Get Some Sleep with the Slumber Sheet

Disclosure: I have received the Slumber Sheet in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

When it comes to sleep, every mother has there own solution or way to deal with it.  If you follow my blog you know that I am an advocate for bed sharing and co-sleeping and up until very recently I could not imagine the thought of letting my baby cry for more than a moment.  I loved the cuddles and waking up to his smiling face every morning.  I never wanted him to hate me for making him cry.  Then there came a day when I was seriously so tired that I wanted to just drive my car off a bridge so I could get some sleep.  This wasn't your: I just got a couple of hours of sleep last night tired.  This was: I haven't slept in 8 months, 26 days and 2 hours tired.  The tired that makes marriages starts to fail and work starts to become a place where you sit at dreaming of sleep.  It was time to transition Nugget to his crib.  But how?  How was I going to essentially quit my extreme attachment parenting lifestyle and go a little more mainstream to give me my sanity back?  Nugget woke up about 10 times per night, every single night.  He turned on the breast milk at about 8pm and kept it flowing until 7am when he decided he was all done and ready to play, just as I had to get going to work.

Nugget has a crib...that he hated.  It wasn't always like this.  In fact right before I went back to work Nugget would go to sleep at 7:30pm and wake up at 4:30am like clock work.  Then it came.  All the mothers talk about it but you never know what it is like until you really experience it....the 4 month sleep regression...dun dun dun.  Except our regression was actually a 4-9 month sleep regression that only was worsened by the little fangs my Nugget was sprouting.  I am part of all the mom boards and I have participated in the controversial talk about sleep training.  I have even wrote some post directed specifically toward those awful parents who choose to not answer their baby's cry.  At this point, I had a lingering thought in the back of my head telling me to become one of those parents...and that is just what I did and this is how it changed my life:

Thanksgiving would give me a long weekend where I would be able to be without sleep and devote my entire being to teach my little one to sleep.  Nugget had a pediatrician appointment right after the holiday so if it didn't work we would touch base with him and see where to go next.  I had decided that I was going to use Ferber's method.  I couldn't even believe that I was going to let this man's name into my house.  I couldn't believe that I was going to remove Nugget from our bed cold turkey and make him sleep all on his lonesome.  I was going to do this using the Slumber Sheet.  It is very important to understand that yes, I was given this sheet to review but I assure you that this is my actual experience.  Usually I am able to test a product out quickly and write a review based on my experience.  I took over a month using the Slumber Sheet every single day to make sure that I was promoting something that really worked and that I really believed in.  This sheet would allow me to place Nugget in the crib and keep him centered.  It also makes it much harder for him to stand up (though he is able to) making it easier for him to lay himself back to sleep.  The snugness of the sheet would give him the touch to wean him from snuggling with his parents.  All of these things were what was making me put my sanity into the Slumber Sheet.  I didn't know if it would work for us though.  When I was sent it, they warned me of an adjustment period.  The told me to give it 5 days.  

Day 1:  I told  Dufda the plan.  We were going to let him cry, but not without letting him know we were there for him.  We started at nap time. Nugget was not use to being put to sleep drowsy and could be woken up very easily.  This makes laying them down and putting them in the Slumber Sheet something that they need to get use too.  Day 1 was a failure.  Nugget freaked, he was so mad that I put him in his crib and that he could not roll over onto his stomach.  You may be saying right now, "Wow, she is a really mean mom and she should not try that again."  Well, I was still really tired and I really believed in this sheet.  We aborted and figured that we would try again later.

Day 2:  We tried it again.  This time we were able to get him to sleep.

This was the first nap in the Slumber Sheet.  I sent the company this email: "I was expecting a much longer transition.  He is already napping in it, in his crib!  I haven't been able to zipper all the way because I'm still working on placement.  He always naps on us....I could literally cry I am so happy!"

