Sleep Anyone?

As a parent, there is little that affects you more than lack of sleep. We are going through a rough patch with N, with sleep, discipline, and potty training. So guess which books I bought? Yep, sleep, discipline, and potty training books! I'm only on the sleep book right now, since it is what most affects us and we're fearful how she will react on vacation. I thumbed through several books before getting this one. Just like the 3 little bears, Ferber was "too harsh," Pantley was "too soft," but this book seems just right. They take a least-cry approach, being realistic that there might be some crying involved during the process of getting kids and babies to sleep properly and on their own, but it doesn't have to be screaming for hours and hours. (See book here!!)

If you breastfeed, bottle-feed, have a kid from birth to 5 years, they have solutions. In my case, I was doing lots of things right. But there are 2 or 3 things we do that perpetuate the nighttime battle. We have a bedtime routine, we put her down early enough (7:30ish) even when everyone else tells us its too early (it's not!!!), we give her baths at night, she has a gate so she stays in her room but she can still see out. But we rock her. Not until she's asleep, but until she's kind of quiet. And when she cries in the middle of the night, we go to her and rock her again. And she doesn't always take her naps and at the same time. The premise of the book is that everyone, even children, wake up 5-6 times a night. As adults, we learn to fall asleep by ourselves and so never fully wake during the night. Children that have learned to go to sleep by themselves also do not fully waken to consciousness. But children that need sleep aids that they do not control (mommy rocking, daddy holding hand or rubbing, etc) need you to recreate the same conditions each and every time they wake. The trick is to provide them with sleep aids that they control, such as sippy cup in a consistent place, pacifier, or blanky or stuffed animal. We used the pacifier until she was two, and then quit cold turkey. That was N's big sleep aid. Then she substituted the paci for the sippy cup. We would get up and fill it again if she cried out that she needed more water. But with potty training, she simply could not drink water all night and learn the potty. So we took it away. But she has not found a replacement sleep aid. She needed to learn that most people do not drink water all night long. They drink before going to sleep and when waking up. Besides, even with a special night diaper, the pee pee was seeping through all the way to her plasticized mattress. I got tired of changing sheets every day.

I am optimistic with this book. They are common-sense, structured, organized, detailed solutions to creating your own sleep plan that works for you. The best part? They have online resources!!! You can download sleep planners, sleep charts, and other valuable resources. PLease, if you or a friend or family is having trouble with sleep and kids, recommend this book. I think they will thank you as soon as they wake up!