July 25, 2007
 What a Snooze
Ben Stiller, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Beals and Amy Brenneman all rave about it – and no, it's not the latest Nobu Matsuhisa restaurant.
It's a sleep plan developed by psychotherapist-moms Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack that helps babies and toddlers slumber through the night with minimal crying and trauma.
They outline the approach – the same one celebrities pay big bucks for at the pair's Los Angeles sleep consulting company, Sleepy Planet – in a new book, "The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent's Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep – from Birth to Age 5." This step-by-step program is a happy medium between letting the little guy "scream it out" and indulging his every whim. Below are a few of the highlights:
Stick to a routine. Whatever activities you engage in before putting your child to bed – getting PJs on, nursing, reading a story – do them every time, and in the same order. To ease the transition to sleep, do as many things as you can in your kid's room. The routine should last about 15 minutes to an hour at night and ten to 15 minutes before a nap.
Create a favorable environment. Clear the area around your child's crib or bed of any distractions such as aquariums or activity boards. Make sure the room is dark enough: On a scale of one to ten, it should be at an eight or nine in the morning and during naps. Use a fan, air purifier or white noise machine to minimize outside sounds.
Avoid becoming a crutch. Don't let your child fall asleep with you in the room as he'll likely be frightened and disoriented when he wakes up and finds you gone. Put him to bed while he's still awake, leave the room – even if he's wailing! – and wait five minutes before checking in. Go in again ten minutes later and then every fifteen minutes until he falls asleep. Each time, stay just long enough to assure him that you're there if he needs you – no longer than thirty seconds.
Cut back on nighttime snacking. In general, by the time a baby is 5 months old and 15 lbs., she should be able to sleep through the night without eating. Slowly wean her off nighttime feedings and allow her to nurse or eat more often or for longer during the day. The same rules apply to toddlers who are used to getting a glass of milk or water in the wee hours.
Time it right. Most kids need at least 11 hours of sleep per night and do best with a bedtime between 7 and 8pm. Children who go to bed later than 8:30pm are more likely to have trouble falling asleep, wake up more often during the night and awaken too early in the morning.
Get started now and you'll soon remember what eight hours feels like – or at least five.
Available online at sleepyplanet.com.
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