The new doll lulling children to sleep

The new doll lulling children to sleep

A product that promises to help parents get a good night's sleep is flying off the shelves.

More than 2000 Lulla dolls have sold in New Zealand in the past two days and the distributor says she can't import them quick enough.

The first shipment sold out fast, and the second shipment has just arrived - and most of the dolls were on pre-order by desperate parents.

"Got them back in and of course as soon as mums started using the Lulla doll we had some really good success stories," says Fiona Boodee, Sleepytot NZ director.

"These are mums that are using the dolls for one or two nights because they only arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday."

Lulla is a breathing, sleeping doll that seems to be settling the most unsettled children.

The sound of the rhythmic breathing is actually that of a yoga guru in a deep meditative state, and if that isn't enough to put your child to sleep then it also absorbs smell and has a heartbeat.

"The first night we had it we had a seven hour sleep which is quite impressive and I did hear twice he woke up and was able to roll over and get himself back to sleep," says Sarah Turner.

And while sleep-deprived parents are queuing up for Lulla, experts say it is not the silver bullet.

"People do leap on a product thinking it will solve things, but if there's an underlying reason why your child isn't sleeping - if they're hungry or there are allergies that haven't been picked up then a product won't solve the problem," says Emma Purdue, founder of Baby Sleep Consultant NZ.

The $110 price tag is not putting off parents - but then how can you put a price on a good night's sleep?

Newshub.