As I sit at my desk to write about the Lulla doll, it’s dawned on me that I’m suffering a serious case of ‘baby gadget’ envy. It’s almost severe enough to make me want another baby of my own, just so I can go out and buy this product and see if it actually works. (The key word here is ‘almost’, because my desire to do something fun in the next 18 years outweighs my intense hankering to test whether the doll is a gift from the Gods for exhausted parents, or just another impressive-sounding product that ends up behind the couch in the playroom, covered in dust and bits of dried Playdoh).
What’s so amazing about this soft toy? The Lulla doll is the invention of Icelandic mother-of-two, Eyrún Eggertsdóttir, who studied psychology and learnt the numerous positive effects that being physically close to a caregiver has on babies. Once Eyrún became a parent, she quickly discovered what her studies never taught her – how exhausting it was to constantly nurse a baby so it would sleep longer and be more settled. She desperately needed a break, and thus came up with the idea of a doll that mimicked the soothing sounds of a mother.
It’s a well-known fact that when babies hear the sound of their mother’s breathing and heartbeat they will tune into them, which stabilises their own respiratory functions and means they are less likely to have sleep apnoea episodes. Stable and calm babies naturally fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep for longer, meaning parental sanity can be saved – many of us out there will know the feeling of being reduced to tears of exhaustion by our sweet babies, whose sleep time comprises of a 45-minute catnap, the first 35 minutes of which are in our arms. Imagine a world where that doesn’t happen any more, or at least not as often. Now that’s something I would pay big bucks for!
The Lulla may not look like anything special – it’s a fairly non-descript plush toy in all honesty – but three years of development meant its features are deliberately unisex and unirace, in order to fit into families all across the world. Cleverly, the mother or primary caregiver can also imprint her smell on the doll by wearing it close to her for a day or two.
As with most things in life, this wasn’t a solo project, and input from doctors, nurses, midwives, and engineers was crucial to the doll’s development, as well as the contribution from one very special woman named Gudrun, who may well find herself with ecstatic mothers fan-girling her across the globe now the Lulla has been such a success. What’s Gudrun’s claim to fame? Well, to ensure the sounds that Lulla emits are as natural as possible, Gudrun – a yoga teacher and mother of four – was hired to do the professional breathing, and she got an excellent deal it would seem, being able to go into a deep meditative state for two hours and call that ‘work’. (I’d like to be a professional breather too thanks, or a professional cake eater … whichever, I’m not fussed).
Gudrun’s heartbeat and breathing were recorded, and when the doll’s belly is pressed it will loop without interruption for eight hours. That’s eight hours of potential sleep people! Imagine all those well-rested parents out there who no longer struggle through their day with minds that function at the pace of two sloths. It’s no surprise then that the first production run of 5,000 dolls (an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign) sold out, and subsequently sparked bidding wars on eBay, which saw the dolls going for up to $350 each compared to their original price of around $99.
The Lulla has already received several awards for innovation, and the anecdotal feedback from parents that it’s made a positive difference for the whole family has ensured the doll is selling out as fast as they can make them, especially it seems in Australia. The good news is they are open for pre-orders again and you can get one here.
From a practical point of view, the Lulla has been designed with the soundbox in a pocket on back that is easily removable to change the batteries or wash the doll, although some parents have been known to buy multiple Lullas, so as to never be without their saving grace.
Personally, I think if you can ignore the fact it sounds eerily like Darth Vader (only minus the “Luke, I am your father!” bit and with more prolonged heavy breathing, in fact eight hours of it), then I reckon you’ll be onto a winner. Let me know how you go so I don’t have to have another baby myself just to test it out! (Yes, my baby gadget obsession is real).
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