Good Night, Sleep Tight Workbook by Kim West Page A

children who tend to vomit over the crib railing. This makes cleanup easier since they can just roll it up and toss it in the hamper. Then reassure your child back to sleep. Remember, you don’t want to give the message that if she throws up she will get out of the crib and not have to go to sleep.
     
    Obviously, this doesn’t apply to a child who is sick. In that case, you need to comfort her and follow your doctor’s timetable for giving her fluids.
     
     
    I have a very alert, very bright baby. How will this effect sleep training?
     
     
    Occasionally, unusually alert, bright, and aware children have trouble learning to sleep. These are the children who reach their physical milestones on the early side, and they tend to have more fragmented sleep. Temperamentally, they may be the kind of children who know what they want and when they want it, and are willing to hold out until they get it. If this sounds like your child, make sure you don’t fall into the trap of thinking that she needs less sleep than average. She may have a hard time shutting out the world in order to get to sleep. Room-darkening shades and a sound screen can help for naps. Be extremely vigilant about watching for your baby’s sleep window.
     
     
    My child can’t seem to settle down at all when I sit by his crib. What do I do?
     
     
    If you’re absolutely convinced after a few days of sitting in your child’s room that your presence is overstimulating to him, or you find it so hard to do it yourself that you can’t be consistent, then I suggest you either have the other parent try, or you leave the room and do timed checks on your child. There is no magic rule about how often you check or how many times you check, and you may have to experiment a bit. If you check on him too soon, he may treat it like a game and get even more stimulated. If you are away too long, he may get himself quite worked up and upset. I suggest that you start with every seven minutes and gradually increase it, but trust your own instincts and make necessary adjustments; this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. When you check on him, go right into the room to his crib. Give him a quick reassuring pat, but don’t linger. You will defeat the whole purpose if you stand there for a half hour patting him to sleep.
     
    Here’s another variant: Sometimes the Shuffle works at night but not for naps. The child is more awake, and more likely to keep trying to engage. So feel free to stick to the Shuffle at night, and use the timed checks I just described for the naps if that’s what feels right to you.
     

Safe-Sleeping Recommendations for Babies
     
    Here are some tips for baby sleep safety. Most of this information is from the American Academy of Pediatrics and First Candle. I’d like to emphasize that this advice is primarily for healthy infants. Always talk to your doctor, particularly if your child was premature or has any health problems or unique circumstances. Recommendations have changed over the years as we have learned more about child safety and development, and they may well change again, so revisit safety issues with your doctor frequently. You may see all kinds of contradictory information on parenting and health websites. A good place to sort it all out is the American Academy of Pediatrics parenting corner: http://www.aap.org/parents.html .
    1. Back to sleep. Always place your baby on his back to sleep—both at naps and at night. Side and tummy positions are not safe. This is absolutely essential to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Once your baby rolls over consistently backward and forward you won’t be able to keep him on his back all the time, unless that’s his preferred sleeping position, so make sure he has enough room to move around and there are no unsafe items in his crib. Unsafe items include quilts, loose blankets, soft bedding, pillows, soft or pillowlike bumpers, and stuffed animals or toys with pieces that can