I am often asked, “Should I buy the Baby Shusher or the Lulla Doll for my baby?”

The Baby Shusher and the Lulla Doll serve quite different purposes but go perfectly hand in hand.

The Baby Shusher plays loud rhythmic shushing that engages young babies and toddlers, which in turn breaks a crying spell. The shushing triggers their calming reflex and very quickly baby or toddler will fall asleep.

The key to the Baby Shusher is the volume and the ability to break a baby’s crying spell, it has a 30 minute timer which provides plenty of time to lull your baby to sleep.

The Lulla Doll works quite differently and especially perfect for babies, toddlers and young children who find it hard to stay asleep or resettle after waking.

Lulla (Icelandic for Nap) plays 12 hours of continuous, real life breathing and heartbeat, reminding your little one of sleeping with you, providing continuous sleeping, comfort and security all night long.

Lulla is perfect for preemies, where it is known that heartbeat and breathing can help regulate their breathing. The Lulla Doll is based on 'kangeroo care' - the idea being that closeness to a parent or caregiver provides your baby with the calmness they require to settle and sleep for restorative periods of time.

Lulla also helps transition babies, toddlers and preschoolers from one sleep cycle to the next. Children wake up and seek the same sleep cue they went to sleep with. Lulla’s gentle heartbeat and breathing will give them the confidence to self settle themselves when they hear her reassuring heartbeat and breathing (just like they do when they co sleep on you or with you).

We recommend that you use the Baby Shusher with every nap cycle. Mums and Dads, take that shusher and pack it into your hospital bag right now! Its going to be your initial sanity saver.

Remember, babies are used to hearing that very loud shushing in utero (up to 90 db) - they feel very comforted by that exact shushing noise. Quite often when baby is born they are put into a quiet environment and we all tip toe around saying 'don't wake the baby!'.

They aren't used to that quiet environment. They are used to noise, being in the dark and being tightly swaddled. The best thing I can advise is to try and create that same environment when baby is born.

Wrap baby with a safe swaddle such as miracle blanket, put the shusher on with every nap cycle (so baby forms a sleep association) and use blackout blinds in the nursery even during day sleeps.

We find that many parents will use the Baby Shusher to settle baby and then allow Lulla Doll to carry on the white noise to assist bubs going from one sleep cycle to the next.

Remember that Lulla is still classed as a 'comforter' so use her straps located in her battery compartment to safely secure to the cot until your bubs is old enough to have her unsupervised in the cot.