A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulder with just that little taste of continuous, independent sleep.  I didn't know if it was a forever solution but it was helping us at this point.  The picture above shows that I didn't' zip it properly because I was still afraid to move Nugget once placed.  The night of day 2 was the first time we did Ferber's Method with the sheet.  We had decided that we would stick to the day 1 check ins of 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 10 minutes thereafter and would abort if he cried longer than 30 minutes.  We still have never reached that 30 minute mark.

I still rocked and nursed him to sleep and I placed him in the slumber sheet.  The first night he was asleep 2 minutes into the first 10 minutes check in.    Just that first time of putting himself asleep made him sleep longer than he had in months.  It immediately reduced his night wakings.

Day 3: By day 3, I was use to the Sheet and so was Nugget.  I was able to put him down to bed awake and he would grab a paci and put himself to sleep.  It never took the full 5 days to transition and remember we were bed sharing before this.

Every day after it has got easier and easier.  When I laid Nugget down, he knew I would put his arms in and zip him up and leave the room.  He would grab a paci and drift off to sleep.  I know that a lot of this success is due to the Slumber Sheet.  I don't think that I would have had the same results transitioning a baby that is used to being cuddled all night long to the crib without something to make him feel secure.  There is a ton of controversy over whether babies actually learn to self soother, if it just comes when they are ready or if self soothing really exists.  I know that Nugget wouldn't have just started to sleep through the night if it wasn't for teaching him how to put himself back to sleep.

So here are some things about the Slumber Sheet that may not be visible from the pictures:

The Slumber Sheet does not strap the baby to the bed.  The above picture make it seem as if the baby cannot move.  Your baby can move and sleep in what ever position they choose.  The Slumber Sheet definitely promotes back sleeping, but Nugget moves all around while he in it. Your baby can side sleep, belly sleep, sit up or stand up while in the slumber sheet.

The Slumber Sheet takes away the need for several other items that you would buy.

Sleep Sacks (I had two cotton, 1 micro fleece and 1 knit.) - $115.00
Swaddles (I need more of these because as a newborn we had more leak/throw up/needed change) - $70 for 4 swaddles and 2 swaddlepods
Mattress Protector (The Slumber Sheet already has one built in) - $26.00 for 2
Sheets (I had three to rotate) - $45 for the low end sheets
Bumpers (No need to worry about limbs getting stuck here): $25.00

That adds up to $236! The Slumber Sheet will keep your baby asleep and the cost is just $129.  Although that may shock you, there is one big thing to keep in mind:  The Slumber Sheet, unlike swaddles and bumpers, is not something that you will ever have to wean your baby from.  If you have a baby that loves to be swaddle, you know the fear of having to give it up.  Once they transition to a twin bed, you just get the twin size Slumber Sheet.  The quality of the sheet is incredible.  The fabric is soft and just feels very well made.  The elastic that holds it onto the bed is thick and provides an awesome fit.  Although the price shocked me at first, I would not hesitate to pay that now.

The Slumber Sheet has a Snap-in-Place™ system that allows you to safely add a lovey or a blankie to the sheet.  This system also allows for a swaddle to be added for newborns.

The extras Snap-in-Place™ eliminating the SIDS risks that would previously have been there by adding anything to the crib.

The Sleep Sheet will makes you never have to worry about your baby climbing out of crib.
I remember hearing stories of how babies scale the side of their cribs and end up getting hurt from the fall.  I always thought that it was inevitable.  Well, it isn't with the Slumber Sheet!

Now over a month later, Nugget is sleeping through the night with the occasional wake up.  The difference is night and day.  Even his last bout of teething only had him restless for two nights compared to about week without the sheet and sleep training.  Every baby faces his or her own sleep issues and what works for one may not work for another.  With the versatility of this product, the Slumber Sheet may be the answer for your baby's sleep issues.

Wonder why you haven't heard of the Slumber Sheet?  It is really one of the newest baby products available.  I really feel that the Slumber Sheet will replace all the other things you could buy to help your little one get a good nights sleep. Check them out on Facebook to stay up to date on this great new product.

You can enter to win a Slumber Sheet, too!

Disclosure: I have received this product in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are 100% my own and may differ from that of yours.