Baby Sleep Controversy Revisited

Ferber Denies Advocating Letting Babies Cry Themselves To Sleep

(CBS)  KIDS BEING SCARED:

Ferber says, "It's pretty easy to tell if your child is scared. Do they look or act scared, or are they just saying that for attention? My favorite story is the child who woke up in the middle of the night, packed up his blanket, stuffed animal and book, and walked all the way to his parents' bedroom and said he was scared." In cases like this, observes Ferber, it's not to hard to figure that the child wants attention, but isn't really scared.

GOOD BEDTIME ROUTINE

The importance of creating a good bedtime routine can't be stressed enough, Ferber says. Children shouldn't fall asleep in front of a television. If they are used to being rocked to sleep, you should break that habit. And, this is where crying can come in. When you are breaking bad habits, a child may cry. The goal here is to break a bad habit with support, and keep the upset to an absolute minimum."

Ferber adds, "The idea of going to the bedroom should be something the child looks forward to. If there are family evening activities that are enjoyable, reading a story, for instance, and that happens in the parents' bedroom, then the child has to leave the parents' room and go to his or her own room, which doesn't have an enjoyable activity associated with it. You need to have the entire enjoyable, bedtime routine happen in the child's room. That way, the child gets to stay in place where they associate enjoyable activities."

"CO-SLEEPING"

Part of the hubbub with Ferber is over the issue of co-sleeping, or the child sleeping in bed with the parents. Says Ferber, "It is entirely up to the family and what their philosophy is. Children can sleep well no matter what the setting. Sleeping in with the parents is not a cure-all to problems. I see just as many children with sleep problems who share their parents bed as those who don't."

To read an excerpt, click here.

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