It’s a scenario all too familiar for new parents – it’s 3am, your child won’t settle, and you resort to Google for answers: why won’t my baby sleep, are they too hot or unwell?
For Canberra mum Eliza Russell, the early morning wake-up calls resulted in the creation of the Dream Scent sheet.
After the birth of her son Cruz, Eliza and her partner were educated about the important role a mother’s scent plays in creating a bond between mother and child.
On return from the hospital, Eliza said they had difficulty settling Cruz, but when her smell was close to him, it made him comfortable and helped him to sleep more soundly.
“We were looking for ways to safely transfer my scent to him and we weren’t finding any solutions so we decided to come up with something ourselves,” Eliza said.
The issue was finding a safe solution, with Red Nose safe sleeping guidelines recommending no doonas, loose bedding or fabric, pillows, lambswool, bumpers or soft toys in the bassinet/cot.
“I was worried about it (SIDS) before we came up with the sheet idea … I was not willing to risk putting my small singlet in the cot with him so we needed to find a way to make this safe for people,” Eliza said.
The Dream Scent sheet is made of 100% organic cotton and features a lightweight muslin panel designed to help transfer the scent from Mum (or Dad) to encourage a peaceful sleep. The scent comes from a shirt, which has been worn by the primary caregiver, placed firmly over the bassinet or cot mattress and covered with the Dream Scent sheet.
Eliza said she hopes her product will help families get some reprieve from sleepless nights.
“I remember when we were sleep deprived. I was waking hourly to half hourly. You don’t know to expect that as a new parent,” she said.
In addition to the Dream Scent sheet, there are also plans for a comforter with Cruz currently testing a prototype at day care to see if it assists with day naps.
For more information visit dreamscentaustralia.com.au
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