New Children's Book Is Designed To Be Real Bedtime Story -- Kids Out Like Lights In Seven Minutes!
HERMOSA BEACH (CBSLA.com) — A lot of children's bedtime stories are filled with action and adventure.
A kid listening to those hopped-up stories at night can get all revved up.
KCAL9's Serene Branson reports a new book -- it's a rabbit tale -- will change all that.
It is often a nightly struggle for Jim and Tara Schuler to get their 3-year-old son Jake to sleep. Plus, they have their hands already full with 10-day-old Toby.
"Sometimes trying to put him to bed is challenging. It can take upwards of an hour," says Tara.
After hearing about "The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep," a book by Swedish psychologist Carl Johann Forssen Ehrlin, they decided to give it a try.
The book shot to the top of Amazon's best seller list. It says it will put kids out like a light within seven minutes.
In this book, Roger the Rabbit employs psychological techniques -- like frequent intentional yawning -- to get kids to sleep.
"This book promised one read through and they would be lights out. That's pretty tempting," said Tara.
Many parents have downloaded a digital version which also includes how to read the book. And psychologists Branson spoke to say it's about the how certain words are read that can have a hypnotizing effect.
Experts say children relate to the rabbit, who by the end of the story is also asleep.
Jim and Jake put the book to the test. It took him more time to settle down.
"At first he was his typical self," says Jim, "I had to just get him to sit still just long enough for him to read the book. But once I started, he wanted me to continue."
"Ihe pace of how you read the words, it's all about the emphasis of falling asleep," said Jim.
Branson said it took more like 20 minutes -- not seven -- with a few short breaks for the boy to fall asleep.
"One read through and he's asleep by the end of it," says Jim. "So it seemed to do the trick. He was longing for his warm, comfortable bed."
