My 9 year-old daughter received a MAJOR concusssion in August. It was bad - vomitting, couldn't talk, passing out....ambulance downtown to Children's Mercy. Thank God there was no fracture or bleed and she seems to have recovered fully, except she is having troubles sleeping. She doesn't want to sleep in her room alone. Some nights she can lay in bed for 1-1 1/2 hours without falling asleep. She gets almost panicky about it. When she does fall asleep, she ends up coming in our room in the middle of the night and sleeps on the floor next to our bed.

Has anyone had a child with a similar experience? Normally I would make her tough it out, but this seems to be more than a stubborn kid.

I failed miserably with my little ones when it came to swaddling. My husband was always much more adept at creating that comfortably snug wrap. Frankly I just thought it was a cute thing - ya know wrap them all up so all you see are those cute chubby cheeks? We used to refer to Sydney as our Burrito Baby when she was all swaddled up - so adorable. By the time they were just a few weeks old I quickly abandoned the swaddle. Oh what a fool I was! I had no idea that swaddling actually had a practical purpose beyond a cute photo op.

If a baby is properly swaddled they actually fuss less and sleep more. Sleep more??? Sleep more??? How could I have missed this!! I don't remember this from the pages of What to Expect When You are Expecting. My mom had seven - yes SEVEN - babies, and she never ever said a word about swaddling. It wasn't until I met my girlfriend Diana a few years back that the secret was revealed. Di is from Down Under and when she moved to KC a few years back she brought with her a stack of Australian swaddles - large, almost wafer thin, blankets made of muslin. She said she swore by them because of their size and sheerness you could snugly swaddle, but not overheat your baby - even in the summer. (Sydney turns 9 next week and it was hotter than blazes the summer she was born!) She further explained that all Aussie moms have a stack of them in their cupboard. Now her American girlfriends were "borrowing" her swaddles and conveniently not returning them. Hmmm. it made sense. If a baby is snug and secure then he/she will sleep better. (FYI: during my recent trip to Guatemala I saw that the mom's there swaddled, but with much heavier blankets that caused their babies sweat terribly.)

Now I gotta admit I absolutely L-O-V-E the Australian accent. Di could have told me that she wrapped her babies in banana leaves and I would have believed her. (Here's a thought: Matthew McConaughey with an Australian accent. Now that would be like sexual heroin!)

So last year Di when told me she was going out on a limb by starting her own business - Koala Kuddles, The Authentic Australian Baby Swaddle - I thought she might have something. In the last few weeks she has demoed the swaddles with a few moms and received rave reviews. Yeah! Go Di go! Let's hear it for a mom with an idea! Koala Kuddles launches tomorrow at koalakuddles.com

Di recently moved to Austin (which coincidentally is home to Matthew McConaughey) but will be back in Kansas City July 15-17th to do some swaddling workshops - one for parents and one for mom bloggers. Anyone who attends gets a FREE 3-pack and mom bloggers get discount codes and another 3-pack to share with readers. The best way to RSVP is to go to the Koala Kuddles fan page on Facebook. The details are there or call 816-674-4775. Kids are welcome and will have supervision and snacks.

Here are the details:
Wednesday, July 15th, 9:30 - 11:30 AM, FREE event for area Mom Bloggers  - learn more about swaddling and meet other bloggers. Blue Valley Rec Center, 6545 W. 151st Street, Overland Park, KS. Free 3 pack of Koala Kuddles swaddles, Australian snacks and special offers for your followers. Questions call 816-674-4775.

Friday, July 17th, 9:30 - 11:30 AM, FREE Swaddling Workshop for area parents. Blue Valley Rec Center, 6545 W. 151st Street, Overland Park, KS. Free 3 pack of Koala Kuddles swaddles and Australian snacks to first 100 attendees. Questions call 816-674-4775.

Now that he and Camila are expecting again, if Di can only get Matthew McConaughey to be her spokesperson…