No-cry Sleep Training methods:

Happiest Baby On The Block:

by Harvey Karp M.D.

Philosophy

If your newborn is part of the one out of four babies who suffer from colic, Dr. Harvey Karp's book offers a practical plan to calm the crying and help baby sleep longer. After studying colic worldwide and discovering it is absent in some cultures, Dr. Karp arrived at what he calls the "Missing Trimester" theory. Newborn humans, he says, are less mature than most newborn animals (cows and horses walk the day they're born!). He surmises that babies are pushed from the womb before their bodies mature fully, probably because of the large human brain. Colic, according to Dr. Karp, is actually a sort of "homesickness" for the womb. Why no colic in some cultures? The author says that in certain countries (Bali, for one), babies are given much more of a "fourth trimester" experience than in the U.S. Dr. Karp's methods are devised to help you do the same by recreating the sensations of the womb.

What you have to do

Follow the "Five S's" to recreate a womblike environment and calm your baby.

• Make soothing "shh" sounds: Loud white noise imitates what baby heard in the womb. Use your own voice or a hair dryer, vacuum or other appliance.

• Swinging: Since babies are constantly bounced and jiggled in the womb, movement - particularly tiny, vigorous movements - says "home" to them.

• Sucking: In the womb, baby could reach and suck fingers easily. Therefore Dr. Karp suggests introducing a pacifier for the first four months of baby's life.

Information taken from an iVillage article on Harvey Karp M.D.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child

by Marc Weissbluth M.D.

Philosophy

Dr. Marc Weissbluth takes a long-term approach to sleep training. He believes healthy sleep affects a child's overall health, including his ability to learn. He says parents can help children avoid long-term sleep problems by paying attention to infant sleep needs. The plan requires parents to watch for baby's natural sleep cycles and then help him get the rest of the way there. Dr. Weissbluth is an advocate for consistent naps and early bedtimes, saying that babies who are kept awake late to accommodate parent schedules end up paying a price in long-term sleep deprivation. Dr. Weissbluth's five components of healthy sleep include duration, consolidation (uninterrupted sleep), naps, timing and regularity.

What you have to do

• Look for that drowsy state where your baby shows less movement and his eyes are not as alert and sparkly, or your older baby smiles less and is less engaged. If you miss it (a window within a one-to-two-hour wakeful time), baby may become overtired, and it will become more difficult to help her sleep.

• Reduce stimulation, light, noise and activity.

• Soothe baby to sleep: Swaddle, nurse, rock, sing, massage or otherwise calm your baby. Most babies need only one of these, and too many at once may be overstimulating. However, a colicky baby may require longer effort and more techniques.

• If your 0-to-4-month-old baby continues crying, don't ignore the cries. Continue soothing him.

• It's okay to put baby in bed during the drowsy-but-awake state. But if he falls asleep during the soothing, do not wake him before placing him in the crib. (Weissbluth seems particularly irritated by books that suggest otherwise.)

• Do not rush in at the first sound baby makes. Often baby will fall back to sleep on his own.

• Other key components: Be consistent with nap times and bedtime routines. Don't interrupt sleep to feed or play with baby, and don't keep him up late to adapt to your schedule.

Note: The above methods are intended to prevent sleep problems. Dr. Weissbluth suggests that 27 percent of babies still have difficulty sleeping at four months of age and require treatment in order to become healthy sleepers. If your baby falls into this category, Dr. Weissbluth's book offers a myriad of "no cry," "maybe cry" and "let cry" solutions, depending on your circumstances.

Information taken from an iVillage article on Marc Weissbluth, M.D.

Nighttime Parenting

by William Sears M.D.

Philosophy

"Gentle to sleep" is one aspect of attachment-style parenting. According to Dr. William Sears, a baby's wants and needs are pretty much the same thing during the first year of life. With this technique, prepare to adopt a "nighttime parenting style." Rather than trying to teach baby to sleep, parents make sleep an attractive place for baby to be. This is accomplished by sleeping close (keeping baby in a family bed or in a bassinet nearby) and offering a number of comforting methods when she awakens.

What you have to do

During the day: Carry baby in a sling and cuddle often. Maintain consistent nap times and bedtimes. By fulfilling baby's daytime needs for routine and closeness, you will help her develop more consistent nighttime patterns.

Before bed: Use one of a number of calming-down methods depending on your circumstances - bathing down, massaging down, nursing down, fathering down (infant's head nestled in crook of Dad's neck), rocking down, wearing down (as in wearing baby in a sling, not horseplay), motoring down (yes, in the car).

Once baby's asleep: Don't sneak away until she's in deep sleep. Look for limp limbs. Baby will often awaken if you set her down during the first stage of sleep.

During the night: Sleep close to baby so you can continue to monitor her needs. (If you use a family bed, make sure to read current precautions.) Comfort, rock, change or nurse baby when she awakens.

Information taken from an iVillage article on William Sears M.D.

No Cry Sleep Solution

by Elizabeth Pantley M.D.

There are two schools of thought for encouraging babies to sleep through the night: the hotly debated Ferber technique of letting the baby "cry it out," or the grin-and-bear-it solution of getting up from dusk to dawn as often as necessary. If you don't believe in letting your baby cry it out, but desperately want to sleep, there is now a third option, presented in Elizabeth Pantley's sanity-saving book The No-Cry Sleep Solution

Pantley's successful solution has been tested and proven effective by scores of mothers and their babies from across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Based on her research, Pantley's guide provides you with effective strategies to overcoming naptime and nighttime problems. The No-Cry Sleep Solution offers clearly explained, step-by-step ideas that steer your little ones toward a good night's sleep--all with no crying.

Tips from The No-Cry Sleep Solution:

• Uncover the stumbling blocks that prevent baby from sleeping through the night

• Determine--and work with--baby's biological sleep rhythms

• Create a customized, step-by-step plan to get baby to sleep through the night

• Use the Persistent Gentle Removal System to teach baby to fall asleep without breast-feeding, bottlefeeding, or using a pacifier

Information taken from Elizabeth Pantley's website.

Personal stories from moms of multiples who have used these techniques

--Becky5 19:45, 3 August 2007 (CDT)