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A "Growing Bed" for Kids Who Don't Sleep with Rebecca Linney
28 Plays10 months ago
What do you do with a kid who just won't sleep in their own bed? If you're a parent, grandparent, or caretaker, you know the struggle is real — but perhaps the best solution is one that invites the child to see the bigger picture. Discover "The Growing Bed."
Rebecca Linney is a mompreneur and accidental author passionate about seeing families work together so everyone can enjoy a good night's sleep. Find "The Growing Bed" at www.thegrowingbed.com or through all major online book retailers.
In this episode:
- Why children (sometimes) refuse to sleep in their own beds
- The family problems caused by nobody sleeping well
- Rebecca's story: Everything that didn't work
- Inspiration for "The Growing Bed"
- Age-appropriate methods for granting kids independence
- Teaching kids empathy in the bedtime process
- Hope for the tough seasons of life
- Why everyone can appreciate this book
Connect with us at SuenoLabs.com. We're currently looking for contributors and podcast guests!
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Transcript
Introduction and New Year Excitement
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back. First episode of 2025, really exciting things to come this year on the Swenio Labs podcast.
Dealing with Children's Sleep Struggles
00:00:09
Speaker
And we are kicking it off with a topic that is near to my heart, which is what do you do with a kid who just doesn't sleep?
00:00:21
Speaker
Thankfully, my wife and I have been blessed with some really good sleepers, but even when you say, a kid is a good sleeper, there still are those nights where they just won't go to bed, they won't stay in their own bed.
Meet Rebecca Linney: Mompreneur and Author
00:00:31
Speaker
And so today, I'm talking with somebody who really knows this situation well from experience. She describes herself as a mompreneur and accidental author.
00:00:45
Speaker
And she's created a children's book about her experience with a kid who really was having some trouble going to sleep in his own bed. So if you are a parent listening to this episode, I think you're going to relate to a lot. And if you aren't a parent, don't skip this one either. I know Rebecca has an inspiring story about how she persevered through this difficult season and turned it into a new chapter quite literally for her and her family. So stick around. I'm excited for the conversation.
Rebecca's Sleep Solutions and Book Inspiration
00:01:18
Speaker
Today, I talk with author Rebecca Linney about her story, raising a kid who struggled to go to sleep in his own bed and the children's book that grew out of this experience. We'll talk about some of the methods in psychology of helping kids go to sleep and also some of the inspiration that comes from persevering through a challenging season of life.
00:01:47
Speaker
I'm Jimmy Leonard. This is Swenio Labs.
00:01:57
Speaker
Well, Rebecca Linney, welcome to Swenio Labs. How are you today? I'm well, thank you for having me. Yeah, absolutely. I'm excited to talk about this
Challenges and Techniques in Sleep Training
00:02:07
Speaker
topic. I am a parent as well. So we have three boys at home. So they are six, three and one. As I'm sure you can imagine and relate to, bedtime is not a time, right? Bedtime is a part of your day. So, you know, bedtime, it starts a little bit after dinner, and if it ends before nine, you're doing great. It is a process. Yeah, it's a lot of fun, though. I love them very much. So we're talking about something that, like I said, is near to my heart, and it's this idea of sleep training.
00:02:42
Speaker
And I guess I want to just start with that. I mean, why is this a thing? Why do we need to train our kids to sleep? Why don't we just know how to do this when we're born?
00:02:54
Speaker
My guess is, and I don't want to give any misconceptions that I'm an expert or a doctor or anything like that because I'm not. i'm ah I'm a parent just like you who struggled for a very long time with sleep and fortunately found a resolution that worked for our child and our family and hopefully that will work for others. But my guess is you know if we never taught our children how to sleep, they would figure it out eventually, but it wouldn't make for a very happy household because they would sleep at random times of the day and you wouldn't be able to get any a long stint of time to get things done or to rest yourself or things like that. So much like we have to teach ourselves to create good habits even as adults, such as working out or reading more or, you know, any of the habits we have to teach ourselves as adults, we have to teach the kids to do the same.
