The No-cry Sleep Solution (53 page)

Review and Choose Sleep Solutions

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three, and then two, and eventually, one. You may even want to let your child turn in any unused tickets in the morning for a small reward.

Always remember to praise your little one for following the bedtime routine.

Be Patient

This idea may help everyone.

One trait I noticed among many of my test mommies was an incredible eagerness to obtain results. That’s absolutely under-standable! But patience, as the old saying goes, is a virtue. Some test mommies couldn’t wait ten days to log their success, so they dutifully logged their babies’ sleep patterns night after night after night, hoping to see change day by day, and getting frustrated if success was not evident. Getting this wired up over daily improvement will only keep you up at night (ironically). The log has a time and place. Complete one every ten days or so to see how far you have progressed, but none in between. Similarly, don’t watch the clock all night. Simply follow your plan, and soon enough, both you and your baby will be sleeping.

5

Create Your Personal Sleep Plan

To move on to this step, you will have studied the ideas in Chapter 4 and noted those solutions that sound reasonable for your family. Now you can organize your plan, and get started on the path to better sleep!

Transfer the solutions you picked to the following section so that all your ideas will be summarized in one place. If you have a newborn, your form begins on page 160. If your baby is more than four months old, your form begins on page 162. Once you have created your personal plan you may want to copy the pages and post them in a prominent place, such as on your refrigerator or taped to your bathroom mirror. They will act as a daily reminder of the solutions you will be implementing. During the process, it will be helpful to refer back to the book when you need a refresher on any of the steps or ideas.

So, here you go! Use the forms that follow to create your own personal sleep plan.

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160

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

My Personal Sleep Plan for My Newborn Baby

ٗ I will learn more about babies and become confident in my beliefs.

•

The book(s) I will obtain and read now are: ____________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

ٗ I will put Baby to sleep often in the cradle, crib, or bed.

•

I’ll reserve sleeping in my arms for special moments.

ٗ I will remove my sleepy (instead of sleeping) baby from the nipple and help him go to sleep without something in his mouth.

•

I w ill avoid creating a sucking-to-sleep association.

ٗ I will learn the difference between sleeping sounds and waking sounds.

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I w ill l et my sleeping baby sleep!

ٗ I will make night sleeping different from daytime naps.

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I will keep nighttime quiet, dark, and peaceful.

Taken from
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
by Elizabeth Pantley

Create Your Personal Sleep Plan

161

ٗ I will not let my baby take too long of a daytime nap.

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The longest I will let my baby nap is: __________________

ٗ I will watch for signs of tiredness.

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I w ill watch for: quieting down, losing interest, looking glazed, fussing, yawning; and I will put my baby to sleep when I see these signs.

ٗ I will make my baby’s sleep environment cozy and

comfortable.

ٗ I will make myself comfortable for night feedings and be accepting of this stage of my baby’s life.

ٗ I will fill my baby’s tummy before sleep.

ٗ I will enjoy restful feeding sessions during the day.

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This is what I should be doing. Relaxing and enjoying my new baby.

ٗ I will simplify my life.

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My baby is my priority right now.

ٗ I will have realistic expectations.

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My new baby will develop sleep maturity over the next few months. I can be patient until then.

Taken from
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
by Elizabeth Pantley