SLEEP. The one thing us humans literally can’t live without and the one thing we still can’t master as parents. lets be honest here, we have all been in that black-hole called “sleep depravation” at some point. Whether it was from the very beginning at newborn stage or years down the track, lack of sleep can be a total foggy-head-f***!!! Why is it something we still can’t seem to master though for our children? Centuries of parenting, years of sleep-walking-zombie-parents doing their best to just get through the day, and yet there’s still isn’t one solid answer to get every baby/ kid sleeping through.
Scroll down to read a bunch of amazing, raw and honest reviews regarding the Glow Dreaming system.
***I’ll start off by saying, I AM NO DOCTOR and I’m certainly no expert on this matter. This blog has been compiled from my own experiences with my daughter, as well as speaking to other parents regarding sleeping. I get asked almost daily how I get Alaska to sleep through and I’ve always been hesitant to document my own experiences because I know it’s a very taboo subject to chat about, without offending someone else. If I can share even one thing we do that might help you, then this will be worth it. Please do your own research and make your own informed decisions, before making any purchases or changing any routines based off my recommendations.***
Why We Need Sleep
Lack of sleep impacts how we parent during the day, how we react emotionally to our children and basically dictates how well we are going to function. I know that when I’ve had a shit sleep the night before, my mental state as a basic human isn’t up to standards, let alone trying to be a tentative, active, successful parent as well. According to PANDA more than 1 in 7 new mums and up to 1 in 10 new dads experience postnatal depression each year in Australia. This statistic is really confronting because sleep deprivation plays a huge role in this! Serious lack of sleep can encourage anxiety and depression in both parents, which is why its so important to put a healthy focus on sleeping more soundly.
As explained by The National Sleep Foundation, researchers believe that after people sleep, they retain more information and perform better on memory tasks. They say our bodies all require long periods of sleep in order to restore and rejuvenate. This to me screams common sense, like DUHHH. We all know how important it is to sleep for long periods. But as parents, is this always even possible? We all WANT to sleep through the night, but getting our kids to can sometimes feel like it’s near on impossible.
There’s a million and one different ways to get your kid to sleep. When you google the subject your brain just might explode from the overload of contradicting information. Don’t sleep train, sleep training is fine. Hold your baby, don’t hold your baby. I’m overwhelmed just thinking about it all.
One thing I’ve learnt since becoming a mum is that JUST DO YOU! Read as much advice as you want to, absorb as much verbal advice as you can take. But at the end of the day, EVERY KID IS BLOODY DIFFERENT and you need to CHOOSE what’s right for you and your family.
REPEAT AFTER ME: There’s no perfect way to “parent”. There’s no manual for parenting successfully. Well I mean theres a zillion books on it, just like this blog! But again, take what you want from any info thats out there and customise is to suit you and your baby’s needs.
Our Sleep Journey
At the beginning, we struggled. Like really struggled. Alaska would fall asleep with us holding her, but as soon as we put her down she’d wake to party. I loved being able to hold my daughter, but the truth is, IT WAS FUCKING EXHAUSTING. I just wanted to be able to pee alone, or get dressed with BOTH hands, or eat some food without dropping it on her head. They say the newborn stage is fleeting and to soak it all in. But enjoying each moment can really be tough and overwhelming if you’re sleep deprived and struggling to function.
We co slept until she was four months, but it just wasn’t working. Her constant movements kept me awake which would frustrate me and my constant movements kept her awake. I found that once she was in her own space, it was like a light bulb moment happened for me. She was begging me to give her space all this time and when she finally got it, she slept so much better (and so did we)! In saying this, co sleeping works for a lot of families, but in my experience it didn’t.
At four months old, I ended up calling Ngala in tears, on the side of the road in the car, begging for some help. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG. I felt like I was completely failing as a parent and I just wanted my daughter to sleep soundly so she could grow into an awesome human. But I was also being selfish and needed the break too. The lady on the phone explained that I might be missing my daughters sleep cues. Sucking on her hands, pulling on her ears, hiccups, going cross eyed. All signs of a seriously over tired baby. I found that if I’d completely missed her earlier sleep cues, that’s when it became harder to put her to sleep.
