 |
Rating: |
the no-cry sleep solution
Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Trhough the Night
by Elizabeth Pantley, William Sears
|
|
|
|
The average parent who has a baby with a sleep problem is told to get Dr. Ferber's 'Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems' book. And while helpful for some, it is obviously not the right choice for many parents, especially those who don't want to let their baby cry.
Elizabeth Pantley's the no-cry sleep solution will be a welcome read for those parents who are concerned that their baby may not be sleeping well.
Among the most helpful advice this book offers is educating parents about realistic expectations for sleep and helping them decide if they really do have a problem.
Is your 6 week old waking up 2-3 times a night to eat? Then rest assured that is normal.
Is your 6 month old waking up twice for feedings, but you both wake up in the morning wll rested and happy? Then that isn't really a problem either.
Or are you a parent who really doesn't 'relish' waking up several times at night to feed your older infant? Then the solutions in this book will help your baby sleep better. Unlike other 'no-cry' experts who simply say to accept your baby getting up at night, Elizabeth Pantley offers real advice and solutions.
Like most sleep books, she recommends that you:
- Develop a Bedtime Routine
- Establish an Early Bedtime
- Follow a Flexible Yet Predictable Daytime Routine
- Have Your Baby Take Regular Naps
- and most importantly, Help Your Baby Learn How to Fall Asleep Without Help
Almost all sleep books talk about bedtime routines, sleep associations, and getting kids to fall asleep on their own, but Elizabeth Pantley does a good job of explaining why this is important. Imagine that your baby 'falls asleep rocking, nursing, sucking a pacifier' and then enters a light sleep phase and notices that everything is different from when she fell asleep. Is she likely to keep sleeping or wake up? Of course she is likely to wake up.
The no-cry sleep solution will also help you to 'Change Your Baby's Sleep Associations' and 'Help Your Baby to Fall Back to Sleep on His Own' after he wakes up, whether you are breastfeeding, co-sleeping, or going back to sleep in his own crib.
This book also encourages you to log your baby's sleep, so you understand your baby's sleep associations and where any problems might lie, and to create a 'Personal Sleep Plan' that you will follow for ten days at a time until your baby is sleeping well.
Unfortunately, I think that 'no-cry' is a bit of a misnomer. Your baby will definitely cry less, or maybe not at all if you are quick to respond to her with these ideas, than if you were using the Ferber method, but she may still cry sometimes. In fact, in Chapter 4, the words 'if she wakes and cries' are used at least five times. And at other times, other words are substituted for crying, like 'fusses' and 'struggles.' This doesn't make the book any less useful, but don't be surprised or discouraged if your baby does indeed still cry a little as you help her learn to sleep well. I think no-cry refers more to the fact that you won't be leaving your baby in her bed to cry by herself, then to that she will never cry at all. It may sound like an obvious thing, but I think that confuses many people, especially those who don't think to try a no-cry method like this.
This also helps to illustrate that this isn't going to be a quick fix. Elizabeth Pantley's methods take time, so be patient. If things aren't working, review your plan, make any necessary changes, and then try again.
Rating: 5 stars
Or look for other books by Elizabeth Pantley and more about kids and sleep.
|
