Sleeping Like a Baby : A Sensitive and Sensible Approach to Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems

✍ Scribed by Dr. Avi Sadeh

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 219
• Edition: 1st
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

"Why doesn't my baby sleep better?" weary parents ask. "How can we get more sleep?" There are as many answers to these questions as there are babies and families, says Dr Avi Sadeh in this helpful and reassuring (some may say indispensable) book. Based on his years of research with sleep-disturbed babies and their sleep-deprived parents, Dr Sadeh suggests a wide variety of practical solutions to babies' and young children's sleep problems. Other experts may recommend one strict approach to changing a baby's sleep habits, but a single remedy fails to take into account a baby's uniqueness and the dynamics of his or her family, Dr Sadeh contends. He helps parents first to understand the natural sleep patterns of babies, and then to consider their own family's situation and needs. In an accessible style designed to ease anxious parents' worries, Dr Sadeh describes the various sleep problems of early childhood, outlines treatment possibilities, and details the pros and cons of each of these choices. This book will appeal not only to sleepless parents seeking relief but also to those who are curious about the most recent findings in children's sleep research. Dr Sadeh addresses a full range of questions: What is the importance of sleep to a baby? How do babies in different cultures sleep? How is sleep related to development? What causes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? How do babies calm themselves? What are the advantages and disadvantages of communal sleeping? With up-to-date answers to these questions and more, Dr Sadeh offers parents and professionals all the information they need to help babies and their families to sleep better.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 8
Preface......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 14
I. Sleep and Development......Page 16
1. “Why do we sleep?” The Significance and Role of Sleep......Page 18
2. “What’s so interesting about a sleeping baby?” What Sleep Is and How We Can Peek into a Child’s "Night Life"......Page 22
3. “She sleeps when she feels like it, two hours here,two hours there.” The Formation of Sleep Patterns......Page 33
4. “Why did my child laugh in his dream?” The Significance and Roles of Dream-Sleep......Page 49
5. “A child who doesn’t sleep doesn’t grow.” Sleep and Physical Growth......Page 56
6. “He’s hyperactive, and at night he has trouble falling asleep.” Sleep, Personality, and Behavior of the Baby......Page 60
7. “She refuses to go to sleep ever since she awoke from a scary nightmare.” Infant Sleep in Stressful Situations......Page 69
8. “It’s hard for me to abandon him alone in bed.” The Meaning of Sleep for Children and Parents......Page 76
9. “She won’t sleep without her ratty ‘blankie.’” Soothing Techniques and Accessories......Page 83
10. “He’ll sleep only in our bed.” Communal Sleeping, Separate Sleeping, and Cultural Outlooks......Page 93
11. “At night she can scream for hours and her father doesn’t hear a thing.” The Father’s Role......Page 99
II. Sleep Disorders......Page 106
12. “He falls asleep only in the car, and in the middle of the night that’s absurd.” Difficulties Putting the Baby to Sleep......Page 108
13. “She awakens every hour on the hour.” Nocturnal Wake-Up Calls......Page 114
14. “He wakes up terribly frightened and doesn’t calm down.” Nightmares, Night Terrors, and Other Sleep-Time Phenomena......Page 120
15. “She doesn’t eat enough, she’s teething.” Physiological Factors That Influence Sleep......Page 126
16. “He suddenly stops breathing and it takes my breath away!” Sleep Apnea and Breathing Disorders......Page 132
17. “While she slept we took turns standing guard to make sure she was breathing.” Crib Death, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome......Page 137
18. “Be patient! He’ll grow out of it.” The Stubborn Nature of Sleep Disturbances......Page 143
19. “To sleep or not to sleep, that is the question!” Difficulty Falling Asleep and Staying Asleep......Page 146
20. “My child is possessed.” Family and Personal Dynamics of the Parents......Page 165
21. “Does it really help?” Research on the Efficacy of Treatment and Its Ramifications......Page 174
22. “It’s hard to believe that this is the same child.” Changes in the Wake of Treating Sleep Problems......Page 177
23. “How can I make sure my new baby won’t develop sleep problems?” Principles of Preventive Treatment......Page 180
24. “Sometimes even a good parent feels like throwing the baby out with the bathwater!” Parting Words of Encouragement to Parents......Page 184
25. “Good morning, sun’s up, new day!” The End of the Night Train......Page 186
Appendix 1. Methods of Measurement and the Study of Sleep......Page 188
Appendix 2. A Sampling of Popular Books on Sleep and Nighttime Fearsfor Very Young Children......Page 196
Appendix 3.Selected Scientific Publications About Infants’Sleepand Related Topics......Page 199
Index......Page 212