Sleep

June 17, 2013
Edited by Moon, an internationally recognized expert on sudden infant death syndrome and safe sleep, this informative resource incorporates the expertise of more than 20 pediatricians and covers numerous issues regarding how to create and maintain healthy sleep habits in children. Moon points out that sleep is second only to feeding when it comes to parents’ concerns about their babies (if baby is not sleeping, she observes, neither are the parents). The book is divided into two sections: “Ages, Stages and Phases” and “Childhood Sleep Challenges.” Part one guides readers from the first year of life through adolescence, with chapters along the way about toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age kids. Parents will recognize such familiar AAP advice as putting babies to sleep on their backs as a SIDS-prevention measure, not letting babies fall asleep at the breast or bottle, and taking a middle path on sleeping arrangements (room sharing but not bed sharing). General advice is accompanied by suggestions for hands-on tactics; for instance, the aptly named “Vanishing Chair Method” helps parents wean their children from having parents present at bedtime and can also be used as a monster-management technique to deal with children’s fears. Readers will find answers to a comprehensive array of sleep-related questions in this commonsense and “evidence-based” guide.

August 1, 2013

Lack of sleep is undoubtedly the most frustrating part of being a new parent, and if any subject in the child-rearing literature is oversaturated, it is sleep. Recommended techniques range from no crying, to some crying, to wailing one's heart out; there must be as many varieties of sleep training as there are chicken-casserole recipes. Nonetheless, the veritable American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) here offers parents a concise and reassuring guide to infant and childhood sleep, addressing such topics as sleep cycles, safety concerns, night waking, and night terrors, as well as how conditions such as allergies and ADHD affect sleep. VERDICT Unlike many sleep training books, which outline schedules, routines, and the logistics of napping, the AAP's title takes a more general approach, painting sleep issues in broad strokes across the canvas of normal child development. Frenzied parents who want to know exactly what to do are more likely to find help from pediatrician and author Marc Weissbluth, but not-yet-desperate parents with big-picture outlooks will be comforted. Because of the esteemed credentials of the AAP, libraries should consider this essential.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2013
This book of sensible advice from the well-respected American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) belongs on every drowsy parent's nightstand. The editor is an expert in sudden infant death syndrome and safe sleep, and the medical reviewers and contributors are a who's who of children's sleep experts, including Marc Weissbluth (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, 1999) and Judith Anne Owens (Take Charge of Your Child's Sleep, 2005). Tips for kids of all ages include taking televisions out of kids' rooms and not watching for at least an hour before bed, making teenagers get up by 10 a.m. on weekends, learning what foods (including calcium-rich milk) promote sleep, and trying to follow the AAP recommendation to breast-feed exclusively for the first six months. The authors also dispel common myths. For example, solid foods do not help babies sleep through the night. Tired parents can look up specific issues such as nightmares, gastrointestinal issues, allergies, and asthma. And they can get a boost in confidence from the authors, who advise moms and dads to trust their own instincts. Read it and sleep.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)