Lulla Doll (New Generation) Review

We have been fortunate to get an opportunity to try out the New generation Lulla Doll with baby Orinea for the last couple of months and I am here to share my thoughts and experience about the doll.

What is the Lulla Doll?

The Lulla Doll is a sleep companion/aid designed in Iceland by a team of doctors, nurses, biomedical-sound, electrical engineers and artists. This innovation came about when a mom had her baby prematurely, and had to leave her at the hospital every night for two weeks. It is made specially for preemies, babies and toddlers who want to feel the closeness of a parent while sleeping.

It is made with soft cotton blends and it is advised that the baby's primary caregiver wear the Lulla Doll for a day or so, so the doll can absorb their scent. Lulla is also machine washable in warm water which makes it ideal to use for babies with weak immune systems.

The doll comes with a sound device that uses 2 AA batteries and plays a real life heartbeat and breathing sounds. These were recorded from a mom of four when she was in a resting state. The sound machine just needs to be pressed in the center for 3 seconds and then your baby can enjoy the soothing sounds for up to 12 hours. There is also a volume control button on the side which when switched on starts on the lowest setting.

Our Sleep Background

Orinea was born at 38 weeks and was a great sleeper when we left the hospital. After a week of being home, we realized he had jaundice and needed Photo-therapy. A Billibed was brought to our home which meant putting Orinea in there whenever he was not nursing and he did not like it. He cried and moaned a lot which meant his sleep routine was also affected. After 3 days of photo-therapy, we found it very difficult getting him to sleep when he wasn't held for hours or next to me.

Why the Lulla Doll for us?

I have read from Eyrun Eggertsdottir, creator of the Lulla Doll, that closeness, and especially the sounds of breathing and heartbeat, can profoundly affect children's well-being and quality of sleep. So when an opportunity for my child to experience the comforting closeness of the Lulla Doll came by, I did not hesitate to give it a go. This meant I could put Orinea to sleep and spend some much needed time with the rest of the family without Orinea feeling neglected.

Sleep longer - Feel better - Be safer

Sleep longer, feel better and be safer - These are words written on the side of the Lulla Doll box. So, imagine my excitement when we received our Lilac Lulla. I immediately opened the box, wore Lulla (I had already done my research online) and played around with the sound box. It came with very simple instructions and when night time came, we were ready and excited to use our Doll.

So during our sleep time routine (bathing/wipe down, nursing baby and then soothing him to sleep) we had our Lulla Doll switched on as instructed. Baby feel asleep and we kept the Lulla Doll close to him. I was expecting the baby to sleep for a few hours while finally getting the sleep I had been longing for but to my disappointment he woke up in just less than an hour. There I was thinking that this Doll is supposed to solve all my problems immediately but it didn't. Obviously something like this takes time and consistency to work but the desperate, sleep-deprived mom in me expected immediate results.

One day at a time

With continued use during sleep time and when we he was in his stroller, we slowly started seeing results. Unfortunately, baby being the light sleeper that he is, would still get startled awake easily which meant getting the Lulla Doll to work took a little longer. Over the last 3 months we started to notice that the baby would sleep significantly longer with the Lulla Doll than without it. Even when startled he will get back to sleep much quicker on his own.

My thoughts on the Lulla Doll

I love the fact that it's soft and takes the scent of the caregiver as this is key to the baby feeling comfortable and secure. I have also found that our 3 year old is drawn to the doll as it has friendly-inviting features. The sound-box being removable is definitely a positive as it makes the Doll extremely easy to wash. You can also use the sound-box on its own while washing the Doll or if your baby doesn't necessarily take to the Doll itself.

Another plus is that it has a velcro strap which you can use to tie to the Doll to your cot so that it doesn't disturb or fall onto your baby while asleep. The sound-box being removable does however present a slight challenge when in the Doll as it sometimes moves when trying to switch it on or adjusting the volume. The Doll also comes with a small bag which makes it easy to travel with and keep it clean when not in use.

Is the Lulla Doll worth the R999 price tag? If you're a patient mom and can consistently ensure that you use it for your baby, then yes. If your sleep and sanity are important to you, then definitely yes. If you find that your baby struggles to fall asleep without you, then definitely yes. All baby's sleeping patterns are different but I would definitely say this is worth the buy.

Orinea is only 4 months old and we will continue to use it well into his toddler-hood and maybe longer and thank you so much to Lulla Doll South Africa for sending us the doll.

For more information you can visit their website, Instagram or Facebook page.

Keratilwe Xxx