00:03:47
Speaker
Sure, that's a great answer. And really, with with no disrespect at all to the medical profession, out I'll say to you that being an expert doesn't necessarily mean you know the answer to this either. I mean, if if you're listening to this episode, I'm i'm sure you can relate. If you're a parent at all, you've you've been to the pediatrician and you've asked that question, how do I get my kid to sleep? And it's like, when they're a baby, the answer is,
00:04:09
Speaker
Oh, they're just going through a sleep regression, they'll grow out of it. And then when they're a toddler, it's like, it's very normal for toddlers to come out of their room and not want to sleep. And then when they're a teenager, it's like, it's very normal for your teenager to stay up all night and not want to sleep. And it's like, okay, and is it ever normal to sleep? Because it just seems like every stage of life, you're getting these don't want to do it responses.
00:04:29
Speaker
um I also remember some pediatricians used to say to us, oh, you know, he'll sleep when he's tired and he'll eat when he's hungry. And I'm like, wow, you went to med school for that? I could have i could figured that out. Yes, he'll sleep when he's tired, but I need to figure out how to, you know, this ritual, as you as you kind of described it, it's not a bedtime, it's like a bed phase of the evening, um this bedtime ritual that we all have to tiptoe around for a while is elusive to many of us.
Adapting to Changing Sleep Circumstances
00:04:58
Speaker
And just when you think you have it figured out, they change or you change, you get a new job or you have to move or something like that. So that's why this particular concept worked for our family well in a lot of different situations, which was helpful. So let's get into that a little bit. So if you don't mind, tell us a little bit about your family. Introduce us to who the characters are in this story and what the challenge was that you were experiencing.
00:05:23
Speaker
Sure, so it's my husband and I and our son who is now 11 and a half. But I always, ah you know, kind of joke that the book I wrote is a fiction book, but it's based entirely on the true story of a little boy who did not sleep through the night till he was almost five years old. So we were a very He was fine because he would my son would be fine sleeping in our bed or right next to our bed, but that meant my husband and I weren't sleeping well. So kind of the concept of the growing bed isn't just that you need to sleep, but you need to kind of sleep in the right spot. And I understand that the right spot, quote unquote, is different for every family. Some families are very into co-sleeping, some families
00:06:05
Speaker
are very against it, et cetera, et cetera. So what is right for one family isn't right for everybody else, but there's enough of us out there, I think, that value the fact that our children sleep through the night in their own bed to make everybody in the happy and the family happy.
Parental Strategies and Frustrations
00:06:21
Speaker
I'm curious what those conversations were like between you and your husband as as you were kind of realizing like, hey, something needs to change here. where Were you always on the same page or did you kind of have different ideas about what to do? Because I know that can often be attention in marriages or partnerships.
00:06:38
Speaker
Sarah, that is a great question. um I love getting asked questions I haven't been asked before, so that's a great question. We were always on the same page in realizing that it wasn't working. Whatever we were doing wasn't working, and we were always on the same page, fortunately, to be willing to try anything.
00:06:55
Speaker
I mean, if if you had told me that if you bathed your child in a pool of jello, they would sleep through the night, I would have said what flavor, what color I made. Because, you know, when you are sleep deprived, you'll do anything. You'll you'll take anyone's advice. we We tried so many tips and tricks. We spent thousands of dollars on a quote unquote sleep trainer, you know, the the the kind of lady who comes into your house.
00:07:20
Speaker
and she'll be there from like maybe 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and she'll get up with the baby but not really get up with the baby because she's training the baby how to sleep and it's a crib blah blah blah and and nothing worked so the The idea for the growing bed came out of, I'm sure, a very sleepy moment of desperation, probably around 2 AM m because that's you know when you're the most miserable. But fortunately, we were always on the same page as far as knowing that something was wrong for our family and being focused and dedicated to try to find a way to fix it.
00:07:57
Speaker
So you mentioned some of the sleep deprivation that you were experiencing. What was it like for your son? Were you noticing things throughout the day or like how how was he in these years?
