putting baby to sleep books?

Question

Can you recomend any good books on how to teach my baby to fall asleep on his own.
*He sleeps in his crib and I am not interested in co-sleeping.
*I do not want to let him "cry it out", if that's possible
Please let me know of any tricks that have worked for you or your experinces.
Thank you

Answer 1

How old is he?
Once he is asleep, does he stay asleep for the night?
Look for books by Dr. Sears (Nighttime Parenting), Dr. Fleiss (Sweet Dreams), Elizabeth Pantley (The No-Cry Sleep Solution), Dr. Harvey Karp (The Happiest Baby on the Block) and Dr. Jay Gordon (I think his is called Good Nights).

ETA:
Quote - "The only way to teach a baby how to fall asleep on their own is to let them cry it out." That's a pretty drastic and narrow statement.

I have to disagree with that one! How many adults do you know who can't fall asleep on their own? I don't personally know of any grown ups still being rocked or nursed to sleep. I'm sure there are many of them weren't forced to "cry it out" as babies.

Adults do things like read a book, watch tv, snuggle with their spouse, take a bath/shower, etc. in order to relax and prepare for sleep. Babies are the same. They do things like nurse, enjoy being snuggled by mom/dad, being rocked, sucking a paci, etc. to help them relax and prepare for sleep. And they CAN and WILL learn to fall asleep on their own when they are ready to do so without being forced to CIO.

My kids have never been made to CIO and have learned to fall asleep on their own.

ETA:
Celebrate - How can you imply that a child will NEVER learn to fall asleep without being left to cry when they are MANY kids out there who DID learn to fall asleep on their own without being left to CIO? It's simply NOT "the only way" as you put it. Are you telling me my kids DON'T put themselves to sleep and then sleep though the night? Because they do. And they were never left to cry. I wonder....is it some kind of miracle that they can fall asleep on their own!?

Answer 2

I absolutely love Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Mark Weissbluth. I use the theories in the book with my son and with all the kids I keep in my home day care, all 4 of the cuties are asleep at this very moment. Even if you don't use the theories the first part of the book is fascinating because it goes into so much detail about how and why sleep is so so so important for babies and children and how our sleep patterns as infants can affect our sleep as adults. It's incredibly illuminating.

Answer 3

What I do is after giving my son his dinner, I give him a nice warm bath to calm him down. Then we sit in our reclining chair and read a bedtime book. He becomes really drowsy and I put him to bed still awake but almost sleeping. He will fuss for about 2 minutes and then fall asleep. Just keep trying new things and one will be just right for you and your baby. Everyone is different. Good luck!

Answer 4

If he has a ceiling fan, turn it on and the hum and the movement could lull him to sleep.

Pacifiers, tons of them in the crib, so when he can crawl around the crib he can find one on his own.

(I let my daughter cry it out. But that is what was right for my family)

Answer 5

The only way to teach a baby how to fall asleep on their own is to let them cry it out. They will never learn how to fall asleep on their own if you run in and pick them up at each cry and whimper.

Letting them cry it out doesn't have to be terrible. Just because they are crying it out doesn't mean you are abandoning them in their room and letting them scream. You can sit next to their crib, sing to them, rub their back, etc. to help calm them. By no means do you have to shut the door and leave them when they are crying it out.

I really suggest letting him cry it out. The longer you let him go without learning how to fall asleep on his own the harder this problem will be to fix later on.

ETA: Don't let momma2mingbu brainwash you..she's been brainwashed herself.

Answer 6

I can reccomend an audio clip of a book...

The Childrens book "Goodnight Moon." As read by Christopher Walken from the Simpsons...

I have the audio file if you want it? I doubt you do though?

"You there in the red, stop your scootching." *smiles

Lol... I love C.W.