Whether caring for a newborn just home from the hospital or an infant nearing his first birthday, parents who implement THE 90-MINUTE BABY SLEEP PROGRAM will see immediate results, Dr Moore says. She developed this simple method while observing patterns in her own newborn daughter that resembled the well documented Basic Rest and Activity Cycle (BRAC), a natural body clock that governs wakefulness and cycles every hour and a half. By timing a baby's naps with the BRAC, the baby is put down for a rest when he is naturally sleepy—after 90 minutes of wakefulness.
Dr. Moore's program is helpfully called N.A.P.S.:
Note time when baby wakes up.
Add 90 minutes.
Play, feed or pursue other activities, then, at the end of the 90-minute period,
Soothe baby back to sleep.
When the baby wakes again, whether after a short or long nap, repeat the cycle. Although it sounds counterintuitive, frequent napping actually helps baby sleep through the night, which plays an integral role in early development.
Sleep is an important biological need, Dr. Moore notes, with predictable rhythms and signals. Many parents misguidedly focus on stimulation as a key source of mental and physical development and sacrifice sleep in the process, inadvertently depriving their babies of crucial sleep. But Dr. Moore asserts that parents should no more withhold sleep than they would food.
Clearly, it is fundamental to establish healthy sleep habits in infancy—babies who sleep well grow into toddlers and children who sleep well. Sound sleep during childhood is essential: studies continue to indicate that children who consistently wake during the night are more emotionally sensitive and at higher risk of obesity, malnutrition, and physical injury. Establishing solid sleep habits early in life lays a strong foundation for a healthier childhood. Plus, a well-rested infant is more alert and ready to learn, play and interact—and Mom and Dad will be too!
THE 90-MINUTE BABY SLEEP PROGRAM is designed to avoid the sleep disorders that other books are written to correct. While Dr. Moore's program is straightforward and easy to follow, the book addresses broader concerns as it:
· Trains parents to simply and effectively put the program into practice and accurately read sleepy signals.
· Provides appendices that offer sleep solutions for special circumstances, including illness, teething, multiples (twins), babies born premature, and even travel and daylight savings time.
· Alerts parents to symptoms that might require a call to the family practitioner.
· Incorporates a 90-minute baby sleep journal to track baby's sleep-related behaviors.
Parents who follow THE 90-MINUTE BABY SLEEP PROGRAM will eventually begin to spot their child's sleepy-signals without assistance from a timer and will finally quell their baby's confounding "mystery fussing." But more importantly, parents will come to know a healthy child who is well-tempered, attentive and active—and sleeping through the night.
For more information, visit www.workman.com or www.pollymoore.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Polly Moore received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from University of California, Los Angeles, where she specialized in sleep research. She continued her research at the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center and is now the Director of Sleep Research at California Clinical Trials in San Diego. She is a hands-on expert in the subject of baby sleep, with two children of her own: daughter Maddie, 10, and son Max, 8. Dr. Moore works closely with the Parent Connection, a local support group for new parents, where she frequently speaks. In fact, 85% of parents who have attended her classes report that their babies began to sleep more hours and more regularly when they followed Dr. Moore's N.A.P.S. plan.
THE 90-MINUTE BABY SLEEP PROGRAM:
Follow Your Child's Natural Sleep Rhythms
For Better Nights and Naps
By Polly Moore, Ph.D.
Workman Publishing, March 2008, $9.95
ISBN: 978-0-7611-4311-6
THE 90 MINUTE BABY SLEEP PROGRAM is available at Dr. Moore site: www.pollymoore.com, amazon.com, and wherever else books are sold
