Sleep Deprivation in Children: Signs of Misbehavior vs. Lack of Sleep | Parenting Guide for Better Rest | Perfect for Bedtime Routines & School Preparation

This book is a godsend. We've tried every approach out there for our 4 1/2-month-old daughter who we considered 'colicky' because of her hours-long, irate crying and inability to sleep. We shooshed her, swaddled her, dream-fed her, let her cry it out, tried the EASY method, gave her a pacifier, rocked her for literally hours, put her in the swing, had her sleep in bed with us, had her sleep in her own crib, had her sleep in the bassinet, had her sleep in the car seat, changed her bedtime, took her for walks, drove her around, gave her baths, put on white noise. Nothing worked. Until we discovered Sleepless In America. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka helped us to begin to think about sleep in a whole new way and make us realize what we've been doing to actually overstimulate the poor child to the point where she's been over-exhausted, to the point where she can't be soothed enough to sleep, her entire short life. She's helped us to slow down our own lives, realize we can't just take this baby out and about and expect her to conk out in the stroller or the car seat, and she can't handle being around big crowds or loud noises right now. This book has brought to our attention that we have a special type of kid who needs some extra TLC that 'normal' babies don't require. Our friends think we're crazy and our family think we're bad parents because we have to rock our baby to sleep for every nap and every night, and because she still wakes up four times a night. 'What's wrong with her? What's wrong with you? Just put her in the crib! Let her cry it out!' If you have a child like ours, you will completely understand this just isn't possible, because she's the type of child whose cries will escalate to the point of vomiting if left to fend for herself. If you have a complicated, demanding (but beautifully lovable, of course!) baby like ours, then you need to read this book. It teaches you how to let your child get the rest they so desperately need, and to ultimately let you get the rest you've been missing out on. As others mentioned, it uses examples of kids of all ages, which I found actually quite helpful, as we can begin to think ahead for the kinds of strategies we know our very special daughter will need in the future as she grows. We started reading this book three weeks ago and applying these strategies in earnest about two weeks ago, and already have made gigantic improvements: our daughter is fast asleep by 7:15pm for the third night in a row, and here we are making dinner together for the first time since she was born.