Baby Sleep Solutions

From Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No Cry Sleep Solution.

When: Night is Day and Day is Night
Do This: To help reset her body clock, have your baby nap during the day in the main area of the house, with all the family noise and light that implies. At night, think dark and unexciting. White noise is good for newborns used to the hum of the womb, where it's even louder than a vacuum cleaner. 

When: Morning Reveille is Too Early
Do This: Black-out curtains and a white noise machine can help. If your baby is waking up still tired and cranky, treat a predawn wake-up as you would a middle of the night one and don't get up for the day until sunrise. If they're raring to go, sorry, but five may just be a respectable hour if you've been sleeping for ten hours already.

When: Baby's Making Weird Sounds
Do This: Expect lots of grunts, whimpers, outright cries that don't necessarily signal awakening. Wait a minute or two before you do anything. If you're worried, check with your doctor to make sure it's not sleep apnea.

When: Your Good Sleeper's Gone Bad
Do This: Blame growth spurts, teething, developmental milestones. Just continue with usual bedtime routine and keep overnight interactions short and sweet. Without picking the baby up, place a comforting hand on her chest for a few minutes and make gentle rocking motions and repeat "shhhh" close to her ear.

When: The Pacifier Keeps Getting Lost
Do This: Have several spares strewn around the crib.

When: The Kid Only Wants to Sleep in the Car Seat
Do this: Create a cozy nest with a crib divider. And swaddle; a tight swaddle often stops newborns from startling themselves awake. If it's motion he seeks, try a baby hammock, a rocking cradle, or vibrating crib accessories.

When: She'll Only Fall Asleep While Being Held
Do this: When your baby begins to fall asleep transfer her to her crib or cradle — but keep your hands on her, pat and rub her, and even keep your face near her making a "shhhhh" sound. Babies adjust to new sleep routines, but it does take more than a day or two for this to happen.

And Finally, In Defense of Crying-It-Out

Dr. Judith Owens, pediatric sleep expert and Director of the Pediatric Sleep Disorders Clinic at  Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI, weighs in:
 
"No matter what anyone says, there's really no sleep training for getting babies and toddlers to fall asleep on their own that doesn't involve some crying. A certain amount is inevitable; it's the way non-verbal babies protest, and it's perfectly understandable that they will do so for a few days when the regime changes.

Think of it as short-term pain for long-term gain (like 99% of parenting).  Sleep deprived parents aren't at their best during the day. And keep in mind that your average two-year-old would probably also like to eat ice cream 24-7, but we as parents recognize that this is probably not a good idea, and can stand our ground on this one despite the protest.

There's no evidence that "ferberizing" (and Dick Ferber actually hates the term) will be psychologically damaging to anybody except perhaps parents, for whom the wailing will live on. And if you start by putting the baby to sleep "drowsy but awake" from four months on, you'll probably avoid having to do any formal sleep training at all.