SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT

SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT: How Infants, Toddlers, And
Their Parents Can Get A Good Night's Sleep
Jodi A. Mindell, PhD
New York: HarperCollins, 1997
291 pages, paperback, $12

Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg

One in four young children has a sleep problem, typically of difficulty getting to sleep or sleeping through the night. Biological factors may play a role: firstborn children and boys tend to have more problems than later children and girls. Kids with colic or frequent ear infections also sleep poorly. Parental behavior also may undermine sleep, sometimes unwittingly. Rocking children to sleep and then putting them in the crib, for example, may keep them from returning to sleep easily on their own, if they awaken in the night.

When children sleep poorly, parents do, too. "As long as you get enough sleep, a parent can deal with just about anything during the day," writes psychologist Jodi Mindell, pediatric clinical director of the sleep disorders center at Allegheny University of the Health Sciences in Philadelphia. "When it is 4 a.m. and you have been awakened for the third time and are facing a screaming baby," she asserts, "all sanity goes out the window."

In Sleeping Through the Night, Mindell provides practical help for parents of newborns through three and one-half years. Her strategies, she says, usually enable the child to sleep through the night within one to two weeks. Her well-organized book is divided into easy-to-grasp sections that are enhanced by good use of boldface headlines and attractive layout design.

Mindell gives plenty of specific advice for bedtimes and bedtime routines. Many babies make the transition to sleep easier if they have a favorite object in their crib. One study, she reports, showed babies were calmed by the comforting smell of a T-shirt Mom had
worn all day.

Read older children favorite stories at bedtime, she suggests. They'll find the familiarity relaxing. Save new stories for daytime hours.

Sleep problems, Mindell asserts, are not uniquely different from other behavioral problems with which parents must deal. They are, she says, just a bit more complex. Among her guiding principles for day and night: Reinforce good behavior with rewards and praise. Give acceptable choices. ("Do you want to go to bed now or in five minutes?") Don't ask questions when you mean to give commands. ("It's naptime," not, "Do you want to take a nap?") Make rules that take an appropriate amount of time and are doable.

Mindell addresses problems that can undo sleep training, such as illness, travel, toilet training, and baby-sitters. She explores common parental worries about doing enough for the baby, and feelings of guilt that come with limit-setting. In an unusual feature for this type of book, she includes a chapter on adult sleep problems, including insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy.

The book includes a list of recommended bedtime books for infants and toddlers, sources of products mentioned in the book, organizations to contact for further information, and an index. While the book has no bibliography, Mindell's own expertise is evident throughout.