Sleeping Like a Baby : A Sensitive and Sensible Approach to Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems

219 Pages·2001·0.52 MB·English

by  Dr. Avi Sadeh

Sleeping Like a Baby

Sleeping Like a Baby
A PEEK INTO BABY’S NIGHT LIFE
Avi Sadeh
Yale University Press New Haven and London
The informationand suggestionscontainedin this book are not intended
to replacethe servicesof your physicianor caregiver.Becauseeachperson and each
medicalsituationis unique,you shouldconsultyour own physicianto get answersto
your personalquestions,to evaluateany symptoms you may have, or to receive
suggestionson appropriatemedications.
The author has attemptedto make this book as accurateand up-to-date
aspossible,butitmayneverthelesscontainerrors,omissions,ormaterialthatisoutofdate
at the time you read it. Neitherthe author nor the publisherhas any legalresponsibility
for errors, omissions, out-of-datematerial,or thereader’sapplicationof themedical
informationor advicecontainedin this book.
Copyright(cid:2) 2001 by AbrahamSadeh.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced,in whole or in part,
includingillustrations,in any form (beyond thatcopyingpermittedby Sections107
and 108 of the U.S. CopyrightLaw and exceptby reviewersfor the publicpress),
withoutwrittenpermissionfrom the publishers.
Designedby Sonia Shannon
Set in Cochintype by BinghamtonValleyComposition.
Printedin the UnitedStatesof America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-PublicationData
Sadeh,Avi, 1957–
[Lishon kemo tinoo`k. English]
Sleepinglike a baby : a peekinto baby’snight life/ Avi Sadeh.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesand index.
ISBN 0-300-08824-8
1. Infants—Sleep.2. Sleepdisordersin children.3. Parentand infant.I. Title.
BF720.S3313 2001
649'.4—dc21 00-011100
A cataloguerecord for this book is availablefrom the BritishLibrary.
The paper in this book meetsthe guidelinesfor permanenceand durability
of the Committeeon ProductionGuidelinesfor Book Longevityof the
Councilon LibraryResources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Pnina,
who did not live to see my children, awake or asleep,
and to my father, David Hirschfeld,
a flowing brook of tenderness, peacefulness, and love.

Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
I
Sleep and Development
1. “Why do we sleep?”
The Significance and Role of Sleep 3
2. “What’s so interesting about a sleeping baby?”
What Sleep Is and How We Can Peek into a Child’s
“Night Life” 7
3. “She sleeps when she feels like it, two hours here,
two hours there”
The Formation of Sleep Patterns 18
4. “Why did my child laugh in his dream?”
The Significance and Roles of Dream-Sleep 34
5. “A child who doesn’t sleep doesn’t grow”
Sleep and Physical Growth 41
6. “He’s hyperactive, and at night he has trouble
falling asleep”
Sleep, Personality, and Behavior of the Baby 45
vii
Contents
7. “She refuses to go to sleep ever since she awoke
from a scary nightmare”
Infant Sleep in Stressful Situations 54
8. “It’s hard for me to abandon him alone in bed”
The Meaning of Sleep for Children and Parents 61
9. “She won’t sleep without her ratty ‘blankie’”
Soothing Techniques and Accessories 68
10. “He’ll sleep only in our bed”
Communal Sleeping, Separate Sleeping, and
Cultural Outlooks 78
11. “At night she can scream for hours and her father
doesn’t hear a thing”
The Father’s Role 84
II
Sleep Disorders
12. “He falls asleep only in the car, and in the middle of
the night that’s absurd”
Difficulties Putting the Baby to Sleep 93
13. “She awakens every hour on the hour”
Nocturnal Wake-Up Calls 99
14. “He wakes up terribly frightened and doesn’t
calm down”
Nightmares, Night Terrors, and Other Sleep-Time
Phenomena 105
15. “She doesn’t eat enough, she’s teething”
Physiological Factors That Influence Sleep 111
viii
Contents
16. “He suddenly stops breathing and it takes my
breath away!”
Sleep Apnea and Breathing Disorders 117
17. “While she slept we took turns standing guard to
make sure she was breathing”
Crib Death, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome 122
18. “Be patient! He’ll grow out of it”
The Stubborn Nature of Sleep Disturbances 128
19. “To sleep or not to sleep, that is the question!”
Difficulty Falling Asleep and Staying Asleep 131
20. “My child is possessed”
Family and Personal Dynamics of the Parents 150
21. “Does it really help?”
Research on the Efficacy of Treatment and Its
Ramifications 159
22. “It’s hard to believe that this is the same child”
Changes in the Wake of Treating Sleep Problems 162
23. “How can I make sure my new baby won’t develop
sleep problems?”
Principles of Preventive Treatment 165
24. “Sometimes even a good parent feels like throwing
the baby out with the bathwater!”
Parting Words of Encouragement to Parents 169
25. “Good morning, sun’s up, new day!”
The End of the Night Train 171
ix