Obviously again, these signs might not be the same for everyone. But they were bang on for us. At first I felt like a complete dick head for not knowing these signs as soon as I gave birth. Shouldn’t this just come natural with the mothering territory? Then I slapped myself back to reality and realised, this is why it’s totally ok to ask for help!!! Not everyone is an expert. Even if you pushed ten babies out of your vagina, it still doesn’t label you an expert mother.
I also reached out to The Sleep Mama who practices Kind Parenting Sleep Training. This is where I took on board most of the routines we have in place now. At the time, A LOT of people gave me shit about “sleep training” Alaska and I felt completely inadequate about the choices I was making. I decided not to share my journey then as I was a rookie parent and learning as I went.
I truly believe we never “sleep trained” Alaska. We never EVER let her cry it out. We would always go back into her room and stroke her hair or pat her back if she was unsettled. If she was ever not truly ready to sleep, we would still cuddle and rock her until she was. We simply implemented the below systems as a part of our every day routine and Alaska just adapted along the way in her own time.
Alaskas Night Sleep Routine
Each of these sleep aids have become apart of Alaskas sleep cues. It was important for us to set a strict routine at the beginning so Alaska could become familiar with when to sleep. Now we are a lot more flexible because regardless of the time of day, if we are out of the routine, she’s fully aware that it’s bed time and starts to put herself to sleep without fighting it (usually).
- Dark Room- Blinds shut, door semi shut
- Sound machine playing loudly – Usually rainfall or if she’s restless Dixie Chicks on repeat
- Oil Diffuser going- Usually Lavender
- Wears a Ergopouch sleep sack for every night sleep
- Night Light always on
- (We have three separate sleep aid systems but the Glow Dreaming is three in one which is a brilliant money/ space saver)
- Gentle patting on back & stroking hair once laying down
- Dummy & Snuggle Bunny
- Plays and exerts her energy
- Eats dinner
- Bath time- Plays for at least 20 minutes in there
- As soon as she comes out of the bath she’s truly ready for bed. This is when she becomes grumpy and obviously tired
- As a baby, we always gave her a massage after bath as part of her sleep routine (but no longer do this every night)
- We dress her, put her in her sleep sack
- Read her a book- Which she always waves bye to at the end
- Around 6:30pm she then drinks a bottle, cuddles her dummy and bunny in her own bed
- Puts herself to sleep with the above sleep aid systems in place
- Wakes at 6:30am most mornings
Glow Dreaming
I guess it might have seemed silly for me to review this sleep aid, when Alaska already slept through the night. But I have been swamped with questions from desperate parents asking HOW the hell do we get her to sleep through, so I thought with my large platform, this would be a great opportunity to provide you with some possible and very realistic solutions.
It’s an all in one sleep aid. We bought separate systems 18 months ago, which are all roughly the same size as the one Glow Dreaming aid. A sound machine, night light, diffuser, which all need a spot to sit on and all need a power point to plug into. I already know that Alaska sleeps so well with all of these three things, so I love the fact that we can now compact it all into the one smaller system which saves on money as well as space in a small nursery.
It’s transportable. When we take Alaska to the inlaws or when we go on holidays, we virtually have to pack an entire case just for her sleep aids! BUT with Glow Dreaming you only need to pack one product and it’s easy to transport. I guess it seems like a pain in the arse to have to take a sleep aid like this every where you go, but the reality for us is that it was never an issue BECAUSE IT WORKED.
Just remember that this is a sleep aid and NOT a miracle cure. As with all new routines, you need to have patience and persistence to see any type of successful results. I’ve read hundreds of reviews on the Glow Dreaming product over the past few weeks and the one thing that’s extremely evident is that EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT. I haven’t read one experience that’s identical to the next persons. Some families raved about Glow Dreaming and others didn’t see any changes at all.
Return it if you hate it. The beauty with this product is that after 28 days they allow you to send it back if you aren’t happy with it. I’ve read a lot of reviews about the amazing customer service with Glow Dreaming. If you need advice on how to use it properly then reach out to the customer service team. I personally feel that 28 days is sufficient enough (if you’re patient and persistent) to see successful change in sleep patterns. However if you still find it’s not working, you can get your money back. Win win!
