Every parent hopes that their children sleep well. It seems from the very beginning that sleep is he most talked about topic. "Are you getting any sleep?" which means, is the baby sleeping?
The truth is, it takes a while for babies to "sleep through the night". What is your definition of sleeping through the night? A 10 hour stretch? 8 hours? Most books consider it a 5 hour stretch. Whatever your definition, the ultimate goal is uninterrupted sleep.
Some babies, good sleepers, will do this with ease. A friend of mine's baby was sleeping 5 hour stretches from the get go. Now as a toddler he continues to be a good sleeper and will take a 2-3 hour nap daily. A lot of times they have to wake him or he'll sleep too long. Seriously.
Can you say envious?! Neither of my babies were inherently good sleepers. I worked very hard to get them to sleep through the night. It was a struggle at times to say the least, but I was determined to get a good night of sleep. I had to get a good night of sleep.
With my first child, Cakes, I tried many different ways, including the dreaded cry it out. I know it works for some babies, but mine wasn't one of them. It was torturous. I had one very strong willed baby on my hands and she wasn't going to give up and go to sleep. (Because that's what cry it out does, right? They eventually just give up on mom/dad coming to get them?) I would end up in tears, upset, frustrated and angry. There had to be another way, a kinder more nurturing way.
That's when I came across Elizabeth Pantley's
The No-Cry Sleep Solution. It offered the kind of solution I was hoping for. Instead of concrete, you do this, you do that, she offers guidance in figuring out a sleep solution that works for your child. No child is alike so how can there be just one solution, right?!
Well, the techniques worked and I got my good night of sleep! But naps, oh naps, were never longer than about an hour. We never figured out how to get her to take a decently long nap. Never. And now at almost 4 she does not nap, and hasn't for about a year.
Fast forward to baby number two, the Bubby. He was a little easier, or perhaps I was a bit more laid back about things. Anyway, figuring out a night sleep solution didn't prove to be as difficult. Thank goodness! But naps are a different story. He is a
cat-napper and it has been a struggle to get him to take a good nap. But alas, Elizabeth Pantley came to my rescue again with her new book,
The No-Cry Nap Solution.
I was recently offered a chance to review her latest book, I just wish I would have gotten it sooner, like 17 months ago!! But, as I like to say, better late than never. Her solutions have helped me to help Bubby go from a 45 minute nap, to now napping at least 1.5 hours, sometimes 2! Woo hoo!
Just like her sleep solution book,
The No-Cry Nap Solution offers gentle ways to help solve your nap time problems. I love how it is not a one size fits all solution book. She explains the importance of naps, offers a multitude of solutions, and lets parents figure out what works best for their child. I also really like that there are many helpful charts. that show you how much sleep your child should be getting. It helps you to put things in perspective. For example, there is one that shows you how much sleep your child should be getting. I was worried that my daughter wasn't getting enough sleep because she doesn't nap any more, but according to the charts, she's getting an appropriate amount of sleep. It's reassurance like that that makes a mama happy!
I think Elizabeth Pantley is a gentle parenting hero! And I think every new parent should be armed with
her books. She offers such kind and gentle solutions to many parenting issues. From
sleep and
nap solutions, to
potty training and
discipline. She covers all of the bases!
How excited I am to offer a giveaway for
The No-Cry Nap Solution! Enter to win it for yourself or for someone you know who could use this great book.
To Enter:
Mandatory Entry:
Tell me how long your baby naps or why you need this book. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment. I need a way to contact you if you win!
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*Tweet for additional entries. Up to 3x per day. Please leave a link to your tweet and don't forget to mention @ecocheapmom in your tweet. Feel free to tweet this: Enter to #win Elizabeth Pantley's The No-Cry Nap Solution from @ecocheapmom! http://bit.ly/aqNpS2 #giveaway ends 3/5
Good Luck!
Giveaway ends Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 9:00 p.m.(EST). The winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email and announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
***I was sent this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way and the statements above are my own honest opinion.***
