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50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for any parent, March 31, 2009
This review is from: The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems (Pantley) (Paperback)
Did you know that studies have proven healthy sleep habits for your child now can directly impact their health for the rest of their lives? Or that a child not wanting a nap and not needing a nap are not one in the same?
But let's get real: While our intentions may be great, real life doesn't always allow for step-by-step approaches to getting our kids the daytime rest they need (and the sorely needed breaks we get while they nap!). Crabby kids, relatives popping in unannounced right before nap time, teething, upset bellies, that doctor appointment you can't miss, that 15 minute car nap that ruined little Johnny's afternoon siesta that led to an even more difficult bed time fight because he was so overtired...we've all been there, done that, and were all ready to pull out hair out by the end of the day.
There's a lot of great information in this book for parents of newborns through toddlerhood, and I made plenty of notes while I read. And there was also plenty of information that did not apply to our situation, some of which I skipped entirely and some of which I just skimmed (because I do plan on having another baby eventually!). But that is what is so great about Pantley's book: it's not a one-size-fit-all solution. Whether you co-sleep, nurse-to-sleep, stick to a by-the-clock schedule, or fly by the seat of your pants (like I do), you and your nap-fighting child will benefit greatly from the little bit of time it will take to sit down and read!
A few very important lessons I learned while reading Pantley's book included:
* My daughter needs 12 hours of sleep a night and 1 to 2 hours of nap time per day for 13 to 14 hours of sleep total. Oops! I had been cutting her short by about 2 hours. We have been working on remedying that situation and I am already noticing improvements.
* Night time sleep can help make up for naps but naps cannot make up for night time sleep.
* No matter what ANYONE tells you, newborns cannot be spoiled. So baby-wear, cuddle, and hug to your hearts content.
* I am not the worst mother in the world.
* What works for us is fine. A parenting expert says so. So if my daughter and I are happy with our she-holds-my-hand-until-she -falls-asleep-for-every-nap-and-bedtime situation, then so be it. It doesn't mean I am spoiling her and it doesn' mean I did something wrong. It just means that this is what is right for us. (I'm not sure why I needed an expert to tell me this to make me feel better, but thank you, Elizabeth. You don't know how much better this makes me feel.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pantley won't undermine your confidence or make you think your baby is a failure!, April 13, 2009
This review is from: The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems (Pantley) (Paperback)
Elizabeth Pantley's No-Cry Nap Solution, like her original No-Cry Sleep Solution is packed full of ideas for worn out parents. Pantley is not one to give up on a problem and nor is she is one to go on endlessly about `her philosophy' - Pantley is about practical, creative ideas which can be adapted to your own instincts as a mother. She is the reassuring maternal figure you're searching for as a bewildered new parent, the one who won't undermine your confidence and won't make you think your baby is some kind of failure. Pantley's books are as patient in their problem-solving as the sleepless night is long.
The No-Cry Nap Solution covers all the usual infant and toddler sleep pattern information and then moves on to tackling some thorny napping problems - catnaps, nap resistance, shifting schedules, changing from in-arms sleep to in-bed sleep, changing car naps to bed naps, making the transition from motion sleep to stationary sleep, and falling asleep without the nipple/bottle/dummy. The book has really hit the mark with its smorgasbord of nap problems and I'd be surprised if you're experiencing a nap problem that isn't covered here. Apart from raising four kids herself, all that research Pantley has done with parents around the world has paid off!
I read this book free of the fog of sleep deprivation, and there was a point I reached where I found myself thinking lighten up mothers, let it go, it all eventually turns out ok, you don't need to be so damn obsessive about your baby's sleep. And you know what, this thought could only ever be entertained by someone who is getting enough sleep in her life and you know what else? Pantley even has this covered - there is a section in her book with advice for those of you who decide to lighten up and let go with your motherhood routines.
But be warned, the book probably won't deliver instant miracles. There are no sleep miracles with babies. The truth is babies don't sleep or nap in a way that fits neatly into the modern parent's lifestyle. Unless you're exceptionally lucky there are going to be some problems (and they will involve a little crying). But the good news is they won't last forever. If you want to gently manoeuvre your way through them then the No-Cry series is the one for you. And just as The No-Cry Sleep Solution was desperately needed by sleep-deprived parents, I suspect The No-Cry Nap Solution will be just as desperately needed by energy-deprived parents. Because I still remember how precious nap time was - how your child's nap was the only time in a day where you got the opportunity to re-charge. It is something very much worth striving for. Go for it, buy the book.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a relief!, April 5, 2009
This review is from: The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems (Pantley) (Paperback)
What did I like best about this book? Well, this quote from page 22 is probably it:
"Address only those problems that are true problems to you, and don't create or imagine problems because someone else thinks you have them, no matter if that person is family, friend, or expert."
It's a wonderful reminder that problems are only problems if you think they are and then it's up to you to decide what to do about them. Wow. What a relief! You don't often hear that...as a parent. Usually everyone is trying to tell you what's wrong with how you do things.
My big concern was that my baby was nursing and then falling asleep for her naps. I thought this was a HUGE problem I had to fix. The thing was that I didn't feel like it was a problem; I just kept hearing that from various "expert" sources. Then, in the chapter on nursing to nap, Elizabeth says this:
"If your baby falls asleep nursing, drinking a bottle, or sucking a pacifier and then you are able to put him into bed where he takes a nice, long nap, then nothing needs to change." (page 154)
Another big sigh for me, as my baby was doing naps from 1 hour to over 2 hours in her crib or in our bed. Sure, sometimes the naps were shorter, but that was the exception and not the norm. And there was usually a good reason (such as a noise or the fact that she had had a longer nap earlier in the day and wasn't as tired).
After a lot of great general information on sleeping, napping, etc. in the first part of the book, there are then sections for newborns and older babies, as well as the types of challenges you are facing. You will not need to read the whole book to find solutions; you only need to read what's pertinent to you and your baby. What a great thing for time-constrained people like us parents!
The logs are great, especially the point of doing them every month or two rather than every week or two. This gives a more reasonable time for change and to see improvement. I did a log and came to the realization that the napping was going much better than I had thought. So, while it sometimes will help you spot the bad, the logging can also bring pleasant surprise. :) Still, I am trying some things and will do logs in a month or two to see if things have gotten better.
Lastly, one of my favorite things is that Elizabeth gets you to think of the less obvious, like does my baby sleep better with socks on or off? I hadn't thought to that level and thinking about things like that makes sense (and helps!)
This book, combined with the No-Cry Sleep Solution, have to be must-reads for any new parent to succeed in their new job of raising a happy, well-rested baby.
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