We all love reading in our family and so when we were offered the chance to try out a new kind of book, I was very intrigued. Life Coach, Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin has penned two books, both based on psychological principles of relaxation. The first was the groundbreaking number 1 best seller, ‘The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep’, which Carl-Johan followed up with ‘The Little Elephant Who Wants To Fall Asleep’.
The books are written in a certain way in order for them to have a sleep-promoting effect; so the language and phrasing might seem a little unusual at first. At the front of the books Carl-Johan gives guidelines and explains some special techniques to use when you read the books. Such as inserting your child’s own name, emphasising certain words, yawning and using a soothing voice.
When we first tried out the books, I read them to Baby as I would a usual story; her sitting on my knee reading along with me. These books are a sleep tool and so we didn’t reap the benefits as much as when I read them to her when she was in bed, as recommended. They are not intended to replace your children’s traditional books, instead they are to help promote relaxation and encourage your child to go to sleep more quickly.
Baby loved it when I said her name within the context of the story and I think it made her more invested in the story. Personally, I found the books a little more difficult to read than our usual stories, but that is to be expected when you appreciate how they are written and their purpose.
The books are longer than those I would normally read to Baby. However, I think for us the best way to read these books would be to read a chunk at a time, rather than the entire book each time, so the length is not really an issue.
I also think they would be great to have in your parenting toolbox when you need to calm your child down. While they are not necessarily every day books for us personally, I definitely think they would be well worth trying, especially if your children find it difficult to switch off and go to sleep.
I was invited to London last weekend to share our experience of using the books in a podcast for Ladybird Books, which will be aired in a couple of weeks. Having never recorded a podcast before, I didn’t really know what to expect or whether I would perform well, but it was fab and great to try something new. The books are also available in ebook and audio book format, which might work for your family.
I made a little video of our day in London.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.