The No-Cry Sleep Solution

If I took an informal survey of parents and asked, "what is the most challenging thing about being a new parent?" I am confident that "sleeping" would be in everyone's top 3. There is no shortage of opinions and methods out there, and parents have a wide variety of goals and values when it comes to sleeping. Some want their children to make it through the night without them at an early age, while others will share their bed with their children until the children decide they are ready to be on their own. In between those two extremes lie an infinite number of possible approaches.

Needless to say, Elisa and I have our own opinions, too, but I'm not interested in standing on a soapbox. We were sure that we would "train" our first baby to sleep on her own. Then she came home with us. After a long and difficult pregnancy and near-traumatic birth experience (I'll forgo the details), it seemed that our baby's room was on the other side of the planet. We followed our hearts and our instincts and moved the crib into our room.

Of course, there are some who say that co-sleeping and attachment parenting are not the best for children and families, but that's where we landed. Sure, it's sometimes difficult, but we felt it was worth it. Our kids, now 4 and 6, are sleeping through the night in their own beds in their own room, occasionally waking up early and wandering into ours. But those early days of no sleep, a cramped bed, and failed attempts to transition them to their own room were taxing. Exasperated at times, we felt there had to be a middle-ground that respected the notion of attachment but provided a way to get some sleep!

We discovered The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. It's a really great book that accomplishes much of what all parents want: to love their child and get some sleep! For those with kids a bit older, there is the No-Cry Sleep Solution For Toddlers and Preschoolers. If you have difficulties at bedtime or naptime, these books are a great resource for those who want a middle ground between "training" and co-sleeping.

Comments

[Erin]

I used this book too! It was great!

[Tom Resing]

My wife and I have read both of these books. We didn't sleep in the same bed as our daughter, but I found Pantley's gentle methods much more match my feelings towards my daughter than the other books we've found.

[Onna@toddlercraft]

What a small world- or I guess I should say World Wide Web!! I Just posted an article on my blog and also Mentioned the No Cry Sleep Solution!! It is a great book and is what helped me finally get my kids to sleep in their own beds (ages 3 & 6 now) So many parents have this trouble, It's great to hear other's stories and successes and how they got there!!