00:08:10
Speaker
He was happy as a clam, which probably added to our frustration as parents because you know we're exhausted, we're so tired, and he is just chugging along having the time of his life and you know taking little catnaps when he can and where he can. They can fall asleep in a car at a restaurant or or whatever, but us as adults, once we're up, we need to be up and functioning and and getting things done during the day. you know We don't always have that luxury of taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon like the kids do. So he was actually, i I don't think he thought he was sleep deprived at all. In fact, I know he wasn't.
00:08:48
Speaker
just It's not even necessarily that he wasn't sleeping. It's just like you said, he was maybe, from your perspective, sleeping at the wrong time, sleeping in the wrong places, and it just wasn't working for everybody. Right. We had one of the three of us were happy about the sleep, and it wasn't the two adults.
00:09:10
Speaker
Yeah, it was the minority and yeah the minority that isn't even supposed to have a vote. Exactly. he won at point Okay, so you mentioned the sleep trainer. I'm ah totally picturing that, you know, somebody coming to your house. Before we get to what what did work for you, what were some of the other things that just didn't work and you know, disclaimer,
00:09:30
Speaker
I think some of the things we might mention here, maybe you're listening to this and you're like, hey, that works for me. You know, this this isn't a one size fits all. But I also think there are probably a lot of people listening to this who are like, I i want to hear I want to relate because we've been there. We've tried the things.
00:09:46
Speaker
know you're you You're absolutely right. Nothing in parenting, I would assume, is a one-size-fits-all because what worked for our family, another family might say, that is a bunch of rubbish. I'm not even going to try it. But we tried um we got a metronome and stuck it near the crib so that the rhythmic ticking might work.
00:10:04
Speaker
Yeah, didn't work. We did the thing where you ah like put a piece of your clothing in the crib so they can smell you. You put it somewhere safe you know so the baby doesn't you know roll into it or choke on it or anything. But some part of your clothing and you put it in the crib so they can smell you and they feel like you're close, that didn't work. ah We tried the old like hold their hand until they fall asleep and then sneak away kind of thing. That didn't work.
00:10:30
Speaker
And the the issue with the sleep trainer, she did exactly what she was supposed to do, and actually her results were terrific. What she left out, however, was now that I've taught you these tools and everything's working fine at home, you need to stay home for a really long time to kind of cement these but um rituals, processes, etc., etc.
00:10:53
Speaker
She never mentioned that. and At the time when my son was really little, my husband and I were both traveling quite a bit for work and traveling you know socially as a family. and so We'd have a few good weeks at home after the sleep trainer was there, and then we'd end up on a plane and or a boat or something, and it just threw all those habits off too early in them being set in stone, if that makes sense. so She forgot to mention that part.
The 'Growing Bed' Concept
00:11:23
Speaker
Yeah, and again, it just kind of goes back to that idea of you know, it's not it's not always practical or doesn't always fit your schedule to just say, Oh, it will take the next three months of your life and you know, have, you know, the exact same routine. Right. right We recently just a few weeks ago, we we went to a family wedding. And you know, it's like,
00:11:42
Speaker
a wonderful occasion, you get to celebrate and see lots of people, but bringing a baby to something like that can be so stressful. Because it's like, well, I know they're not going to go to sleep when they're supposed to, and I know that the sleep environment is not going to be what it's supposed to be, and nap is not going to happen, and just all of the implications for sure. So you've mentioned a couple of times the growing bed. What is that? Where did that idea come from?
00:12:07
Speaker
So again, it it probably came to me at about two or three in the morning, one morning. And ah you know the saying that, I don't know the exact saying, but basically all the best inventions solve a problem, right? Well, even as a four-year-old or a five-year-old, my son's only problem, and again, I use that in quotes, was that he is a bit on the small side.