There’s no age limit. Glow Dreaming is suitable for children from the ages of 8 weeks old all the way through to adults. I’ve had a lot of mums with older kids/ teens reach out to me about sleep and I really feel this is something you could try. Ben and I pretty much sleep with the sound machine on now, because the noise fills our house. And we really notice a difference when it’s not on. The silence really keeps us awake!
Encourages Routine. As I’ve said before, we use three seperate aids. It’s no different to the Glow Dreaming system. What I love about using these sleep aids as part of a sleep routine is that it encourages toddlers (and older) to take part in setting up their own safe and calm environment. When it’s bedtime they can turn on the Glow Dreaming, help turn on the humidifier, read a book with mummy/daddy in bed and transition in their own time into a relaxed sleeping state. It gives them independence and helps them to associate the routine with sleep.
What Do You Get For Your Money?
I have been in this “show and tell” industry for the past five years and I can admit I would easily spend over $200 on a fancy night light to keep up with the trends. The value for this product is amazing. For $130 + FREE shipping you get everything you need to promote calmer sleep changes (and you don’t have to buy any other sleep aid type things like I have).
The Starter Pack includes:
- Twinkle Star organic medicinal grade essential oil
- free shipping anywhere in Australia and your choice of sleeve cover.
- Each Glow Dreaming Baby Sleep Aid starter pack is covered by our amazing 28 day no questions asked refund policy.
- Slow Wave sleep Sound Therapy with 3 volume settings
- Red and Green LED Light Therapy with 3 brightness settings each
- Humidifier
- Medicinal Grade Aroma therapy
Anything Negative?
To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the red light to start with. I thought it seemed rather angry and I assumed it would create a scary environment in a dark room at night. But after researching the product and trialling it in Alaska’s room, it’s actually the opposite. I still am not a lover of the red vibes but it really has made no negative impact on Alaska’s great sleeping habits.
Just be mindful that Glow Dreaming is not effective for every family. I’ve listed reviews that people emailed in to me below and you can read the large variety of experiences- Good and bad. But peace of mind is that you can always get your money back after 28 days if you see no changes.
Don’t expect this to work over night. After reading many reviews, a lot of people expected to be able to plug it in, walk out of the room and assumed it would work its sleeping magic in minutes. But as I’ve explained above, you still need to combine this sleep aid with structure and routine for it to be able to work.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to provide a discount code for this system. Glow Dreaming explained they don’t provide them, incase people were searching for a code. But I guess you can be reassured that if you’re not happy with the product you’ll get your money back.
HONEST REVIEWS BY OTHER PARENTS
We are 6 nights in to using the glow dreaming and just to really test it out we are doing it whilst transitioning our 8.5mo daughter into her own room AND she is also teething. 😂
We love it!!
At 6 months she was sleeping through with 1 wake up, but when we stopped swaddling her she also started teething and our nights were filled with at least 4-5 wake ups. Wanting boob every time of course! Cue two very tired mummies… 😩😭😴
Since glow dreaming she is much easier to put down to sleep and settles without effort. Plus we are getting through the nights with just 2 wake ups. Obviously not perfect, but great when compared to the nights of 5 (or more) wakeups/feeds. She has settled in to her own room and we are getting solid sleep for the first time in 2.5 months. Hopefully with consistency, and when her teeth stop annoying her, it will improve further.
So it is definitely working for us!
