Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
If you’re like most new parents, you’re tired. Very tired. Whether you’ve spent endless nights holding your screaming infant or waking up every two hours for feedings, you suddenly realize just how important sleep is. You’re cranky, irritable, short tempered, and just about anything sets you off. Living without sleep is hard. As a new mom, I understood that perfectly. What I didn’t understand, however, was that as badly as I was feeling, my newborn daughter was feeling even worse. I never knew just how important sleep was to a baby until one blurry night when I simply couldn’t keep my eyes open through yet another crying episode I called a friend who recommended the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.
I was never one to read parenting books. I insanely thought that since mothers had been doing this since the dawn of time, I could figure it all out on my own and didn’t need any professional advice. That was before 5 weeks of interrupted sleep and a crying baby who simply couldn’t be soothed anymore. I tried rocking, feeding, singing, car rides, stuffed lambs with heartbeat sounds, vibrating bassinettes, you name it, we tried it. What I did not know was that my poor child was so overtired she couldn’t get herself to sleep. I never understood the biology behind infant sleep patterns until I read this book.
Dr. Weissbluth begins his step-by-step approach for a good night’s sleep by explaining just how important sleep is to an infant. I was not aware that an infant can only comfortably stay awake for an hour at a time before becoming overtired. I also had no idea that sleeping in a moving car, stroller, swing, or vibrating chair did not provide the same quality of sleep as quiet, motionless sleep. The biggest kicker of all, however, was the notion of “sleep begetting sleep.” The more an infant sleeps, the easier it is for them to fall asleep and stay asleep for long periods of time. Plus, the whole concept of napping was foreign to me. I had always thought babies slept where and when they needed to. This book taught me that babies are actually not that portable and, instead, need scheduled naps to help them remain well-rested. All of this, according to Weissbluth, leads to a happy, well-adjusted child. The book provides information regarding how to create an age appropriate sleep schedule by month. It also offers solutions to help babies sleep through the night. It does, however, advocate letting your child cry, which for some parents might be difficult. The book is still worth reading for those parents however, simply for the information it gives regarding the science behind baby sleep patterns.
I decided to give it a try. Although I wasn’t sure if all of this would really work, I began the next morning by putting my daughter (5 weeks old at the time) back to bed an hour after she woke up. I sat outside of her room waiting for the screams. They never came. She slept for 3 hours! When she woke up, I did it again an hour later. This time another meganap! I was amazed. From that moment on, she became the super sleeper. Her naps were fantastic and she slept through the night 4 days later (5:30 PM to 6:30AM!!). And Weisbluth was right about well-rested children being happy and well-adjusted. People always commented on how easy-going and content she was and still is at almost 4!
My second child is now 5 months old and is also a great sleeper and an extremely happy baby. We work very hard to make sure she is never overtired, the key concept I learned from this book. The only advice I have for parents who are interested in reading this book is to remember that each child is different and you must formulate your own schedule based on your child. Weisbluth prescribes specific clock times for naps and night sleep that can sometimes be a bit rigid, in my opinion. However, I simply adjust the schedule based on my own child by understanding her “tired signs” and making sure I focus on getting her in for her naps and bedtime before she is overtired.
I do recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child to any parent who wants their child to be well-rested. I must caution, however, that parents who do not feel comfortable with letting their child cry a bit at naptimes and bedtimes might be put off by Weisbluth’s advice. Again I will state that it is worth reading anyway, as learning about your child’s biological needs for sleep are an important part of helping them—and you!—get the sleep your family so desperately needs!
