I’m reading “Healthy Sleep Habits
“, by Marc Weissbluth again and, by far, it is still the most sound, evidence-based book on sleep.
Compared to the other books on sleep solutions that I read, this one actually discusses the science behind sleep (and why/how sleep problems occur). The book doesn’t just provide solutions too, but also a program to prevention and intervention of sleep problems in children from infancy to adolescence.
I won’t spoil it for you, but I’ll tell you how effective it was with my firstborn. At nine months, my daughter was waking up every hour at night and couldn’t go back to sleep. That had such a toll on my health that I lost 10 pounds by the end of her 10 months-age. When I read this book, I wasn’t shocked to know that my baby fit the “sleep-deprived” description so well. And she wasn’t even 1 year old yet. We applied the age-appropriate principles in the book, and within two weeks she was sleeping soundly, throughout the night, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. She was also napping better than ever.
I’m reading the book again for the sake of my second baby, and this time I want to do things right from the start.
The book is written by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, a pediatrician who was a founder of the original Sleep Disorders Center at the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Weissbluth still practices pediatrics at the hospital. Now that counts for something, doesn’t it.
Here are some excerpts from the book that I think you’ll find insightful.
START EARLY, when you come home from the hospital, to put your child to sleep within one to two hours of wakefulness.
ON NAPPING. When you maintain a healthy nap schedule and your child sleeps well during the day, jealous friends will accuse you of being overprotective. They’ll say, “It’s not real life” or “Bring her along so she’ll learn to play with other children” or “You’re really spoiling her.” Suggestion: change friends, or keep your baby’s long naps a family secret.
JUNK SLEEP. Junk food is not healthy for our bodies. Neither is “junk sleep”. You try not to let your child become overly hungry, so don’t let your child become overly tired. You don’t breastfeed your baby on the run while doing errands. Same for naps. A parent coming home late from work would not starve his baby by withholding food until he arrived and could feed the child. Same for the bedtime hour; don’t “sleep starve” your baby’s brain by keeping her up too late.
BE PATIENT. It takes time for your child to develop strength, coordination, balance and confidences to “learn” to sleep. It takes time for your baby to develop night sleep consolidation, regular and long naps, and self-soothing skills to “learn” to sleep well.
Have you read the book? Let me know if it worked for you or not! Or maybe you have other books on sleep you want to recommend too.
Tags: sleep, solutions, problems, deprived, healthy sleep habits, happy child, health, junk sleep, marc weissbluth, children’s memorial hospital, sleep disorders
Share This
