Contents
Preface....................xi
Acknowledgments....................xiii
I Sleep and Development 1. "Why do we sleep?" The Significance and Role of Sleep....................3
2. "What's so interesting about a sleeping baby?" What Sleep Is and How We Can Peek into a Child's "Night Life"....................7
3. "She sleeps when she feels like it, two hours here, two hours there" The Formation of Sleep Patterns....................18
4. "Why did my child laugh in his dream?" The Significance and Roles of Dream-Sleep....................34
5. "A child who doesn't sleep doesn't grow" Sleep and Physical Growth....................41
6. "He's hyperactive, and at night he has trouble falling asleep" Sleep, Personality, and Behavior of the Baby....................45
7. "She refuses to go to sleep ever since she awoke from a scary nightmare" Infant Sleep in Stressful Situations....................54
8. "It's hard for me to abandon him alone in bed" The Meaning of Sleep for Children and Parents....................61
9. "She won't sleep without her ratty 'blankie'" Soothing Techniques and Accessories....................68
10. "He'll sleep only in our bed" Communal Sleeping, Separate Sleeping, and Cultural Outlooks....................78
11. "At night she can scream for hours and her father doesn't hear a thing" The Father's Role....................84
II Sleep Disorders 12. "He falls asleep only in the car, and in the middle of the night that's absurd" Difficulties Putting the Baby to Sleep....................93
13. "She awakens every hour on the hour" Nocturnal Wake-Up Calls....................99
14. "He wakes up terribly frightenedand doesn't calm down" Nightmares, Night Terrors, and Other Sleep-Time Phenomena....................105
15. "She doesn't eat enough, she's teething" Physiological Factors That Influence Sleep....................111
16. "He suddenly stops breathing and it takes my breath away!" Sleep Apnea and Breathing Disorders....................117
17. "While she slept we took turns standing guard to make sure she was breathing" Crib Death, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome....................122
18. "Be patient! He'll grow out of it" The Stubborn Nature of Sleep Disturbances....................128
19. "To sleep or not to sleep, that is the question!" Difficulty Falling Asleep and Staying Asleep....................131
20. "My child is possessed" Family and Personal Dynamics of the Parents....................150
21. "Does it really help?" Research on the Efficacy of Treatment and Its Ramifications....................159
22. "It's hard to believe that this is the same child" Changes in the Wake of Treating Sleep Problems....................162
23. "How can I make sure my new baby won't develop sleep problems?" Principles of Preventive Treatment....................165
24. "Sometimes even a good parent feels like throwing the baby out with the bathwater!" Parting Words of Encouragement to Parents....................169
25. "Good morning, sun's up, new day!" The End of the Night Train....................171
Appendix 1. Methods of Measurement and the Study of Sleep....................173
Appendix 2. A Sampling of Popular Books on Sleep and Nighttime Fears for Very Young Children....................181
Appendix 3. Selected Scientific Publications About Infants' Sleep and Related Topics....................184
Index....................197
Sleeping like a Baby