There is a book that a lot of parents are raving about; it is called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." It is a no-nonsense book about how you can help your baby develop good sleep habits, which will in turn make him/her a happier child. No doubt, a sleeping, happy baby most likely has well-rested, happy parents as well.While O has always been a good sleeper, she is now waking up in the middle of night looking for me. I'm chalking it up to temporary separation anxiety (is that like temporary insanity?!). The book says babies, like adults, will naturally wake up several times a night. But the trick is to get them to fall asleep again by themselves. So I have been letting her cry it out for a couple of minutes, then I go into the nursery to comfort her. Usually, the binkie alone will do.
If reading the book still doesn't help, you can opt for what a lot of parents have done--hire a sleep coach. I'm not certain what exactly goes into the "coaching", but the parents swear by their methods. Many say the whole experience has changed their lives. It is not cheap, but well worth the investment if you have exhausted all other resources. Having happy parents are just as important, I think!
2 comments:
I borrowed this book from a friend and it had some helpful information, like what ages morning and afternoon naps develop (and disappear), and about how long baby should stay awake between naps ...
BUT I have to say I was totally turned off by the opening chapters and had to put the book down for a month or two before I could face it again. Basically he is just totally alarmist -- he comes right out and says if your baby isn't sleeping well, he'll grow up to be an adult addicted to sleeping pills. As the mother of a baby who wasn't sleeping well, that was not what I wanted to hear, and it did not make me want to read his book!
Okay, rant over. :) When I returned to his book later and actually got to the real sleep data and advice, it was more helpful than I expected. Though still, like with all baby advice books, take it with a grain of salt and don't feel like you have to do everything he says.
Other helpful sleep books: Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems by Ferber, Sleeping Through the Night by Mindell.
Robin, I also found his writing style a bit acerbic. Maybe he's not getting enough sleep himself???
Post a Comment