"The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley

We've had trouble getting Emily to sleep (check out my post from a few months ago).  Recently I put some books about how to get your child to sleep on hold at the library.  In the meantime, Dan read an article in one of my baby magazines, and we tried the let Emily cry it out method again.  Which worked better this time, and she is sleeping better.  And, she is sleeping in her crib, instead of between Dan and me.

One of the books I had put on hold was "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" (since we were having problems with Emily NOT falling asleep if we just left her in her crib--and the idea that she wouldn't be crying herself to sleep appealed to me).  Since she is still not napping, I checked out the book.

The author is the mother of 4 kids, and believes in not letting your child cry.  She is also a co-sleeping fan (but doesn't push that idea, just supports it, in her book) and she is a breast-feeder.  But her book is for all parents, and she describes different methods to use depending on the particular habits of your child (co-sleeper or crib sleeper for instance).  At the outset of her book, she outlines the overall plan parents should follow--including learning about sleeping behaviors, and creating a plan to address the problems your child has.  And then sticking with it--her sleep solutions take weeks to change habits, but you don't have to let your child cry it out.  She also offers many different methods to consider, that you can tailor to your child and your family's needs.

I liked that she addressed both your own feelings about your baby's sleep patterns (do you enjoy the alone time, even if you get no sleep) and why you want to change (can you barely function, or does everyone else seem to think you need to change).  Also, she has a couple chapters at the end aimed just at the parent--on their sleep, and giving you a little perspective in the conclusion chapter.

The author has a great, personable writing style, and you can tell she's been through this, too.  She also includes quotes from the moms about their children's sleep or their application of her methods.  It's not a very long book (about 250 pages) and its not a hard read.  Perfect for a desperate mom who's just trying to figure out how to get junior to go to sleep so she can finally do so herself.  But without having to let them cry (or scream) themselves to sleep in a different room.

A lot of her advice was things we tried with Emily, or thought about trying, but didn't stick it out long enough for her to change her habits.  So, we still have naps to work on.  And I think we'll try some of the suggestions (helping Emily learn to like her crib, continuing to encourage her attachment to a lovey, and responding during the night to cries instead of letting her just cry--which as, the author pointed out, is a lot easier to handle once you get some sleep yourself.)

As an added bonus, here is a great quote from one of the last chapters:
"79 percent of women reported sleep problems during pregnancy.  (Personally, I think this figure is far too low--probably because the 21 percent who checked the "no" box in this poll were just too tired to understand the question.)"