Westside Doula

Sleeping Babies

There are lots of philosophies about how to get your baby to sleep, but there is unanimous agreement that sleep is extremely important to the health and development of your child. 

If you only read two books, they should be these.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth

This book is based on solid sleep research.  The first few chapters discuss why sleep is important and how to tell if your baby is getting enough sleep.  Then there are the charts that show when children sleep during what time of day and for how long for each age.  There are testimonials galore in this book, each one designed to show how one family coped with one particular problem.  Very well done.

Happiest Baby on the Block, by Harvey Karp

http://www.thehappiestbaby.com

Excerpt From Publishers Weekly
Karp, a pediatrician in Santa Monica, Calif., and assistant professor at the School of Medicine, UCLA, offers a new method to calm and soothe crying infants. While nursing or being held satisfies some babies, others seemingly cry for hours for no reason. These babies suffer from what Karp calls the Fourth Trimester. When you bring your soft, dimpled newborn home from the hospital, you may think your nursery is a peaceful sanctuary.... To him, it's a disorienting world part Las Vegas casino, part dark closet! Karp recommends a series of five steps designed to imitate the uterus. These steps include swaddling, side/stomach position, shhh sounds, swinging and sucking.

Sleep Consultants

Kathy Sinclair, Baby Sleep Solutions : http://babysleepsolutionsla.com

Jennifer Waldburger & Jill Spivack, Sleepy Planet: http://www.sleepyplanet.com

Mrs. Sandman http://mrssandman.com/Home_Page.html