My son is six months old, and I can honestly say that before six months I never thought about babies’ sleep habits. Everyone says “all babies do is eat and sleep,” which is true for about the first two weeks. He spent the next two weeks much more vigilant, but I didn’t see an imminent problem. Everyone who was there commented on how “that policeman” my son was. I remember my mother calling me when she was a month old and wondering how she was staying. Wake up and just look around. I saw this as an obvious sign of genius… Then my son woke up one day and decided never to sleep. (That’s only a slight exaggeration.) We had to stop for more time to sleep than to sleep, and he didn’t put it down well. We still have sleep issues, but now I am much more aware of my children’s dreams, which can help me sleep when I do what I do. tasteless, and to whom I turn when I am sick.
I’ve read many, many sleep books from some big names in parenting advice from Ferber to Sears and everything in between. In my readings, I have come to the conclusion that there is no book or style that addresses each issue and situation, nor is it point blank to apply to every child. Almost every book has at least one great ideas that could improve nightmare. One of the best resources in my ever-growing sleep library is “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” by Dr. .
The format of “Health Sleeping Habits, Happy Child” is similar to many other sleep books. The first part explains the “anatomy” so to speak of how a child sleeps. Part two deals with parenting and how you are responsible for regulating your child’s sleep and how you can do that to your advantage. The last section deals with special circumstances that arise from time to time.
“Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child”, stands out from other books because of the comprehensive information about children’s sleeping habits and how child’s needs sleep changes according to age, temperament and development. It defines healthy sleep in the way it does and also feels like it is what it gets and supports its parents in having a healthy, happy, well-rested child.
Personally, my husband and I are against letting a child of any age “scream” and so I reluctantly picked up this book to read. So I finally did it out of desperation for insomnia, to let Dr. Weissbluth supports this method. I am reading this book with an open mind because a friend has had fabulous results with it and because like I said I know we need help. We ended up with a modified method of self planning that works great for us.
What we found in “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Children” was a wealth of information on healthy sleep habits, what healthy sleep looked like, and ultimately healing. Each one I turned to tell me my son “sleeps when he’s tired”. I am very frustrated because I have spent the day with this child, and I would say that I am tired and yet he did not sleep. Finally, I found someone who seemed to understand that I knew my child, and I knew that he was miserable when he was tired, but just wonderful when he was well rested. “Sleep, Healthy Behavior, Happy Child” (seems to say enough in the title) gave me the facts I needed to know in order to estimate how much sleep my son needed.
Dr. Weissbluth freely admits in “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Children” that he advocates the “extinction method” of teaching a child to sleep. This means that you follow the ways, for when it is appropriate and you put your child to bed and ignore all the cries. An important note here is that he does not recommend the scenario of a baby younger than six months crying going to sleep except under extenuating circumstances.
In addition to the children’s cry “Sornus Behavior, Healthy, Happy Child” includes tips for all ages of children to “Don’t Cry” and “Maybe Cry”. It addresses parents who are not moved by this method, but the suggestions adapted to them do not seem to be as deep or researched. For a parent who needs additional resources to help their child sleep without tears recommend “The No-Cry Sleep Solution” by Elizabeth Pantley. Dr. Sears also addresses sleepless nights in his books, but his writing does more than help with suggestions, although he does have a few.
According to Dr. Weissbluth these are the components that make up “Healthy Sleep” and thus are your goals as you help your child learn how to sleep.
Sleep time, night and day
naps
consolidation sleep
Sleep schedule, sleep time
Sleep consistency
Some lines from Dr. What Weissbluth called “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Children” that make him stand out from other books are the sections on co-sleeping, breastfeeding, returning to work, and having a sick child. What is also useful is that at the end of each section there is an “Action Plan for tired parents which is basically a list of information about what You should try if your child falls into the category. Another thing we found helpful were examples from parents who had been there before. it is encouraging to read how things worked out for them and if nothing else there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“Healthy Sleep Behavior, Happy Child” is a book full of information about how sleep works, why your child sleeps, and what parents can do to help them sleep. the process While not all parents support the use of child support exclamation, it provides some alternative solutions; which while they do not lead to a higher level. However, this book should not be described for that fact, because the amount of information that can be taken from this book is too good to miss.
