The No-Cray Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley is a great alternative to the “cry it out” method. I am already dreading the sleep-deprivation brought on by an infant. So I welcome any ideas to help a mother get more sleep by letting baby get more sleep. I’ve never read any of the “cry it out” books, but just the science behind that method tells me it is not the method I want to use. Many of the books I’ve read talk of the importance of letting your infant know you will respond to their needs. As I learned from my reading, distressed crying in babies set of the hormone cortisol. When you respond to the baby by picking it up or attending to it’s needs, this cortisol is quickly turned off. However, letting the child continue to cry raises the level of cortisol higher and higher. In the long term, people who had high levels of this cortisol often suffer with anxiety, depression, and general oversensitivity to stress. After learning the scientific ramifications of crying it out, it just is not something I am willing to subject a child to. Maybe I’ll change my mind later; I may end up being a big fat hypocrite. Who knows…
Having said that, the no cry sleep solution gives parent’s a way to help sleep train their baby that is loving, nurturing, and safe. The book gives you one part for newborn babies up to four months, and another for babies four months to two years. Some of it was common sense but the part that made the book was the strategic plan to get more sleep. I really liked the way they approached the problem. First you audit the babies sleeping habits, make a few suggested changes, keep a log and then re-asses after ten days. They even provide you with a personal sleep plan worksheet. I am very happy I read this book and I feel like I will be well-armed when I do have a baby that won’t go to sleep