Doll arrived, I would occasionally have to spend a while swaying or rocking her back to sleep if I disturbed her, but now the doll just lulls her gently back to a blissful little dreams. I wanted to keep using it for a good while before writing this review to make sure it wasn't just a one-off, but it isn't! We have had it over a month now and she still adores it.
Essie sometimes likes to have the Lulla Doll next to her while she drifts off and once she's asleep I then move it away and use the Velcro strap at the back of the doll to attach it to her crib. The sound plays for a continuous 8 hours or you can just turn it off by pressing the heart again. When Essie is older and no longer needs or uses baby sleep aids, the soundbox can be removed and Essie can just play with her beautiful Lulla Doll as a normal doll. Which will be really sweet as she will have had her doll almost from birth!
Lulla Doll costs £49.99 and you can find it here.
With thanks to Roro for sending us a Lulla Doll to review.
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