Read Online The No-cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Pantley
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Trade Paperback, 2000):
No scientific experiments have been done on how best to train an infant to sleep, but I can make a few conjectures. I doubt that a regular pattern of sleeping and being awake can ever be imposed on infants immediately after birth or that anyone should even try. Their biological clocks seem to need to mature before they can keep track of the time of day. But the same kinds of cues that work for us should work on infants’ clocks as they are maturing.
Once you understand how much sleep your child needs, the most important strategy for improving his or her sleep is to set a daily routine and stick to it. Between the ages of five months and five years,
52
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
the social cues imposed by parents become the primary factor in children’s sleep patterns.
According to Dr. Dement, setting a routine and developing healthy bedtime cues and nighttime associations will allow your baby to drift off to sleep. The No-Cry Sleep Solution will help you create such a routine, customized for your baby and your family.
Now that you have learned some important basic sleep facts, you will use this knowledge as a foundation for developing your sleep plan. The first step, as outlined in the next chapter, will be to create sleep logs that will give you a clear picture of how your baby is sleeping now. Once you identify the issues that are preventing your baby from sleeping, we will move along to the solutions for helping your baby sleep—peacefully and happily—
without your constant nighttime attention. And without “crying it out.”
3
Create Your Sleep Logs
Here’s where we get to work! The first step to improved sleep is to get an accurate picture of your baby’s current sleep pattern. You’ll need to pick a day and night to log what is really happening. There are blank forms for your use at the end of this chapter.
This is a very important step and one that you should not skip in your haste to get started on the sleep solutions. Once you determine exactly how your baby is sleeping now, you’ll be able to decide which ideas best apply to your situation, and you’ll be able to track your success and make adjustments based on the information you’ll glean from your logs.
This is really very simple to do.
Let’s Get Started!
Begin by choosing a day to do your sleep logs. The first step will be to jot down information about your baby’s naps in the nap log.
Knowing exactly how long it takes your baby to fall asleep, where and how he falls asleep, and when and how long he naps will all be important information. Since naptime sleep has a great impact on nighttime sleep, this nap data will be very helpful as you determine what changes you’ll need to make in your baby’s sleep routines. Here was my nap log for Coleton:
53
Copyright 2002 by Better Beginnings, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
54
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
Coleton’s Nap Log
12 months old
Time baby
How baby
Where baby Where baby How
fell asleep
fell asleep
fell asleep
slept
long?
1:20
Nursed for
In bed with
In bed alone 48 minutes
40 minutes
me
You will find a form for your own nap log on page 59.
On the same day that you complete your nap log you will also do your prebedtime routine log. This information will help you see whether your actions in the evening are helpful in settling your baby for bed or whether they are hindering your baby’s ability to settle down for a good night’s sleep. Beginning about an hour or two before bedtime, write down everything you do in the prebedtime routine log on page 60.
At each step you will note the time, what activities your baby is engaged in, and the levels of three things:
1. Activity: active, moderate, or calm
2. Noise: loud, moderate, or quiet
3. Light: bright, dim, or dark
Your log will help you take a fresh look at your nighttime routine (or lack thereof!). On the following page you’ll see my first prebedtime routine log for Coleton. You
No scientific experiments have been done on how best to train an infant to sleep, but I can make a few conjectures. I doubt that a regular pattern of sleeping and being awake can ever be imposed on infants immediately after birth or that anyone should even try. Their biological clocks seem to need to mature before they can keep track of the time of day. But the same kinds of cues that work for us should work on infants’ clocks as they are maturing.
Once you understand how much sleep your child needs, the most important strategy for improving his or her sleep is to set a daily routine and stick to it. Between the ages of five months and five years,
52
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
the social cues imposed by parents become the primary factor in children’s sleep patterns.
According to Dr. Dement, setting a routine and developing healthy bedtime cues and nighttime associations will allow your baby to drift off to sleep. The No-Cry Sleep Solution will help you create such a routine, customized for your baby and your family.
Now that you have learned some important basic sleep facts, you will use this knowledge as a foundation for developing your sleep plan. The first step, as outlined in the next chapter, will be to create sleep logs that will give you a clear picture of how your baby is sleeping now. Once you identify the issues that are preventing your baby from sleeping, we will move along to the solutions for helping your baby sleep—peacefully and happily—
without your constant nighttime attention. And without “crying it out.”
3
Create Your Sleep Logs
Here’s where we get to work! The first step to improved sleep is to get an accurate picture of your baby’s current sleep pattern. You’ll need to pick a day and night to log what is really happening. There are blank forms for your use at the end of this chapter.
This is a very important step and one that you should not skip in your haste to get started on the sleep solutions. Once you determine exactly how your baby is sleeping now, you’ll be able to decide which ideas best apply to your situation, and you’ll be able to track your success and make adjustments based on the information you’ll glean from your logs.
This is really very simple to do.
Let’s Get Started!
Begin by choosing a day to do your sleep logs. The first step will be to jot down information about your baby’s naps in the nap log.
Knowing exactly how long it takes your baby to fall asleep, where and how he falls asleep, and when and how long he naps will all be important information. Since naptime sleep has a great impact on nighttime sleep, this nap data will be very helpful as you determine what changes you’ll need to make in your baby’s sleep routines. Here was my nap log for Coleton:
53
Copyright 2002 by Better Beginnings, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
54
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
Coleton’s Nap Log
12 months old
Time baby
How baby
Where baby Where baby How
fell asleep
fell asleep
fell asleep
slept
long?
1:20
Nursed for
In bed with
In bed alone 48 minutes
40 minutes
me
You will find a form for your own nap log on page 59.
On the same day that you complete your nap log you will also do your prebedtime routine log. This information will help you see whether your actions in the evening are helpful in settling your baby for bed or whether they are hindering your baby’s ability to settle down for a good night’s sleep. Beginning about an hour or two before bedtime, write down everything you do in the prebedtime routine log on page 60.
At each step you will note the time, what activities your baby is engaged in, and the levels of three things:
1. Activity: active, moderate, or calm
2. Noise: loud, moderate, or quiet
3. Light: bright, dim, or dark
Your log will help you take a fresh look at your nighttime routine (or lack thereof!). On the following page you’ll see my first prebedtime routine log for Coleton. You
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