The time to fall asleep brings head to the parents of young children and many seek solutions that make that moment more bearable. From taking the baby for a car ride, to the sound of a vacuum cleaner or methods with 100% satisfaction commitment are part of the battery of solutions. One of them, a best seller that has become a phenomenon of sales on Amazon, which many parents consider "miraculous" is a book for sleeping children entitled 'The bunny who wants to fall asleep'.
Its author is Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, a Swedish psychologist specializing in the study of behavior and author of several books on leadership and personal development. Upon becoming a father, he decided to write a self-funded book to help children fall asleep. It has already been a success in Sweden and has been translated into seven languages.
The secret is in the way of reading it
It barely has 26 pages. At first glance, it is one more children's book, with illustrations and a simple story.
Its protagonist is a bunny, Carlitos, who wanted to fall asleep but could not get it. Therefore, he goes with his mother to visit Uncle Bostezo, who provides him with a magical dust of sleep and returns back home yawning until Mom clothes him in bed and falls asleep.
In the book it is written in the second person, addressed to the child and even specifies where to enter his name ("Carlitos and 'name of the child'") so that the child feels involved in the story. Along the way, the Bunny encounters very curious and dissuasive characters such as the Sleeping Snail or the Heavy Eyed Owl.
But it is not the story itself that makes children fall asleep, but the way to read it and the messages that he unconsciously transmits to the child. During the reading, you have to yawn several times (we already know the contagious effect of yawning) and make a slow and cadentious reading of certain words which are highlighted in italicized text.
Use relaxation techniques
Have you ever done a guided relaxation? Well, the book uses the same technique of guide the child towards relaxation through keywords. Repeat several times throughout history words such as "yawn", "relax", "fall asleep" and "fall asleep" that act as positive reinforcement ...
Do you have something wrong?
When I hear the word "miraculous" for a universal problem (if it can be considered "problem" that the child has trouble sleeping), I tremble. But it is only a relaxation technique adapted to children through a story, without any detrimental effect.
Works? I have not tried it (my daughters already sleep alone) but when it costs them, we practice some relaxation techniques together. I have taught him to focus on breathing and to make a scan of his body to relax him in parts as well as the technique of the waves that come, relax you and leave. That works for us.
The truth is there are no infallible methods to sleep children. It is a matter of trying out the best way to relax your baby, always with methods that respect their needs, without behaviors or training, and of course, much less with crying.
The dream is an evolutionary process that must be accompanied, so what works best is to put the baby to the breast, cradling him in the arms, pampering him. The baby needs your closeness to sleep and as he grows he still needs you. When he grows up he likes you to be there to read a story or tell him a story at night. Little by little he will need you less and less, until one day he is able to fall asleep alone.
A video of the story
Here you have a video of the story. You will tell me if it worked for you.
The bunny that wants to fall asleep (BOOKS TO READ BEFORE SLEEPING)
Today in Amazon for € 14.20
