I thought it would be fun to start doing Spotlight Saturdays. On Saturdays, I'll feature a product that has made my parenting journey easier. This week I wanted to start with the single most important product for sleep. The crib brings an element of safety and containment. When my oldest moved to a big boy bed, I was so worried. Would he be able to sleep in a new bed? Would he wake up and come into our room at all hours of the night? Would he feel safe? Would he feel secure? I laid awake at night for weeks agonizing about every possible scenario.
The first night we moved him to his big boy bed, he woke up twice crying. It took about 2 weeks to start sleeping through the night again. We told him to stay in bed in the mornings until mommy or daddy came to get him. My oldest is a major rule follower. He made sure he stayed in bed in the mornings until we came to get him; however, he began crying if he felt like it was taking too long. Sometimes the tears would start at 5:30 AM. I began searching mom's blogs for ideas to help him feel secure and in control. The Hatch was the answer we needed.
We installed the Hatch and when the light was red it meant he needed to be in bed and when it was green, he was good to go and could get out of bed. He immediately took to this new freedom. It helped him feel in control that he could get out of bed on his own. He felt proud of himself with his new autonomy. As he got older, we were able to add new responsibilities like getting out of bed and getting dressed, going to the potty, and brushing his teeth. Now he can get up and get ready for school all on his own. It has completely changed our mornings and made them run so much smoother.
My youngest son was slightly different. He is not a rule follower, but more of a rule breaker. He is wild, energetic, and rebellious. I was worried how he would react to the Hatch. We decided to establish the same boundaries we did with my older child and see what happened. He never cried in the mornings and had no night wakings when he moved to the big boy bed. He did; however, like to escape his bed and roam. This happened mainly at naptime so we were able to quickly take him back to his room, tuck him in, and review the rules. This happened several times for the first few months, but he eventually got on board. He never got up consecutive days in a row, just periodically reminders had to be given.
Today, I can't imagine not having the Hatch. I hear my mom friends share stories of early morning visitors or hearing footsteps at all hours of the night or giving up on naptime because they won't stay in bed. All of these challenges can be resolved with the Hatch. I can't tell you that my kids fall asleep every day at naptime, but they do stay in bed. Even if they don't fall asleep, having this quiet time is very restorative and gives me a chance to catch up on things around the house.
The new generation of the Hatch has more features including WiFi enabled and new lighting concepts. We chose red/green for our boys, but the possibilities are endless. You can even get your kids involved and let them choose the colors. There is a built-in sound machine and digital clock. Schedules can be created in the app so it is automatic every day. I love all the customizable features and all your Hatch devices are together on one app, so it is easy to switch back and forth between devices.
I can not say enough positive things about the Hatch and I absolutely love ours. We will be buying a third whenever my youngest graduates from her crib. If you want a better night's sleep, invest in a Hatch today.
Here is the one I purchased.
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