00:12:30
Speaker
he, everything's fine. There's nothing medically wrong with him. He's just, I like to call him IKEA sized. And, you know, my husband's English, so I'm allowed to, I'm allowed to say that. So um he was getting frustrated that his friends, some of whom were younger than him, were getting to do things he couldn't do, like ride the roller coasters, or go on the water slides, or get a big boy booster seat, things like that. And he was, he wasn't understanding why. And there was only so many ways we could explain it to him. And it just wasn't clicking with him. And then one day my husband and I are chatting and I'm like, well, he's upset about that. We're upset because we're not getting any sleep. Let's see if we can tie this together. So I i explained to my son, you know, Mommy and Daddy are done growing. When we go to bed, it's to rest and relax and to recharge.
00:13:18
Speaker
But when you go to bed, it's to grow and to get bigger. So when you're sleeping with mommy and daddy, while you're loving it and having a great time and having a good night's sleep, you're not growing. And that right there was like this light bulb aha moment for him. And that was the the day or the night that the growing bed was born.
00:13:39
Speaker
So you know obviously it didn't take us from terrible to picture perfect overnight but it was a definite definite game changer in our house and we were able to kind of carry that into other places to like when we went and stayed at a hotel.
00:13:54
Speaker
We walk into the hotel room if there were a couple beds in the room we say okay buddy which which one is your growing bad and he would. You know how the autonomy to pick his growing bad and really kind of own that and it was just so it was the one concept that finally clicked for him which therefore meant to click for all three of us which is great.
00:14:12
Speaker
I love that. Yeah. And I think that I mean, there's so many things like giving him some autonomy to choose it, but also just making him at a young age aware of what's happening in his body. I mean, that could be so powerful. We were actually talking about this recently of like, you know, a lot of times with clothing, the phrasing that we use naturally is we say like the shirt is too small for you or like, um you know, the shoes are too small, but it's like,
00:14:37
Speaker
The shirt's the same size it always was. What's happened is you've gotten bigger. What's happened is is your feet are bigger. And you know even just in that small example, I think we don't always use age-appropriate language to communicate with our kids. like you're Your body is changing. Things are happening. And now just that there's a process to that, for sure.
00:14:58
Speaker
And there's nothing wrong with the shirt. And there's nothing wrong with you for not fitting in it either because it's too big or too small. In fact, we have um a drawer in my son's room that's just labeled not quite yet. It just means he's not too small to fit into it. And it's not too big for him. It's just not quite yet. You're not going to wear this quite yet. You know what I mean? So we're a bit size sensitive in it in the house because obviously I don't want to give my son a complex.
00:15:24
Speaker
that he's sure you're small and he's never felt too small he was just so puzzled by why you know why are Tommy and Susie able to do this and I can't and I was like let me see how I can work this to the family's advantage and and that's where the growing that came from.
00:15:47
Speaker
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00:16:07
Speaker
So what did that look like at home? So you mentioned to the hotel, so how did growing bed play out at home? So one of the ways you'll and y'll see, I don't want to give it too much away in the book because I want everyone to read it, but there's a way to turn every bed, any bed, no matter where you are, into a growing bed. And that is um explained in the book. And it just, um we didn't want to cut him off cold turkey and say, look, no more mommy and daddy's bed. So we, even to this day as an 11 year old, sometimes on the weekend or if he's not feeling well or
00:16:39
Speaker
Or if we we're having a ah big family day or something sometimes he will still come and sleep in bed with us for a little bit and now we move him into his bed because that's again that's the growing bad and that's kinda where the the magic of being a kid happens is in your bed.
00:16:55
Speaker
And so do you find that you, you talk about it as like weeks or months pass where you can, you can go and kind of Mark like, Hey, because you've had so many nights in a growing bed, let's, let's measure, you know, or let's kind of see some evidence that, that the growing is working. Does that ever come into play?
00:17:14
Speaker
Uh, we do. We, we, I feel like, you know, I mean, you're, ah you're seeing it because you've got at least one kid who's, I mean, all your kids are still very actively growing, aren't they? So even at 11, my son is still, uh, for example, we just went to Knott's Berry Farm and Amusement Park out here in Carlsbad or in California, rather. And he still has two roller coasters at that place. He's a couple inches shy of to go on.