Cheers
Karen
Hi Kyree,
We have a Glow Dreaming and we use it for our 2 foster bubbas. They are 17 and 19 months old in a shared room. The youngest didn’t sleep more than 9-10 hours at night, waking at least once if not more, while the older slept straight through for 12-13 hours but the little one started waking him up, so I then has 2 very cranky babies! The first night was a disaster. Little Miss woke sooooo many times and was ready to party at 2am. So for the next few nights I switched the red light off but left the diffuser (they were used to those already) and the white noise on. Then when that was working ok, I switched the red light back on. Little miss generally now sleeps 12 hours without waking and little Mr is happy not being woken by her all the time. So thumbs up from us!Thankyou
Jakki
Hey Kyree, Here’s our experience with glow dreaming…
Before the glow dreaming my almost 7mth old was waking every 1hr and 40minutes overnight and only sleeping 30-40minutes 3 times a day. She wouldn’t self settle and needed to be rocked or fed to sleep. Needless to say it was exhausting and something needed to change. After trying all other options and waiting to be seen at the local health cottage a friend offered to lend us hers (she hadn’t seen much change with it). The first night using it my daughter slept 6 hours!!! Then following that slept for an hour and a half when we were home during the day. She has continued to sleep atleast 3 hour blocks and while it isn’t “perfect” it’s a huge improvement! We are only 8 days into using it so will be contacting the support to see what other settings we can try. Love your page xx Zoë
Hi Kyree, We tried glow dreaming when Remy was about 7/ 8 months and not sleeping through. He’s 19 months now and still doesn’t sleep through!! It seemed ok for about 3 nights but like you we were already using white noise and a diffuser so this just added the night light. Unfortunately it didn’t work for us and even grew some mould underneath!! I contacted them for assistance but there was little support forthcoming which left a pretty sour taste as I felt they had represented themselves as being super supportive. I almost felt she became a bit defensive in the end when I asked to return. We persevered with it but there was little change in his sleep. He was and is still breastfeeding so I believe this plays a big par tin his night wakes. I just don’t want people to think it’s he magic bullet for sleep issues. We ended up selling ours 2nd hand but still use diffuser with the light on and the white noise. Any questions let me know! Bianca
I was recommended the glow dreaming from my sil after she had used hers for her son who is a terrible sleeper. Even at 1-1.5 would wake multipul times a night and the only way was to sleep with him. He’s now a great sleeper and sleeps in his own single bed at 2.
We got ours in the last shipment they had. I’m really impressed with it. I found that if you use oils then they are even better value. I had a $100 diffuser in my eldest sons room (2.11yrs) and it wasn’t staying on all night as it wasn’t big enough. The glow dreamer has 500ml which pretty much lasts the 12hrs. The white noise and lights are great as well as he has just started to fear the dark. I also have one in my newborn (11w) room and I put the white noise on and light. Only sometimes the diffuser. And he’s sleeping 8-10 straight at night. I highly recommend them to people with or without sleep issues.
Kind regards
Sadie and Kyrin
Kind regards!
Katie
I absolutely SWEAR by it
Although my 7month old only occasionally sleeps through the night, it definitely has helped with his sleep.
2 night after we brought the lamp, he went from waking 3 times to only once.
We then went down south without it and he went back to waking 3 times and stirring more.
🙂
I purchased my first glow dreamer when my son was just shy of 18 months as he was the worst sleeper from newborn and we had seriously tried everything including looking into sleep school and glow dreamer honestly the biggest god send! Some magic happened and he has been sleeping through the night ever since! Huge shout out to Cara who helps provide us mummas with some shut eye! We no longer use the mister option but we have the warm red light on day and night in his room.I then purchased a second when my daughter was about 3 months but we just never got the same respone with her. She’s now 16m and still wakes through the night and is a devil to go to bed but fingers crossed something changes eventually, i know it won’t last forever! I do definitely recommend Glow Dreaming as we had such a positive experience with it the first time around.Much love to you & your beautiful fam xxx
Janelle McManus
Saw your story about the Glow Dreaming. I borrowed my friends as my at the time 20 month old was having night terrors. She’s always been an amazing sleeper so I was lost with what to do, the glow Dreaming worked from day one! The right light and the soft noise resettled her at night and she now is back sleeping 12-14 hours. Only down fall, my LO grabbed hold of the glow Dreaming and it fell to the ground, it smashed and I was devastated . The touch buttons cracked and I had to replace it for my friend, I am now using the broken one (minus the essential oil part) for my little girl because It’s amazing but not amazing enough to replace and have broken again from such a small fall
Much love Ash x
My sister bought glow dreaming for her twins as since birth they have been the worst sleepers. They’re 15 months now and she definitely noticed improvements.
