5 Days to a Perfect Night's Sleep for Your Child

Book excerpt: An international phenomenon now available in America for the first time, this quick, no-nonsense guide is all you need to get your child to sleep through the night (pillow not included). These days, most books on improving your child’s sleep take either a tough-love approach (ignore crying) or a soothing strategy (offer continuous comfort). But now an internationally renowned sleep expert provides a middle-ground method that will have your child sleeping through the night at any age. Dr. Eduard Estivill’s no-fail technique focuses on a mixture of authority, ritual, and reward. Parents can end negative cycles of resistance and wakefulness and feel as rested as their child will by following these expert tips: • Adopt a firm and confident attitude (your child will pick up on your mood). • Use meals as a cue to announce your child’s next nap or nighttime sleep. • Incorporate appropriate elements (such as a stuffed animal or a pacifier) at bedtime so your child will not rely on you as a vital part of the sleep process. • Reinforce the contrast between light (day) and dark (night). • Never punish children by making them go to bed (it sends the wrong message about sleep time). • Learn what to say before—and after—the light is turned off. Complete with special techniques to use with newborns, plus an invaluable question-and-answer section that addresses specific concerns (children sleeping in their parents’ bed, how divorced parents can work together, special-needs children), this sanity-saving guide promises sweet dreams for all.