00:17:39
Speaker
And so we are still even at eleven eleven and a half years old able to incentivize them to get a good night's sleep in the growing bed so that you know next summer you can. To go get on those last two roller coasters so it's it's one of those nice concepts that you can take.
00:17:56
Speaker
pretty far throughout childhood. and that he And it's not like he's gotten too old for it.
Long-term Effects and Lessons Learned
00:18:01
Speaker
He's like, mom, I know that the growing bed's not what's making me get bigger. i know that He hasn't gone down that route at all. And maybe I'm lucky or maybe I'm in denial, but he's never he's never said those words. And he he's very cognizant of the fact that you know too much time spent in our room is not going to do him any good.
00:18:20
Speaker
Sure, that makes sense. Yeah, so it's it's kind of moving it to this stage of life he's in. So like, you know, rollercoaster is kind of what he's hopeful about right now. Yeah. And I mean, I'm sure in a few years, he won't want anything to do with me and my husband anyway, because that's what teenagers get to, isn't it? So just hold on, hold on to the last little bit, I guess.
00:18:41
Speaker
Sure. Yeah. At what point does it kind of become a punishment? Like, you know, watch it or I'm going to spend the night in your room tonight and they're like, Oh, don't do it. Exactly. Rebecca, one of the things that you you do write about is this concept of empathy. And I think we've kind of danced around it a little bit, but I I'm curious what the emotional piece of this was beyond just the the kind of very practical like, you know, you need to to be over here so you can grow.
00:19:10
Speaker
Right. That was an actual accidental lesson that came out about all of it. And I did want to make a point to mention it in the book because I think it's such an important one that, um again, in probably a moment of desperation, I said at one point to my son, you know, dad and I are just exhausted. We've had the worst day. We're just so, so tired, buddy, because we didn't get a good night's sleep.
00:19:38
Speaker
And he realized that he we didn't get a good night's sleep because he was in our bed. So he saw that connection between his behavior and how it made other people feel. And not just feel like, oh, I'm sad, but feel like almost a real tangible way of of seeing the result of his actions. We were tired and sluggish and we were probably a little grumpier or things like that. So it it was a nice added bonus that we got to teach him a little bit of empathy as far as how your actions affect other people and to think about that when you make your decisions.
00:20:14
Speaker
Yeah. and And that's just as important as the physical maturation for share of like yeah emotional. You and I probably both know adults that could still use lessons in empathy. So never too, never too young to teach them that. So challenges since baby, 11 and a half now, where on this timeline did you realize you were going to write a book about this?
Publishing Journey and Book Impact
00:20:39
Speaker
So I often refer to myself as an accidental author. I know a lot of people grow up or maybe not grow up, but once they get to college, they kind of feel like that's the direction that their life is going. And that was not the case for me at all. I never set out to write a book. In fact,
00:20:55
Speaker
You know i have this idea of the kind the concept of the growing bad and it worked really really well for our family and so naturally just as i'm sure you and your partner do you just chat about things that work in your household and things that don't work in your household and i was as a way to like commiserate and connect with other families and sometimes you take advice from other people are.
00:21:14
Speaker
or don't And um after sharing the growing bad the concept of the growing bad with enough people and hearing enough hey rebecca you should there's some legs to that you should do something with that i was like oh okay sure what am i gonna do. And then i don't know if maybe after a year or so of hearing that one of my colleagues and work was writing a book about a completely different subject matter and had gotten a publisher and all of that and.
00:21:38
Speaker
I was like, wow, if if she can do it, I can do it. And not in a snarky, well, if she can do it, I can do it kind of way better. And more of a, wow, this is like a real person I know in my everyday life. And she had a concept and now it's come to fruition. She's got a publisher and a book and all the things. So maybe I should try and she connected me with her publisher.
00:21:59
Speaker
And um they were actually trying to increase their presence in the children book market so it was a bit of a right time at the right place thing um but that's kind of how it how it began ah the lady the agent who.
