Читать книгу The Baby Sleep Book: How to help your baby to sleep and have a restful night - Martha Sears - Страница 6

chapter 1

five steps to get your baby to sleep better

You are probably thinking, “Wow, it’s only the first chapter and we’re getting right to the point!” That’s because we assume you’re too tired to wade through a lot of the sleep facts and theories which we’ve placed in chapter 3. You just need to get your baby to sleep longer stretches.

But, here’s the bargain. In order to make these five steps work best, you still need to learn a lot about how and why infants sleep differently than adults, and how to develop a realistic attitude about nighttime parenting. So, promise to read the rest of the book as soon as your whole family is more rested. Do we have a deal? This chapter is designed to help a baby of any age sleep longer, and more importantly, to get you a better night’s sleep. After you read this first chapter we hope you and your baby will be ready to sleep soundly the whole night through. Maybe you’ll be ready, but unfortunately your baby won’t just yet. But trust us. We’ll help you all get there soon.

Here’s a preview of the five steps you will now learn:

 Find out where you and baby sleep best.

 Learn baby’s tired times.

 Create a safe and comfortable environment conducive to sleep.

 Enjoy a variety of bedtime rituals.

 Help baby stay asleep longer.

We also call this plan:

• Ready:	Work out when, where, and how baby goes to sleep.
• Set:	Use consistent bedtime rituals at predictable tired times.
• Go:	Use various strategies to teach baby to go to sleep and resettle back to sleep.

First we offer some precautions:

 If your baby is a newborn, do not jump into this plan (or any other plan) in the early weeks. Get to know your baby first, before you introduce a sleep plan into your parenting life.

 Be aware that not everything we suggest will be right for your baby. We don’t like parenting books that tell parents “this is how you have to do it. This is the only right way. Tough luck if it doesn’t fit your own ideas or your baby’s personality.” We believe that parents who know and love their baby are the best judges of how to care for that baby. This is why it’s so important to first get attached to your baby – so that you have the wisdom to know what’s best for your baby. In this book we will give you lots of strategies to help your baby learn healthy sleep habits. Which ones you choose depends on your baby’s unique sleep temperament.

So let’s get started, and here’s to a good night’s sleep … finally!