Have a new baby? Here’s some advice on sleep for you and your baby from the book “How to Survive Your Baby’s First Year” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $12.95), straight from people who’ve done it:
“Talk with your spouse about your middle-of-the-night plan before you go to sleep and even write down your promises. It’s really hard in the middle of the night – when you’re delirious and frustrated – to remember and stick to a plan. It helped us support each other when the baby screamed and cried.”
– Anne B., San Francisco, mother of a 1-year-old son
“If you don’t sleep when the baby’s sleeping, you’re sunk. Take naps.”
Shirley Gutkowski, Sun Prairie, Wis., mother of five sons
“Develop a nap-time routine. I read my kids a book, then they listen to music. That’s how they fall asleep. We play stuff like Chicago and Neil Diamond for them through their entire naptime. It works.”
– Forrest, Wellington, Colo., father of a 3-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son
“Calming CDs that babies and grownups love:
– “Waltz for Debby,” by Bill Evans
– “Kind of Blue,” by Miles Davis
– “Door Harp,” by’ Michael Houser
– “Solo Monk,” by Thelonius Monk”
– Kenny F., Red Boiling Springs, Tenn., father of a 3-year-old son
“Music was one of the key elements to getting our baby to sleep. Soothing tunes were ones that contain no vocals, which seem to be distracting. For infants, try ones that also contain heartbeat sounds. My daughter, now 4 years old, still conks out when she listens to her favorite ragtime CD at bedtime.”
– C. Karp, Irvine, Calif., parent of a 4-year-old daughter
“If you get them addicted to sleeping with white noise tapes or music, that’s the only way they’ll be able to sleep. We made that mistake on our first baby. For our second kid, we just forced him to learn to fall asleep in silence, and once he got the hang of it, he was a much better sleeper than our daughter.”
– M.S., New York, parent of an 18-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son
Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.
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