00:22:13
Speaker
let me know that they were bringing me on as an author, said, just go ahead and um send over a manuscript, the first little bit of the manuscript. And I'm like, um i mean ah yeah and but okay, sure. And I'm like, running home, I got to write this down. um And so I wrote enough of the book out that they got the gist of it and and they could keep moving forward. But That's kind of how it happened, just very organically and very give it a shot and see if it sticks and it and it did. so And in some ways, you really just lived out the adult version of what you hope the book does, right? Because that's that's one of the benefits of a children's book is you can read it and you think, well, if it worked for him, it could work for me. And that's kind of what you described is like, well, if it worked for her, it could work for me. and
00:22:59
Speaker
And so just like, that is so powerful to see an example. and And in some ways, that's kind of what the book is about is we get to see an example, and we get to see what's worked for somebody else. And so it's cool to hear that that was even part of your story leading up to this. Yeah, it's that, you know, there's so many parenting books out there, some by the experts, some by folks just like me who were in the trenches and came up with something that worked for their family. And it's just another tool in the proverbial tool belt of parenting that we all have asked for help and needed help at times. And so my book might not be for some people, but for the families that do need it and that it does work for, I'm glad it's there for them. So would you say, I mean, you described it as a children's book. Would you say it's ah a book that's more for kids or more for parents? Or is this like a Disney Pixar movie where it's for both?
00:23:50
Speaker
I would love being compared to a Dixie Pixar movie. Thank you. I would definitely think it's for both. um we had I've given copies to grandparents, to nannies, to to anyone who ever has had to try to get a kid to go to sleep in their own bed. So you know grandparents, nannies, aunts, uncles, and anyone who's got to try to negotiate bedtime because that's what it is, isn't it? It feels like a negotiation every single night. so um I think everyone can learn a lesson from it. Obviously, the illustrations and the pictures are fun and colorful, so the kids like looking at it, even if they're not old enough to read it themselves while it's being read to them. um And it it's just, I'd like to think it's entertaining enough for the adults, and it's not too long, so it's not one of those books where you're going to be there for 45 minutes reading a book, you know. Again, it's one of those books you hope you'll never need, but chances are you're going to need it at some point.
00:24:48
Speaker
so So what have you heard from people? So you've given it to grandparents, nannies, parents. What have been some of the stories you've heard back from people who've read the book? Some of my favorite stories have been from parents who thought they didn't need it, who thought, oh, my kid's a great sleeper. And then someone has gifted them the book and it's just kind of collected dust on the shelf for a little bit. And then they move and there's their perfect sleeping child. Regress is all of a sudden.
00:25:18
Speaker
Or a family has a new sibling come into the picture and their three or four year old that had been an amazing sleeper for the longest time all of a sudden is you know a clinger and doesn't want to sleep in their own bed so the the most interesting stories to me are from the families who thought they would not need it or oh that's not my kid.
00:25:38
Speaker
And then something in their life changes like a new house or a new sibling or um maybe mom is working a new shift at work and she's not there to do bedtime dad's there to do bedtime now or something you know something in their life changes so that even the best of sleepers.
00:25:55
Speaker
regress and and need a little help to get back on track kind of thing. So those are those are my favorite. um And then there's also the families that were like our family and they're just, they're grasping, they they're taking everything and that they can just trying to find something that works. And when this is the thing that works, it's just such a satisfying feeling. Yeah. No, that makes sense. I think like just getting about that heartwarming feeling of of people who've been in your situation and they're kind of learning what you've learned from it for sure. So even if we kind of, you know, zoom out a little bit here, like if, if there's maybe, I'm sorry to to to say this, I have to remind myself too, but like, you know, we're in a season right now. We're we're in a season of life where we've we've got young kids and we won't always be, you know, there's probably people listening to this who are in a different season. What have been some of like the,
00:26:47
Speaker
the the more like universal threads or kind of the the adult lessons, if we want to phrase it like that, that you've learned from this process. One is a lesson that my husband obviously had learned long before me, which is to just trust your gut and to not get too worried about tonight. He always used to tell me, give it a few weeks back, it's going to change. Just give it a few, especially when they're little, little, but even at 11, like,
00:27:15
Speaker
You'll see little phases and you've got kids in three very different age groups and um nothing nothing is forever, fortunately. but Or unfortunately, depending on how you want to look at it. Yeah, depending on what the thing is. i know domenico yeah But um you know the whole teething phase, for example, it's so hard and it's so painful to see them have to go through that and and everything. And then you just give it a little bit of time and then it's done. So he he was very good about
00:27:47
Speaker
reminding me to kind of keep my eye on the prize, if you will, and to not get bogged down and overwhelmed and discouraged by tonight or the the last three nights kind of thing. So that's been very helpful.
