Summary of No Cry Sleep Solution?

[Lilipot15]

I would like to try this with my second. We resorted to CC at 16 months with my first, but had a long time of sleep struggles prior to this.
I tried to read this book before but was too tired and it is long. I read on my kindle as I read whilst BFing new baby, so I haven't got that quick ability to dip in and out of it.
I have seen this book recommended a lot but it presently feels unreadable for me.
Does anyone have / know of a summary of the points in it?

I'd like to try it with my new baby, but in-between sleeping when I can and parenting two under two, my ability to concentrate on such books is low (and I'm also getting my way through books on managing toddlers).

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

In typical MN style, I'm not going to answer the question, sorry.

My baby days were too long ago to remember accurately. Have a read of this though. It's similar.

[FATEdestiny]

Not read it, not my parenting style.

However my understanding from others can be summerised as:

• Lower your expectations. Baby will need you, need cuddling and feeding to sleep and need night feeds for a long time. This is not a technique to get baby sleeping through "early".

• Very tiny, small changes that are hardly noticeable happen over a long period of time.

How old is baby and what's happening with regards to sleep at the moment?

[Lilipot15]

Thanks for the Dr Sears link - that looks nice and readable.
Fate she's only 6 weeks so I have no expectations, just want to use the time whilst she's feeding to have a read and think about how to start good sleep habits for the future. At present we have a mix of her sleeping in a bedside crib, and cosleeping later on in the night. In the daytime she'll often sleep in a Moses basket or bouncy chair. No real issues, it's just trying to avoid the lots of tears at bedtime that we had with my eldest.

[Cookiecake]

I read is book when my son was young I think, which was 5 years ago or more. I think a lot of it was common sense really and I remeber it discussing about a child having a toy for bedtime being good as they find this comforting.

I'm not much help as I can't really remeber things in detail but after reading the book I changed some things. I started using lavender in my sons room and he had a toy sheep that went to sleep with him. I made bedtime routines very relaxing. Bath and then an appropriate book or song ( by this I mean calm and not something tht would excite DS). There was a lot in the book I did not implement as I didn't really think it would work for us.

[jennifer86]

I got the book out of our library a few months ago (May be worth doing so you can dip in and out!). It has several techniques that I can only remember a few of, but splits them into suitable before 4 months and for 4m+. The ones I can remember are:
Develop a bedtime routine
Develop a short nap time routine
Set an early bedtime
Make sure they feed enough during the day
Put them down drowsy so they learn to fall asleep on their own
Play with them in the cot at other times so they see it as a positive and safe environment
It also talks about star charts, setting goals etc with toddlers

It suggests introducing changing what you feel is needed or suits your family. Then every 10 days or so make a diary of their sleep and naps including where they were, whether the hour before was relaxed etc, and reevaluate/analyse these to see whether it's working or if you need to change anything else.

Hope this is useful, I would definitely recommend getting the book from the library so you can flick through it yourself.

[Lilipot15]

Thanks Jennifer. The putting down drowsy was never achieved with my first! But I think it is possibly more likely to just happen with the second as I am busier now with two of them....

[FATEdestiny]

From personal experience one of the most useful things you can do with a tiny newborn for the benefit of long-term sleep is:

"Feed, wind, then put down to sleep"

Which seems really obvious, but many people don't do this with their newborn.

Not feed to sleep, then put down. Not feed, let baby fall asleep on your shoulder while winding, then put down. Not hold baby while sleeping.

Instead feed until baby inevitably falls asleep (as newborns do). Rouse to see if you can get more milk into baby. Then lift baby to your shoulder and wind briefly. The act of patting/rubbing back acts to slightly rouse a sleepy baby. Then put baby down to sleep.

Rather than using a feed/wind as a chance to get baby to sleep, instead try to keep baby awake until feed/wind is finished. Baby is more likely to be tired and ready for a sleep (but not yet asleep) when put down.

Thus "put baby down drowsy" is achieved.

Dummy and swaddle will help a lot too.

[Lilipot15]

Fate thanks - I shall try that. DD2 won't take a dummy at present, despite me trying as a dummy has helped DD1. I find it quite difficult to wind her which I think results in me putting down a baby who seems asleep then wakes shortly after with wind.... I need to work on this.