Blog book tour: Sleep Solutions

A couple of days ago, I was reading a great post by Bub and Pie about rage and sleep deprivation, and it reminded me of one of my own posts from last year on this subject.

Ah, sleep deprivation, my old nemesis. Of all the worries relating to having a third child, I think it’s the one-way ticket to a minimum of six months of serious sleep deprivation that most scares the hell out of me. Some people do well with not very much sleep, but I, unfortunately, am not one of them.

So it’s timely that today I have the great honour of hosting a stop on the bloggy book tour for my good friend Ann Douglas and her book Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler.

I wrote a little bit about this book when I first received my copy, back in March. I was a part of Ann’s panel of 200+ parenting ‘experts’ (snicker) that she consulted in writing the book. Go on, read that post. I'll wait. I've taken the trouble to highlight my own contribution to the book, significant as it is!

Parenting in the early years is fraught with questions about sleep. Some of the most contentious issues we’ve faced have been about sleep and sleep deprivation: whether to co-sleep (despite being vehemently opposed to the idea while pregnant, both boys slept either in a cradle at my bedside or in my bed well into their sixth month), how to deal with sleep deprivation, whether to rock the baby to sleep or let him fall asleep on his own, crying it out, soothers, early risers, non-nappers, early-to-rise and late-to-bed… my goodness, have I ever blogged about anything other than sleep-related issues??

And that’s why a book like Ann’s is so important, and so helpful. I've read all the books in Ann's "Mother of All" series, and there are a few things in common that I love about all of them. Ann writes with a gentle humour, and it often feels like the advice is coming from your best friend or older sister. And while I snicker about being part of a panel of parenting 'experts' I do enjoy reading the experiences and exploits of other parents who have been there and done that.

One thing I most love about this book in particular is that it is 100% guilt-free. Ann lays out all the common wisdom and research work done on sleep, and offers the big ideas to you with tips and tricks for you to find what works for you and your family - without making you feel like a bad parent whether you choose to let your child cry it out or let your child co-sleep through kindergarten.

This is a practical book with real solutions. It has chapter headings like, "How sleep deprivation makes parenting harder," and "Eight best sleep strategies: What every parent needs to know." It has charts explaining sleep cues, and the difference between tired and overtired, and a chart showing how much sleep your child actually needs at each age and stage. The end of the book even contains almost 30 pages of sleep tools to help you understand and manage your child's sleep troubles.

Congratulations again, Ann! My only complaint is that I wish you had written this book about five years ago!!