Table of Contents
My Promise to You xii
How to Use This Book xiii
Introduction:
My Journey in Baby Sleep 1
1 Baby Sleep: Essentials 6
Ten Things You Should Know at the Start 7
Are You Ruining Your Child? 9
Sleep Safety 9
Where Should Your Baby Sleep? 14
2 The Party That Is Newborn Sleep 20
Things to Expect in the First Three Months 22
Newborn Sleep: What Is Normal? 27
Helpful Newborn Sleep Guidelines 30
3 Bedtime Is the New Happy Hour 34
Demystifying Newborn Bedtime 35
Achieving Baby and Toddler Bedtime Victory 37
Common Bedtime Problems and How to Fix Them 42
4 How Babies Sleep 47
What's Going On under Your Baby's Hood 48
How Baby Sleep Goes Off the Rails 56
Teaching Baby to Fall Asleep 60
Life after Independent Sleep 62
5 Baby Sleep Power Tools 64
What Is and Isn't a Good Sleep Power Tool 65
Power Tool #1: White Noise 68
Power Tool #2: Swaddling 70
Power Tool #3: The Pacifier 74
Power Tool #4: Baby Swings 77
Power Tool #5: Sleep Schedule Management 83
Sleep Power Tools Summary: Putting It All Together 85
6 Teaching Baby to Sleep, Part 1: SWAP (Sleep With Assistance Plan) 89
Teaching Baby to Sleep: The Fundamentals 91
Six Sleep With Assistance Plans to Help Baby
Learn to Sleep without You 92
Evaluating Your SWAP Progress 109
7 Teaching Baby to Sleep, Part 2: SLIP (Sleep Learning Independence Plan) 114
“Cry It Out” Myths 116
Attachment and Sleep Training:
A Psychologist's Perspective;Dr. Rebecca Ruid 119
To SLIP or Not to SLIP 121
How to SLIP at Night 123
Beware the Extinction Burst 134
Common Issues 137
8 Handling Night Waking after SWAP or SLIP 141
Waking and Eating 142
Waking and Not Eating 147
Early-Morning Wakeups 148
9 Eating and Not Sleeping 150
Why Does Your Baby Eat at Night? 150
Baby Is Hungry 151
Baby Has a Night Eating Habit 156
Night-Weaning Strategies 157
Common Issues in Night Weaning 165
10 Becoming the Zen Nap Ninja Master 169
Why Good Naps Are So Challenging 170
Setting Realistic Nap Expectations 171
The Three Conventions of Nap Nirvana 177
The Fourth Convention of Nap Nirvana 184
Stuck with Craptastic Naps? 190
When Your Child Drops a Nap 191
Bad Nap Days 195
11 Why, When, and How to Wean Off Your Sleep Power Tools 198
Weaning Off the Pacifier 200
Weaning Off the Swing 204
Weaning Off the Swaddle 205
Weaning Off White Noise 207
Weaning Off Managing the Schedule 208
12 (Un)Common Sleep Setbacks 209
The Dreaded Sleep Regression 210
Baby Learns Cool New Stuff 212
Separation Anxiety 212
Travel 215
Daylight Saving Time 218
Chronic Sleep Deprivation 221
Your Child Doesn't Nap 222
Too Long in Bed 223
Night Gaps 224
Starting the Day at an Uncivilized Hour 225
13 Older Kids, Siblings, and Twins 231
Independent Sleepers 232
Bedtime, Boundaries, and Limit Testing 241
Moving to a Big-Kid Bed 246
Sleep and New Siblings 249
Sleep and Multiples 254
Room-Sharing 255
SLIP and Siblings 256
Nightmares and Night Terrors 257
The Last Word 265
Appendix: Potential Medical
Complications for Sleep 267
Infant Reflux 268
Food Allergy and Intolerance 273
Teething 275
Sleep Apnea 277
Restless Legs Syndrome 278
Premature Birth 278
