Books on sleep to recommend?

[Mopey]

I have no clue about the progression of sleep with an infant and timing or expectations, etc. Miss Mopey seems all over the place (some days long naps and up every three hours at night, yesterday no naps and slept seven hours overnight).

Would love any clear, concise advice, etc so I can read up on how to start trying to get her into a schedule. I am starting work back up next week (minimally) and I just think we all need to try to get it together a bit :)

TIA as always!!

[edurnemk]

At that age it is totally normal, most babies start developing a consistent schedule at 5+ months. Before that it changes a LOT, particularly naps.

Dr. Ferber's "Solving your Child sleep problems" explains sleep cycles very well. You won't be able to apply a lot of the methods until 6+ months but I think understanding the cycles will be helpful to you.

Also "The No-cry sleep solution" does a good job of explaining sleep cycles, cues, etc. The most valuable thing I learned from that book is the 90 minute sleep-to-wake cycle. That means basically that your baby is only ready to sleep every 90 minutes, so she will be ready to nap 90 minutes after waking, if she misses that window, she'll be ready again after another 90 minutes (so 3 hours after waking). If you observe and chart her sleepiness cues, you'll find this timing to be pretty precise. This pattern proved to be true with DS for a long time, and it was super helpful for naps, since DS was a terrible and unpredictable napper from birth.

HTH! Hang in there, she will become more consistent gradually.

[Minnifer]

The askmoxie website is an amazing resource on all things sleep and baby, plus it's often funny and makes you feel like you're not alone in all the craziness, LOL. Speaking of sleep cycles, my most valuable takeaway from moxie was the 2-3-4 pattern many babies settle into naturally (1st nap 2 hrs after waking up for day, 2nd nap 3 hrs after waking up from 1st nap, bedtime 4 hours after waking up from 2nd nap). This has helped immensely w/DS from around 4-5 months ( he, like my DD, doesn't give good sleep signs/signals and always appears raring to go, lol).

Also, in addition to Ferber pp mentioned, the Weissbluth book Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child is great.

[Beth24]

Also, in addition to Ferber pp mentioned, the Weissbluth book Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child is great.

Highly recommend. This book was my bible for infant sleep!

[mjs64]

For us weissbluth was terrific for figuring out nap schedules. Ferber at 6-7 mo for STTN. I still think weissbluth is better re:napping and early stages but could not have loved without Ferber later.

[sntm]

It's been a while, but the No Cry Sleep Solution had some data and the Sears Sleep Book was a godsend. I like Weissbluth for factual info, though I disagreed with his approach. I never read the Ferber book (as even Ferber himself has distanced from his earlier writings) so can't comment on that.

[Philly Mom]

Love Ferber, and I am in the minority and think his teachings can work earlier than 6 months. Regardless, I think he really understands sleep and is great at explaiming it. My ped also told me to work on engaging DD as much as possible during the day, to allow her to STTN earlier. For us, that was great advice, though limited how much we could go out for the first 4 months because she fell asleep every time we left the house.

[Mopey]

Thanks everyone! Keep the answers and advice coming please :)

[mikala]

I second the Ask Moxie website and Ferber book recommendations. The Ask Moxie sleep regression info is particularly helpful.

That said a wise mama once reminded me that babies don't know how to read sleep books and often tend to follow their own internal instruction manuals. There are some things like the 90 minute cycle that tend to generally apply but when baby's personality also plays a huge role.

[hillaryb]

The Working Gal's Guide to Babyville has a great chart with average number of meals and naps for different stages. It's a great resource for what to expect, and the other recommended books help you get there.

While the entire book is controversial, Babywise helped us get a routine: wake, diaper, eat, play, sleep. That worked well for us, and DD is a great sleeper. Hoping DS will be too.

[Lupe]

Our pediatrician recommended Jodi Mindell's book, sleeping through the night, he said it was a more realistic and gentle Ferber. It worked great for us (until now that he is constantly sick). In terms of understanding sleep cycles I think the 90 minute sleep solution does a great job. All babies are different but it can take until they are 5 or 6 months before they settle into a schedule, although some do that around 3 months (my best friend had a baby the same day I did, and she was blessed with one of those)