Sloths, Sleep, and Taping Your Mouth Shut
Today is the book birthday of the fabulous Sloth Wasn’t Sleepy by author Kate Messner and illustrator Valentina Toro. I acquired this quiet and gorgeous book a little over a year ago—and I’ve always felt it is just as calming (and needed) for adults as it is for its intended audience (kids 4-8). In Sloth Wasn’t Sleepy, little sloth, unable to sleep, is guided by her mother through mindfulness and calming exercises so can finally fall asleep. One of the techniques Mama Sloth shares involves listening to the wind, which was particularly endearing to me because I used to sing Cat Stevens’ The Wind to my kids to help them fall sleep when they were little. Valentina’s illustrations are dreamy and tender—and you’ll note a wonderful tent in little sloth’s room, a fun hideaway I always wanted as a child.
Here are a few other children’s books that I love for calming and sleep:
Moon by Alison Oliver. (A wolf, a fantastical forest, and the night sky)
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper and Carson Ellis. (The Winter Solstice)
The Snowy Nap by Jan Brett. (Hedgehogs and blankets)
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld (A crane truck, a bulldozer, and an excavator)
So on that note, I thought I’d share my family’s collective list of things we do in our household to help us get to sleep. (An eclectic list for sure)
1. Warm bath, followed my cold room at night with lots of blankets. The formula for cozy.
2. Dogs in bed (this works like a charm for both me and my son. And we have 3 dogs so there are plenty of dogs to go around.)
3. Don’t play Words with Friends on my phone right before I go to sleep. (I am actually FINE with using screens just before bedtime, but Words with Friends, basically Scramble, pumps me up like I am about to head into a boxing ring.)
4. Read a book right before bed. Always.
5. No chocolate after 3pm.
6. Twinkle lights and warm tea (my daughter’s formula)
7. Tape your mouth shut. (My husband’s formula. His idea. Very weird. Works wonders for sleep apnea and decreases snoring—so I guess it is part of my formula too.)