"Managing twins is a
handful and years ago I found I needed help calming one
child while attending to the other. Soon enough, it occurred
to me that holding all babies at all times just wasn't
possible and the idea of re-creating the weight of my
hand - immediately needed elsewhere - began to take shape.
“My client at the time, a
very blond single baby, James, who had a Ranch theme in
his room that included a faux deerskin heart-shaped pillow
which impressed me as the right shape and size to fit
a baby. Since James was a tummy-sleeper, his mommy and
I put the pillow on his back to try it out and shared
a very long laugh… he looked like a turtle! I understood
that babies responded to the comfort of mild hand pressure,
and even though the pillow as too light for James to feel,
I was sure it was the right start. Back home in my sewing
room, I re-fashioned the “turtle hull-looking” pillow
with snuggly baby fabrics (a dark brown faux deer skin
just doesn’t fit most baby rooms), but more importantly
with ballast, giving it the necessary weight to
feel like a hug. “Gravity Hugs,” we came to call them.
Replacing my hand with a Sleeping Turtle™ was an important
breakthrough for my nannying practice with multiple babies,
but of course it works just as well with single babies.
We consistently get good sleep responses, especially with
swaddling.
“After fifteen years of practicing
with newborns, I have learned and applied much; and while
not everyone can afford a nanny, these Turtles and a few
techniques I’d love to share with you on this website
will help support you much the same. It’s my passion to
give every baby my very best.
- Patrice Mathis, R.N., C.R.N.A.,
developer of Sleeping Turtles™ sleep system and products