00:28:02
Speaker
to have a partner who is supportive in that way, but also just a reminder to, you know, we're not the I'm not the first mom, I'm not the first parent who's had a ah difficult child when it comes to sleeping, you know, and um and everyone every parent has gone through their trials and tribulations and you'll you'll get through it. So just to kind of keep a more positive outlook. So is there going to be a sequel or an textbook?
00:28:29
Speaker
That is a funny question.
Future Plans and Book Purchase Options
00:28:31
Speaker
So you know when you're dating someone, they're like, oh, when are you guys going to get engaged? And then you get engaged. And they're like, when are you getting married? And then you get married when you're having a baby. And then you have a baby when you're having another baby. Apparently, when you write a book, everyone just says, so when's the next book? So I don't think there would be a sequel, per se, to The Growing Bed. But if someone said, all right, Rebecca, you have got to write another book.
00:28:55
Speaker
what it what's it going to be? What's it going to be about? I have a few bouncing around in my head, um other little parenting things that have worked for our family, but I've thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed the process of writing this book and and promoting and chatting about and and talking with people about this book that i'm not in a rush to. To delete that at all if that makes sense like i i'm loving giving all my time and energy to the growing bad if i have but if i had to or if you know if the publisher came back and said here's an advance i'm i'm not stupid i want to say no but um i'm i'm really enjoying this process so.
00:29:36
Speaker
it's been It's been a fun one, it's been eye-opening, it's a whole industry I knew nothing about, writing a book and promoting it and and things like that, but it's been an absolute joy, so I'm in no rush to to change that. Fair enough, I like that answer.
00:29:53
Speaker
So where's the best place for somebody to pick up a copy of The Growing Bed or gift it? We're getting close to the holiday season. Yes, and no one needs another toy, right? Books, books, books, books. And you can't, you won't step on it like a Lego in the middle of the night and and hurt yourself. So ah you can find the but the book at my website, thegrowingbed.com. I'm still free shipping just like the other guys. And then I can sign it and personalize it to your kid or nephew or niece or grandchild or or whatnot. But if you want to go a more traditional route, it's available on Amazon, Target dot.com, Barnes and Noble, anywhere you would typically buy books. But then it would just kind of come to you and I wouldn't be able to to personalize it for you.
00:30:37
Speaker
So that was going to be my next question is, is where could somebody go to learn more about you? And so you, you mentioned that just now the website, are, are there other places where you're, you're active? you instagram a little bit i'm ah I like, like you, I'm a busy parent. I'm, I'm a working mom as well. So, um, I'm on Instagram a little bit at the growing bed, but the growing bed dot.com is the best place to purchase the book. And, um, again, I hope it's, it's a book I hope you don't ever need, but if, and when you do, it's there for you.
00:31:07
Speaker
Well, Rebecca Lenny, thank you so much for your time. It's been really encouraging to hear your story and I hope that you continue to get to share this with so many different people. Thank you and good luck with your three boys. That's going to be a lot of fun and I hope they're all good sleepers for you too.
00:31:28
Speaker
Swinyolabs is a show about sleep, memory, and dreams. For more content, visit our blog at Swinyolabs.com and connect with us to learn more about how you can share your story related to brain health and the daily habits that help us to rest and live better.
00:31:46
Speaker
Thanks for joining. We'll be back soon.