The Gentle Sleep Book

Book excerpt: The Gentle Sleep Book offers gentle, reassuring and effective solutions to addressing the common sleep problems of newborns to five-year-olds. 'This book should be called The Sleep Bible and needs to be in every parent's bedside drawer' Marneta Viegas, founder of Relax Kids Are you exhausted by your baby's night-time waking or frustrated by your toddler's reluctance to go to bed? Would you prefer a gentler approach than sleep-training techniques such as controlled crying or pick up/put down? The first five years of parenting are filled with worries and preoccupations, but, for the vast majority, none of them is as pressing as the lack of sleep. In this revised and updated edition of her bestselling book, Sarah Ockwell-Smith offers a gentle, effective prescription for addressing the common sleep challenges encountered by parents of newborns to five-year-olds. Treading a carefully balanced line between the needs of sleep-deprived parents and those of the child, Sarah offers reliable, evidence-based advice including: *How long we can expect our children to sleep at each stage of development. *Why much of the popular advice on sleep is inaccurate and counterproductive. *How to approach common issues including frequent waking, night terrors and bedtime refusal. Sarah's practical suggestions for each developmental stage include how to create a consistent bedtime routine and optimal conditions for sleep, the effect of diet, and how to use comfort objects effectively. This revised and updated edition includes new chapters providing specific advice on daytime naps (when and how to drop them) and how to take care of your own needs and emotions during the early years of disrupted sleep, because your feelings and health matter too.