The biggest concern for new parents is often, when will my baby sleep through the night? Although it may take many months, or even years, before a baby can sleep 8 or more hours in a stretch, there are still several things parents can do to ensure the best quality of sleep for their children. Parents who are curious about how to do so should read parenting expert Elizabeth Pantley's book, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night.
Pantley gives parents methods to help babies sleep well. For example, she recommends making sure babies are really waking up and need something before going to them. Children often make noise during the night, and may even briefly awaken, but can quickly put themselves back to sleep. Parents shouldn't rush to their side unless they're sure the baby is hungry or upset enough to need parental care.
Avoiding Crying It Out
There are a few methods of getting babies to sleep that involve leaving them alone in their cribs, for certain periods of time, to cry themselves to sleep. Proponents of these methods believe that the children get over the crying after a few nights and learn to soothe themselves to sleep. However, most parents can't stand to leave their child alone crying, whether it is bedtime or not.
For many parents, this method doesn't even work. Children might fall asleep simply because they are exhausted for crying for an hour. But this doesn't lead to very good sleep, and they might wake up soon after. Some children will cry so hard they vomit, which disturbs parent and baby, and also requires the parent to clean up, which can wake the baby up further. While some parents may find success with the CIO method, many experts explain that children don't understand what is going on, and often feel abandoned. No parent wants their child to fall asleep this way.
Bedtime Routine
The main theory behind Pantley's book is that children need a bedtime routine. Performing the same actions, in the same way, every night allow the child to understand that bedtime is coming. Things like a warm bath, a bedtime story, or some cuddling help the baby relax before sleep. Pantley also recommends keeping a sleep log for your baby. After a few nights, parents may see patterns in their baby's sleep that suggest solutions.Another tip is to make sure your baby is going to sleep early enough. Babies and children need far more sleep than adults, so their bedtime should reflect that. For a baby to wake up in the morning at the same time as their parents, they need to go to bed several hours earlier.
Elizabeth Pantley provides a great deal of help to parents struggling with their baby's sleeping issues. She does it all in a loving manner, without resorting to abandoning babies to cry themselves to sleep.
Pantley has several other books related to the No-Cry Sleeping issue, including The No-Cry Nap Solution, The No-Cry Discipline Solution, The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers, and The No-Cry Potty Training Solution. For more information about Elizabeth Pantley or any of her books, please visit her personal website.
The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night was published by McGraw-Hill on March 28, 2002. Its ISBN is 0071381392 and its ISBN-13 is 978-0071381392.
Allison Russo - Allison Russo holds a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Most recently she ...
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