I actually recommended it to her after @danipguy raved about it on her Instagram. It was an entirely unsponsored post but she just found it so good and my sister was at her wits end. She was about to take the boys to a private expensive sleep school she was that desperate.
Hope this helps,
Kylie
Morning! I have 3 boys, 5 and twin 3 year olds. I got onto sleep with my first at 8 weeks and he’s slept through since, the twins also were fine from a young age but everything changed when we went on holidays when they were 2 (last feb) And since then have been waking and coming into my bed… anyway I’ve tried everything.. I purchased glow dreaming. My twins share a room and they would fall asleep fine but would wake up and change the colours and turn it on and off after 3 weeks I stopped using it and that first night they both slept through which they hadn’t done it months. From then they were sleeping through…. then we went away this past Christmas and it happened again where they were out of their sleeping pattern. I’ve tried everything the last few months and I purchased another glow dreaming! Why!! They have good marketing btw!!! And they also bought out a new and improved one. I’ve been using it the last 3 weeks and 2 nights ago stopped because they were waking more than without it and that night I stopped using it they slept through and have the last 2 nights.
Hi Kyree,
Thought I’d send you a quick regarding your story on the Glow Dreaming.
My daughter was a terrible sleeper the first 4 months and I ended up having to sleep train her. Ever since then she has been an AMAZING sleeper- usually 12 hours a night.
She is now 2yrs 8months and about a month ago started waking in the night scared. She would be up for hours asking questions like ‘Is someone under my bed’… ‘what’s that noise’ etc!! After a very loooong night of night terrors I decided to try the Glow Dreaming Light.
We are on day 5 now and she is back to sleeping 11-12hrs. I don’t use the white noise, only the red light and humidifier. I think the light is comforting when she stirs at night.
I also spoke to the sleep specialist I used when she was a baby to double check I wouldn’t be making things harder for myself in the long run.
She said the Glow Dreaming Light is the only one she would recommend because it has no negative impact on your little ones sleep.
My only concern is that we will now have to take it when we go away – but the 12hrs Sleep is worth it.
Kiestyn x
KIKI + SPICE
Hi Kyree,Congrats on bubba number two! We purchased the Glow Dreaming about 6 months ago for our 18 month old boy. I was hoping for a miracle as the website pretty much promises it works. Didn’t do much for us to be honest, it’s a great night light, defuser and sound machine in one so it eliminates having multiple items. It seemed to help the first few nights but our now 2yr old still wakes at least once a night then comes to bed with us and it’s still a struggle getting him to sleep. We still put the Glow dreaming on every night just for consistency.
We are about to go to a sleep specialist in the next few sleeps to try and get out sweet bubba sleeping on his own and through the night before we have number 2!
I hope this helps and I wanted to let you know I love your blog and your honesty! You are doing a great job!!
Thank you,
Jess Willday
Hi Kyree, I’ve been using glow dreaming for around 4 weeks now for my 18 month old boy.
To start with, he has NEVER slept through the night. Always woken at least 4 times. At the time I purchased Glow dreaming he was waking up to 10 times and I was desperate!
The first night I used it he slept through the night!!!!! My husband and I were in shock and were desperately hoping it wasn’t a coincidence. Night 2,3 and 4 he only woke once of twice and then night 5 he slept through again for 13 hours.
Unfortunately the days following he had a cold and started teething again so we are back to around 3-5 wakes a night. Which is still sooooo much better than what it was previously.
We are still using glow dreaming because I am certain it is still helping in some way and we have our fingers crossed 🤞 that he will go back to sleeping through the night once his teeth come through. I should also add that I have been speaking with Taylor for customer care to help me with adjusting the machine to help with his needs and she has been a wonderful help! (@chrissie_anna)
Hi Kyree,I purchased Glow Dreaming when my daughter (now 18 months) was about 9 months old.
She continually woke through the night and we would spend hours trying to get her back to sleep. We’d sit at the side of her cot patting her, shushing her, sit and cuddle her – nothing was working and my husband and I were both at our wits end!
So I saw Glow Dreaming through an ad on Facebook (someone out there knew we were struggling haha) and I figured I’d give it a go. It had a 14-day (I think) money back guarantee, so if it didn’t work I could send it back, no questions asked.
