Sarah Blunden - The Sensible Sleep Solution: A guide to sleep in your babys first year

The Sensible Sleep Solution and the COTSS techniques outlined in this book have been devised and successfully used for many years by Dr Sarah Blunden in her sleep clinic and by Angie Willcocks in her psychology practice. Sarah has experience researching and working with families to diagnose and treat childrens sleep problems. Angies area of interest and expertise is with new parents, helping them to adjust to life with children.

Sarah and Angie wrote this book to meet a need they saw in their day-to-day work with parentsthe need for a sensible, middle-of-the-road approach to establishing healthy sleep habits in the first year of life.

Acknowledgements

This book has been a long time in the making and there are many people to thank.

Thank you to all the parents who have contributed case studies and insights, some names have been changed as requested.

Thanks to our friends and families who have proofread and formatted the manuscript at various points, and who have been positive and encouraging along the way.

Special thanks to Dr Ramona Chryssidis, general practitioner, for her helpful insights and advice on the gastro-oesophageal reflux section.

Many thanks to Julia Beaven from Wakefield Press for her patient and supportive editing.

And of course many, many thanks to our families, Philippe and Kelly, Gary, Matilda and Hazel for being supportive, encouraging and (most of the time!) patient over the writing and editing of The Sensible Sleep Solution .

Contents

Introduction

Did you know that by 12 months of age 15 to 30 per cent of babies are likely to have a sleep problem? The good news is that most sleep problems in toddlers are preventable, and this book tells you how.

Unlike other books on baby sleep, this book is based on a middle road of baby sleep advice that lies somewhere between the extremes of giving in (i.e. having your baby share your bed when youd prefer not to) or leaving your baby cry for increasing periods (controlled crying). The information in this book is based on the latest evidence and research around infant sleep. Look for a number at the end of a sentence to indicate the source of the information; all books and research papers referred to are listed at the back of this book.

There is no shortage of advice about baby sleep. Some people will tell you that you can quickly get your baby into a routine and back to normal life without too much fuss; others will tell you that your life (and sleep) will never be the same again. Some experts will try to convince you of the need to teach your baby to sleep; others will tell you that letting your baby cry will result in long-term psychological damage. With a lot of information available and with so much supposedly hanging in the balance, it is no wonder that many new parents feel anxious about their babys sleep and what to do about it. This book is a realistic and sensible guide to your babys development and how this relates to sleep, and provides practical information and tips for the first year.

In reality the first year of a babys life is a time of great adjustment and it is important that you know that your sleep will, without a doubt, be affected by the arrival of your baby. This is inevitable even with the best-behaved baby in the world. The good news is that there are steps you can take to minimise the likelihood of normal sleep disruptions becoming sleep problems. To do this, it is important to be aware of the facts on infant development, how this may affect sleep, and what you can do to help your baby develop healthy self-soothing and sleep habits at different stages throughout their first year.

The aim of this book is to outline a road map of what your babys sleep patterns will probably be like in the first 12 months, and provide some tips on how to head in the direction of a happy and well-rested family.

This book is for parents who:

• want to know factual information, based on evidence from research on the how and why of baby sleep
• want to have the knowledge and understanding about their babys sleep so they can make their own decisions about how they settle their child, based not on hearsay nor value judgments, but on facts and research in simple language
• dont want to leave their baby to cry in distress
• want to understand where their baby is at developmentally over the first year and the importance of self-soothing for babys sleep
• would like their baby to be sleeping well in their own bed, in their own room (or in a room with a sibling) by the age of 12 months.

We encourage you to see this as a map or a journey outline rather than a quick-fix book. It is important to have realistic expectations and goals. While it is not necessarily realistic or fair to expect your baby to fit in with you and your life in the first few months, it is reasonable to expect that you and your baby will be fitting in with each other by the end of the first year.

This book has four parts. Part 1 provides information about sleep (where your baby might sleep, characteristics of baby sleep), about how babies differ, crying and keeping your baby safe when sleeping. Part 2 explains in detail our methodthe Sensible Sleep Solution; how and why it helps your baby develop good sleep patterns over the first year, and how it differs from other methods. You will find information about taking care of yourself in your babys first year in Part 3 . We have included this important section to highlight that parents wellbeing is imperative for childrens wellbeing; put another way: you cant look after your baby if you dont look after yourself. In Part 4 we discuss realistic expectations for sleep in relation to development for specific age groups, provide sleep tips and practical help.

A series of icons throughout the book will alert you to interesting information and advice on particular topics. There are four icons:

Of interest: Information relevant to sleep and settling that we think youll find interesting.

Our thoughts: Our ideas, thoughts and advice on particular topics.

In a nutshell: A summary or important snippet from the information discussed.

Tips: Practical tips and advice for frequently encountered problems or concerns.

It is our hope that this book, which introduces you to the Sensible Sleep Solution, will help you feel more knowledgeable and in control in your first year as a parent, reassure you and, most importantly, allow you to enjoy your time with your new baby without the stress of sleep issues!