Product Description

Great new guide for peaceful nights from the popular authority on calm and confident parenting

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #727 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Synopsis
Sleep is probably the most misunderstood and confusing aspect of parenthood. Babies are supposed to sleep most of the time, aren't they? Well, some do, but an awful lot don't. Gina Ford's practical guide helps parents understand their children's sleep patterns and gives them invaluable advice on how to solve or avoid common problems. Starting on the first day at home after the birth, she advises new parents to disregard any advice to let the baby's habits rule the roost. By creating a structure of regular feeding, sleeping and playing times, parents can help their baby to find a rhythm that will be comfortable for all concerned. Among the questions this book answers are: how much sleep do babies need? What's the difference between a sleep and a nap? When can certain feeds be dropped? Gina Ford's blueprint for creating happy and rested babies and parents has been successfully applied over many years.

From the Publisher
A guide to peaceful nights from the popular authority on calm and confident parenting

About the Author
Gina Ford:
Gina Ford has over twenty years' experience of looking after babies and young children. She has worked as a maternity nurse all over the world for all kinds of people, from lawyers and bankers to newspaper editors, pop stars and other high-profile media personalities. She now runs a consultancy service for parents.

Customer Reviews

An essential guide to all you need to know about sleep and babies!
This book provides a detailed step by step guide to understanding sleep and babies. It may seem obvious that the two go hand in hand but in my experience as a mother, sleep (or lack of sleep) is the key issue in being able to function effectively and being able to deal with all the day to day issues thrown at you by the little darlings. The book is divided, chapter by chapter on an age-related basis from birth to 3 years. The opening chapter gives a useful introduction to sleep and an overview of aspects which might effect it such as feeding, as well as discussing where babies sleep, how much they need at different ages, potential problems and much more. It also includes an overview of the routines which are a key feature of all of Gina Fords guides. A very useful chapter discussing solutions for sleepless night follows this, and includes a very detailed section on 'controlled crying' techniques, an area which is often misinterpreted by people about what it means and how it is done. The book then goes on to explore the sleeping patterns of young babies through to toddlers with each chapter encompassing a 6 month period. The chapters are clearly broken down into sections including the routine expected at that age and specific age related issues. Many detailed case studies are included which I feel is the strength of the book and helps it to be easily related to ones own specific questions. The case studies assist in moving the tone away from that of a purely instructive book on sleep and helping it to be very user-friendly. I have learned a lot about sleep and it has helped to clarify my thoughts about how to deal with sleep issues as they arose. It is not necessary to be following Gina Fords routines precisely to find this book useful as there are many helpful hints, tips and wise insights to all aspects of sleep which are of huge value to anyone interested in establishing good sleeping routines in the early years.

Straight forward and straight talking
This is a great book for simple straight forward understanding of sleep. Thanks to this book my little girl who is 9 months has been sleeping through the night (7pm - 7.30am) for months, sleeps 3 hours during the day and is rarely overtired. The case studies are really helpful as is the blend of advice from Gina Ford and other sleep experts. I have recommended this book to many others and passed mine on to a friend who is struggling with her little boy who is up several times a night at 18months old. If you value your and your little ones sleep this book is for you!

Sleep....and how to get it!
I've followed the CLB routines with both my daughters (now aged 1yr and 5yrs)and wouldn't have it any other way! Many people comment on how happy and contented they are and a lot of that must be due to the amount of solid sleep they both get.
I found the book a very useful addition to the CLB book, as it covers so much information on sleep in more detail than could be afforded in the CLB.
It covers how much sleep you should expect your baby/toddler to need, from birth to 3 years old (and the importance of a routine).
As the book is split into 6 chapters, you can quickly go to the section that's applicable to your babies age.
As with the other Gina Ford books, it contains many detailed case studies of when things have gone wrong. It is very comforting to read how other people get things wrong too, but that the problems can be corrected!
As a parent, one of the most frustrating things is the fact that just as you get used to a certain routine with your baby...they go and change it! Because babies needs are ever-changing, it is so handy to have this book to dip back into for reassurance.
Well worth a read!