Turned out to be the greatest thing! By the second night my daughter was sleeping through and she has done ever since (when she’s not teething, of course. I don’t think any sort of miracle could prevent teething wake-ups!). We still use the Glow Dreaming as a night light, but we stopped using the essential oils once the bottle ran out. I just never got around to ordering more, and her sleep wasn’t effected by its absence.
We’ve also always struggled with day sleeps. The Glow Dreaming kind of helped with that, but didn’t solve all our problems. But I’ve always been of the mindset that as long as she sleeps through the night, I can handle whatever she throws me in the day.
Hope this helps, and feel free to contact me should you like any more info.Kind regards
Michelle Loxton
Hi,I’ve got 2 glow dreaming units. While I wouldn’t say they help with extending sleep times I do like them. Here’s why:
1 unit is in my 15mo room and has been for months now. I LOVE the white noise feature and with 2 noisy big brothers the white noise blocks out ALL of the outside room noise! Our house is really echoey and we recently had visitors stay who also have a boy and when I was feeding bub to sleep in her room I couldn’t hear anything other than the white noise! 🙌🏼 I also love the diffuser and use it every night in her room. I don’t use the light feature in her room though. In my boys room (7 & 5 years) I use the diffuser every night, the red light (as a night light) and the white noise (but very low volume) and they love it!
So while I wouldn’t say it has helped extend sleep I do love it for it’s different features and uses! I also love the very long run time for the diffuser. Many diffusers don’t have such a long run time!
Hope this is what you’re looking for in a review. Kind regards
Carley Valikoula (@three.little.tozzies)
Hi Kyree,
Super brief outline! We bought a Glow Dreaming when our girl was about 8 months old, after trying EVERYTHING else (except controlled crying!). The correspondence from the lady (who’s name I’ve forgotten) was fantastic and she offered several suggestions to try and make it work for us, but we didn’t have any success unfortunately. We still use the light every single night, but now at almost 17 months, bub still wakes 8+ times every night. We just kind of deal with the lack of sleep now!
I’ve been using the Glow Dreaming system with my daughter for probably about 6 months now. I’m not sure whether it’s improved her sleep, but it’s definitely assisted her sleep routine. I love it for the red LED light as her nightlight, and for the humidifier/ aromatherapy oils. We first used it when we were teaching Olivia to self settle and it definitely helped her associate Glow Dreaming with it being time to sleep. We turn it on together after her nightly bath, and spend time in her room with it set up and on for about 20 minutes before bed time.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you love it!
Kahlia Bond
unfortunately the glow dreaming system didn’t work for us, we used at all sleeps with the red light and the oil they provided and for recommended time and it made no difference to our daughters sleep (at 13 months old and waking numerous times during the night). It did however make her dependant on the light.
Hope that helps
Jessica 🙂
Thank you to Glow Dreaming for sponsoring this post. Even though this is sponsored, I was allowed to provide an honest review based including any negatives I found. All imagery, words and thoughts are completely my own.
Don’t forget to stop by @misskyreeloves for more inspo, shits and giggles.
Hi Kyree,
May I ask where did you get Alaska’s cot mattress from, please? It looks quite special with one side a bit higher than the other side to protect the little one. And it looks super cozy as well!
Thank you very much!
Annie
Hi Kyree, love this all but huge question relating to Alaska sleeping through the night early on – were you still breastfeeding her in the night or did you wean her after 4 months so she didn’t need it anymore? I do a similar sleep routine with my 19 month old and he never ever slept through the night and is only getting into a groove. But he nursed a lot the first year of his life and I always find when I talk to other mothers who nurse just as much that plays a huge role in Baby sleeping through the night or not. Did you have any issues with this when you stopped co-sleeping and transitioned Alaska to her own room and crib? Thank you!! Colleen
Author
Hey Colleen. Alaska was breastfeed until 7 months old and still woke for several feeds at night. But for some reason me walking down to feed her still was better than co sleeping. We both got solid sleep during the periods she wasn’t feeding VS continual broken sleep when both of us were waking each other. If this makes sense?