Recently my son and I listened to Rockabye Baby!’s Lullaby Renditions of Queen CD at bedtime. My son is a big Queen fan, and his favorite song is “We Will Rock You”. While he wasn’t enthralled with the lullaby versions of Queen songs (Bohemian Rhapsody was particularly good), I thought they were nice and relaxing, and that they would definitely help put a baby to sleep (they almost put me to sleep lying there listening to the CD!) This would be a wonderful way to relax baby while relaxing Mom or Dad at the same time. You can purchase this CD and many other lullaby renditions (including Aerosmith, Guns and Roses, and Green Day) for $16.95 at RockabyeBabyMusic.com.

It’s common knowledge that many babies love the sounds of ordinary household appliances: the vacuum cleaner, fan, perhaps even the dishwasher. Niko Chainopoulos of Babysounds has come up with an ingenious idea: record these sounds and put them onto a CD especially for babies. Called “Sweet Dreams: Soothing Sounds for Babies,” this CD has nine tracks consisting of about seven minutes each of sounds of appliances including the vacuum cleaner, hairdryer, dishwasher, washing machine, breast pump, running shower, and fan. The concept behind this CD is that while in the womb, babies hear these sounds on a daily basis. Therefore, these sounds tend to calm fussy babies, it is said, since they are used to hearing them before birth. I’m not sure if this really works or not, but it is a unique idea. If you’d like to try it yourself, you can purchase the CD for $14.97 or download the MP3 for $9.99 at CDBaby.com.

This looks like an ordinary, everyday teddy bear - but wait, looks can be deceiving. It’s actually an MP3 player designed specifically for babies and children. Designed to accompany your child to crib or bed at naptime or bedtime, the Lulla-Bear is a soft, cuddly friend who plays 90 minutes of pre-loaded songs and sounds. Lullabies, nature sounds, and play songs are all part of Lulla-Bear’s repertoire. With Lulla-Bear’s built in, stored USB cable, you can connect him to your computer and upload more songs to his playlist. It has a 512 MB memory capacity, is PC and MAC compatible, and takes three AA batteries (included). The sound quality is excellent, too. This could be the perfect solution if your child is a reluctant napper or becomes fearful or anxious at bedtime. Music soothes the soul, and has often helped my son get to sleep when nothing else would. You can purchase Lulla-Bear for $49.95 at StoreCrowleyJones.com.

One time of the day when your child really needs to feel comfortable in his clothing is at bedtime. This PJ Short Set by New Jammies would be my pick for the warm weather nights. Made from 100% certified organic cotton, you know that the fabric will help to keep your child cool and comfortable. The fabric is also naturally stretchable and the PJ shorts will add more leg freedom.

The PJ Shorts Set was featured in Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine and is available in a variety of prints including: Geckos Galore and Butterfly Kisses. They come in sizes: 12mos, 18mos, 24mos, 2T, 3T, 4T, 5, 6 for $32 at newjammiesshop.com.

I like the simplicity of these darling animal lamps. They actually look like those small kitchen appliance covers you buy for the toaster or coffee makers. They especially look lightweight, nothing too bulky or heavy for baby’s room. And, they’re fun to look at, which is a help for children who have a hard time settling down at night.

The more I look at these Smaller Than a Breadbox Animal Lamps, the more I think they look like characters from a story book that just popped off the page. Turning on the animal lamp could become a signal to your child that it’s story time (followed by bed time) and even compliment a story on farm animals or other similar theme.

The Smaller Than A Breadbox Animal Lamp comes in Frog, Piggy, Puppy, Kitty and Monkey. It costs $20.00 at UncommonGoods.