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SDWM Book Review

Carlsbad Mom Finds a Unique Solution

to a Common Problem in Her Children’s

Book, “The Growing Bed”

By Diana Nackley
Photos courtesy of Rebecca Linney

North County to raise their family. growing takes place in their bed,
Linney was lucky and had a baby so that means when he doesn’t
boy, but as she said, “We got un- sleep in his own bed, he’s not
lucky with the sleep part with our growing, and mommy and daddy
son.” Having a child sleep in your are very tired the next day. Her
bed every night can be tough. Lin- son eventually understood that if
ney said, “There were days when he slept in his own bed, he would
I was shopping in Costco and I grow and then he’d be able to
would have lain on the floor to ride the roller coaster, slide down
take a five-minute nap if I could.” the water slide, and get a big kid
She and her husband spent a lot of booster seat just like his friends.
t’s a common scenario that plays time and money on sleep training. Linney says, “It was a lightbulb Growing bed worked for Linney’s
Iout in thousands of homes every “I’ve tried it all,” she quipped. moment for him, too, and it dras- family, so she hopes it is one more
night. You put your child to bed, Being tired all the time is not a tically changed the sleep behavior tool that other families can use to
then go back to your room to healthy way to live because you in our house in a wonderful way.” address the problem of sleepless
embark on a good night’s sleep. are not at your best at all. It is not It took a few months for her son nights.
But sometime during the night, good for the child or the marriage. to stay in his own bed through the “The Growing Bed” has already
your son or daughter wakes up The concept for the book grew night. At that point, he was four received good reviews from pedi-
and crawls into your bed making a out of her experience with her years old. He is seven and a half atricians, licensed family marriage
good night’s sleep elusive for both son not sleeping in his own bed. now, and the “Growing Bed” has therapists, and a sleep trainer.
parents and child. This personal She told her idea to a few friends made a world of difference in their Her publisher even told her that
experience is what inspired first- and enough people said that it lives. Even now, when they go to a she had seven grandchildren and
time author, Rebecca Linney, to would be an excellent book. The hotel with two beds, Linney asks wished she had this book when
write her children’s book, “The seed was planted, and she wrote her son which one the growing she was raising her family. Linney
Growing Bed.” It is a delightful the story. A close friend was also bed is, and he chooses one, and already has another children’s book
story that offers a unique solution writing a book at the same time, that is his bed. idea in her head on a more serious
to a common problem many par- and she put Linney in touch with Linney says that the “Growing topic, but with a twist that children
ents face when raising a family. her publisher. Bed” also nurtures the empathetic could relate to. The public release
“I never set out to be an au- Linney explains that the side of a child and that it is never for “The Growing Bed” was August
thor,” Linney commented, “Being “Growing Bed” came from two too early to instill empathy in 3, 2021. The book is available on
an author was never a dream of pain points. Her son was not young children. The book shows Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You
mine. It’s an accidental occupa- sleeping through the night in how a child’s behavior affects oth- can order copies from Linney at
tion” Linney grew up planning his own bed, “So that was my er people. She told her son that his www.thegrowingbed.com. She will
to marry and have a family, and husband’s and my pain point.” sleeping in their bed made them ship those out the day she receives
she eventually became the mom Her son’s pain point was that he sad because they were waking up the order. If customers order
of a child who didn’t want to was very small for his age and he tired, and no four- or five-year-old through the website, Linney can
sleep, especially in his own bed. was constantly getting frustrated wants to make their parents sad. sign and personalize each copy.
Linney’s background is actually because his friends, who were the The book not only helps solve a Linney hopes that “The Grow-
in broadcast journalism and she same age or younger, were able to common problem many parents ing Bed” does well and for her, as
has a degree in Communications. ride on roller coasters, go down face, but it also touches on raising a working mom who wrote a book
She was born in North Carolina water slides, and sit in a big kid an empathetic child. Linney about something she struggled
to military parents and lived there booster seat well before he was, hopes that this book will reso- with, it will inspire other moms to
until she was four years old. At age and he didn’t understand why. nate with other families so that keep at it and trust your gut. It’s
five, Linney’s dad was stationed Linney had a lightbulb moment to kids and parents can get a good important to realize that if you’re
at Camp Pendleton, so the family connect her son’s pain point with night’s sleep. It shows a win-win doing one thing, and it doesn’t
moved to California. After her her pain point and that’s the day balance. Parents are getting their work, try something different. “It
parents’ divorce, her mom, sister, the “The Growing Bed” was born. sleep and the child is getting what doesn’t mean you’re a bad mom, it
and she stayed in North County She explained to her son that when they want, too; becoming bigger just means that you’ve got to find a
where she graduated from Carls- he’s not sleeping in his own bed at and taller and being able to do different way to connect with your
bad High School and eventually night, he’s not growing. Mommy the things that other kids can do. kid.” And “The Growing Bed” is
attended college out of state. and daddy are done growing, so “There’s so many ways to solve a one way to make that connection
In 2013 after living in down- when they go to bed, they are problem, and I searched high and so that everyone in the family can
town San Diego for a few years, relaxing and getting ready for the low for something that worked enjoy a good night’s sleep.
she and her husband moved to next day. She told him that no for our family.” The concept of the
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