Alison Scott-Wright - The Sensational Baby Sleep Plan: A practical guide to sleep-rich and stress-free parenting

Contents

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First published in Great Britain
in 2010 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers

Copyright Alison Scott-Wright 2010

Alison Scott-Wright has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

The information in this book reflects the authors own opinions and methods, but is not intended as a substitute for advice from a qualified medical practitioner. Always consult a qualified medical practitioner before starting, changing or stopping any medical treatment. So far as the author is aware, the information given is correct and up to date as at date of publication. Practice, laws and regulations all change, and the reader should obtain up-to-date professional advice on any such issues. The author and publishers disclaim, as far as the law allows, any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use, or misuse, of the information contained in this book.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781407069265
ISBN 9780593062814

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This book is dedicated to my mother, Barbara Wright, without whom it would never have been written and who has finally, after forty-five years, realized that the baby stage is the easy bit!

With three daughters, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, she has learned not to judge but just to accept and offer her unconditional support to help deal with the many difficult challenges of family life.

Through every twist and turn, every high and low, and every page of this book, she has been there for me.

Thanks, Mum. You are my rock and I love you.

It is with great pleasure that I write the foreword for The Sensational Baby Sleep Plan. I have known Alison professionally for many years, and am impressed by her practical and pragmatic approach. She has tremendous and rather valuable experience with babies who have feeding difficulties, reflux, and sleep problems, and her practical and clinical skills are helpful to many families and young children.

This book offers easy-to-follow, practical guidance and valuable advice to all families with babies, especially those who are distressed and colicky. I have looked after children and babies with such problems for the last fifteen years, and during this time I have sadly seen babies who experience varying episodes of pain, distress, and/or feeding difficulties. The majority of babies with colic often look well and may even be smiling whilst in the doctors waiting room; in this situation, they can pass a normal clinical examination and often gain weight in a satisfactory manner, especially during the early stages. It is only possible for most health professionals to correctly understand the extent of the problem that both babies and parents experience if they monitor the progress of the baby over a number of hours or days, and this is what Alison specializes in.

Alisons experience with infants and babies is presented with great clarity within this book, along with some valuable hints and practical tips which, in my opinion, would be extremely useful for all parents and carers of young babies.

Over the years, working alongside Alison has proved to be productive and rewarding to both parents and their babies. I hope that this book will contribute further to the awareness of parents and health professionals in the management of babies with colic, reflux and feeding difficulties.

Dr Muftah Eltumi PhD, FRCP, FRCPCH
Consultant paediatric gastroenterologist
The Portland Hospital for Women and Children

I have put together this straightforward, easy-to-follow plan based on my years of experience working with the families of newborns. It involves neither demand feeding nor a strictly regimented routine, but is a realistic plan that strikes a happy medium between the babys needs and the flexibility required in a busy family. The plan helps parents in todays pressurized society to relax into parenthood with confidence and a growing understanding of all it entails.

I am fully aware that the existing government guidelines on feeding and babycare are set out to promote your babys health and wellbeing, but they are not always easy either to implement or to stick to. In an ideal world, we would all exclusively breastfeed, not work, stay at home, raise the perfect baby, have a proper family unit, masses of help and support, and never be stressed or overtired. As this is not the case for most of us, my plan, although sometimes bending the rules a little, is a down-to-earth and sympathetic approach designed to meet the needs of both parents and baby. It will work for all those who seek a practical and realistic method of babycare.

Sleep, or the lack of it, is probably the most widely written about and discussed topic within the entire range of babycare issues. How do I get my baby to sleep through the night? is the most commonly asked question and sought-after solution among all those who are preparing for or have reached parenthood. It is a pity that such a negative attitude exists towards the whole issue of baby sleep: it suggests that you will have months, possibly years, of interrupted nights, leading to a sleep-deprived, stressful time rather than to an enjoyable, relaxed introduction to life as a family.

By reading this book and following my plan you will learn how to implement a flexible daily feeding and sleeping schedule that will result in your baby being able to sleep 12 hours through the night by around eight weeks old.