This is fun.  (Mainly because my kids actually sleep now) and it brings back so many memories of bad mommy dates when ‘Sleep Training‘ disagreements happened.  I felt isolated, alone, tired and fed up with everyone else proffering their ‘advice’ and ‘tips‘.  (It’s actually one of the reasons why I wanted to run UrbanMommies.com and UrbanDaddies.com.)  Nobody should preach to you.  But you should have the info that you need in an easy-to-read format.  And nobody should feel alone as a new parent.  It’s the hardest and best time, and that’s when you need the support.  That being said, Elizabeth Pantley wrote “The No-Cry Sleep Solution” and has some fabulous gentle methods.  Here’s an overview of baby sleep methods from Elizabeth Pantley.

Elizabeth Pantley is known for her promotion of gentle guidance to help a baby sleep. With this method, it is not necessary to allow a baby cry before comforting them to sleep. One of the things parents are tasked with is to keep a good record of their baby’s sleep activities. These records are expected to contain information such as nap times, night sleep times, and waking times. The approach often referred to as ‘the no cry sleep solution’ is appealing to most parents who hate to see their babies cry when trying to fall asleep.

Most babies who are good sleepers from an early age will often go through a period of difficulty going to bed.  Usually this occurs when they begin getting conscious of separation anxiety issues. (This is normally a big challenge for many babies as it interrupts their night time sleep.) Whenever they wake at night and realize they are alone in their beds, they find it difficult to get back to sleep. There are few instances where babies do not have this issue, once they are fed when they wake up at night; they go back to sleep easily.

Solutions

Parents can get a ‘lovey‘, a stuffed animal toy (something like a teddy bear) in their baby’s bed; this will go a long way in helping to alleviate separation fears and anxieties the baby may have. I personally took off my t-shirt every night and put it in the crib, as the smell was comforting to the baby (my husband liked it too).

A peaceful environment at least two hours before bed – dim lights, no TV, soft music and a bath can also become part of a routine that triggers the circadian rhythm of a child to stimulate a desire for sleep.  Baby massage, and even deep breaths on the mom and dad front can also help to calm the atmosphere in the home.  The positive attitude of a parent is also important in helping the child to learn how to sleep alone.  Good luck, and if all else fails, take a night off to sleep yourself and start anew tomorrow.

Visit: www.pantley.com for more information about Sleep.