Sleep
Posted by janet on Feb 6th, 2015
What To Do Instead of Rocking
There’s an old fashioned type of rocking that I appreciate but don’t hear much about these days. It is slow, gentle, and relaxing for both parent and child. There might be quiet conversation or singing, but there is no goal or purpose other than mutual contentment in just being together. A languid journey to nowhere.
These days I’m mostly hearing about the purposeful kind of rocking some experts advise for...
Posted by janet on Jan 15th, 2015
Helping Your Baby Learn to Sleep (Guest Post by Eileen Henry)
“Sleep is not always a problem to fix. There is a large part that remains a mystery.”
That comment from sleep specialist Eileen Henry nails the reason I find it far more challenging to help parents with sleep issues than I do all other aspects of parenting. Sleep is deceptive and ambiguous, and I am infinitely more comfortable with clarity. This is also the reason I often ask Eileen -– always fearless and...
Posted by janet on Oct 31st, 2014
3 Baby Sleep Stories (And What We Can Learn From Them)
If the sleep process is working like a dream in your family, there’s little reason to read on. And congratulations! But if you’re like many of us, easing your baby into dreamland isn’t always smooth sailing.
Here are three baby bedtime stories that may shed some light on your sleep issues and/or help you avoid difficulties in the future. One element they all have in common: a highly aware, attuned, open-minded...
Posted by janet on Feb 13th, 2014
The Subtleties of Baby Sleep (4 Important Things To Know)
“The word ‘sleep’ wakes up even the sleepiest baby.” – Magda Gerber, Your Self-Confident Baby
Magda Gerber’s assertion might seem far-fetched, but recent scientific studies (by Gopnik, Bloom, Spelke and others) are proving what Gerber understood more than half a century ago: our infants are astonishingly sharp and aware. They recognize repeated words, read our subtexts, sense our feelings and attitudes....
Posted by janet on Jan 3rd, 2013
The Happiest Babies Aren’t Shushed, Swung or Scheduled
There are many routes to successful parenting. Here’s how one mom found hers:
Janet – first let me thank you for all that you do. I always envisioned the kind of connection I wanted to have with my baby, and your posts have helped make that dream a reality. In the spirit of new beginnings for the new year, I would love to share my joy:
I used to think my 4 month old son was high maintenance. But I was the...
Posted by janet on Dec 27th, 2011
Loving Babies Without Wearing Them
If bloggers got year-end bonuses, this would be mine. In this note, a new mother shares her discovery of infant expert Magda Gerber’s child care approach and the profound effects it has had on her family…
Dear Janet,
I stumbled on your blog through the guest post on “tummy time” when my daughter, now six months, was about two months old. I was totally captivated by the video of Baby Liv and then spent...
Posted by janet on Dec 5th, 2011
Helping Babies Sleep (With Empathy And Compassion) Guest Post by Eileen Henry
Hi Janet,
My baby boy is 6 months old, and we do all we can to make sure he is happy and healthy. We realize how important good, uninterrupted, restorative sleep is – both night sleep and daytime naps – and I wonder how you might respond to the philosophy of Dr. Marc Weissbluth (“Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child”), who advocates letting a baby over 4 months cry up to one hour for naps and an unlimited time...
Posted by janet on Oct 20th, 2011
The Truth About Infant Self-Soothing
Infant self-soothing is often misrepresented by descriptive terms like tough love, crying it out, leaving babies to “deal with it” on their own, and even neglect. Apparently there are people who misunderstand the concept, or use it as an excuse to ignore a child. Perhaps it’s in reaction to those people, real or imagined, that others have wholly rejected the idea, shutting the door on the possibility that...
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