Ocean surf 12

Peaceful Ocean Surf" CD Was Recorded on Cape Cod

My newborn began sleeping through the night consistently just before she turned two months old, and I'm not talking about midnight to 6 a.m. through the night. I'm talking about roughly 9:30 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. the next morning! This feat was even more miraculous considering that she came into the world as a little "party all night, sleep all day, rock star baby," who had her days and nights completely reversed.

What is my secret? Well, it might just be beginner's luck, I suppose. Then again, if you've ever been to Cape Cod, you may agree that I've likely discovered the magic solution to baby sleep problems.

As you might expect of someone who lives, breathes and writes New England, I purchased an audio CD from SPJ Music, Inc.'s Sounds of Nature Series titled Peaceful Ocean Surf (compare prices). There are a lot of ocean recordings out there--some with classical music haphazardly overlaying the crashing surf sounds--but I, of course, was drawn to this particular CD because it is a simple recording of the calming sounds of the Atlantic Ocean recorded on a Cape Cod beach. As baby drifts off to dreamland each evening, she's lulled by the ocean's calming rhythm, punctuated by soothing seagull calls and the occasional drone of a foghorn.

I discovered a wonderful CD clock radio at the Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, Vermont, that has a "repeat" feature for continuous play. This RCA Digital CD Clock Radio, which was highly recommended by innkeepers Brian and Leslie Mulcahy, is the other key component of my "get baby to sleep the New England way" system. On the few nights when I've accidentally turned off the repeat button, my daughter has woken up and let us know that she's none too happy to have lost her ocean lullaby. She must get that from her mother: I always feel like crying when I have to leave the beach, too.

Of course, I can't guarantee that all new mommies will have similar good luck in establishing solid sleep habits with the aid of this ocean CD, but I can promise that the CD and clock radio would be a welcome baby shower or new baby gift. And, if my results are any indication, the smile on that new mother's face and the bounce in her step just a few months after giving birth will be all your doing.

One word of caution, though. The soothing sea sounds also put me to sleep--a real problem for a self-employed writer who needs to squeeze in a bit of quality work time after baby is asleep for the night! If you have trouble falling asleep at night, even without a baby in the house, it just may help you sleep like a baby, too.