Baby Sleep Guide

Contents

Foreword by Wendy Middlemiss, PhD

Introduction: If You’re Reading This Before Your Baby Is Born

1 The Sleepy Fetus

What’s Going on In There?

2 Newborns in “The Fourth Trimester”

Understanding Your Baby’s Sleep Cycle

How Your Baby’s Brain Is Different from Yours

A Closer Look at Adult Sleep

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Your Baby’s Sleep Cycles

Common Medications That May Affect Your Baby’s Sleep

Baby Wake Cycles

It Pays to Answer Promptly

Decoding Your Baby’s Cries

The Swaddling Option

Drowsy But Awake

3 Where Should Baby Sleep?

The Great Debate

Bed Sharing: The World’s Oldest Sleeping Arrangement

The Biology of Mother-Baby Night Closeness

Bed-Sharing Negatives

Bed-Sharing Safety Checklist

How and When to Stop Bed Sharing

All About Cribs

Setting Up Your Baby’s Room

4 Six Weeks: The Crying Peak

The Six-Week Crying Peak

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Colic: The Waking Nightmare

Dealing with Exhaustion

5 Three to Four Months

Developing a Daily Routine

What’s Happening in Your Three-Month-Old Baby’s Brain

Feeding and Sleep: The Big Differences Between Breast and Bottle

Charting Your Baby’s Day/Night Patterns

The Nighttime Put-Down

Tips for Handling Your Unique Baby

6 Four to Six Months

The Four-Month Sleep Shift

7 Six to Nine Months

Your Baby’s New Sleep Patterns

Is It Time for a Change?

What Is Sleep Training? Does It Really Work?

8 Nine to Twelve Months

All About Toddler Sleep

9 Twelve Months and Beyond

The Challenge of Toddler Sleep

Exercise Is Important

Handling Delaying Tactics

Twenty Tips for Toddler Bedtime

Coping with Your Early-Morning Riser

The Changing Nap-time Scene

Containing a Roaming Toddler

Monsters and Night Fears

Moving from Crib to Bed

Sleep Problems When Traveling

Family Upheavals

A Distant Memory