Good Nights: The Happy Parents' Guide to the Family Bed (and a Peaceful Night's Sleep!)
- Book Review,
by Maria Goodavage
From Library Journal
Parents of babies and toddlers hope for a good night's rest after a demanding day, but they rarely get it. Books like Richard Ferber's Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems argue that if bedtime becomes a problem, parents should put children in their own beds and let them cry it out. Here, pediatrician Gordon (UCLA Medical Sch.) and former USA Today writer Goodavage offer a gentler approach: put kids in the "family bed" every night, they say. Children will feel secure and happy, Mom can nurse without getting out of bed, Dad will relax, and a good night's rest for all will follow. Covered in full are "beducation," the problems that may arise, how to childproof the bed, dealing with intimacy, and coping with "naysayers." The text also offers reassuring comments from current and past family bedders. Skeptical? So was this reviewer, but the authors conducted impressive research and present it convincingly. Though not for everyone, this book provides a good alternative to dealing with those difficult "night nights." Recommended. Annette V. Janes, Hamilton, MACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Your baby sleeps in your bed, and you love it. Except for those nagging worries about safety. ("She's so small, I'm so big!") And what your relatives are saying. ("She'll never leave your bed!") And that little foot that always ends up on your face.
Worry no more! Good Nights puts your concerns about the family bed to rest, with fun and easy-to-use guidance on safety, coping with criticism, and even keeping the spark in your marriage (albeit outside the bedroom). With warmth and humor, Dr. Jay Gordon, a nationally recognized pediatrician who has endorsed the family bed for decades, and Maria Goodavage, a former USA Today staff writer with training in sleep research, give you everything you'll need in order to thrive - and at times, simply survive - with the family bed. Good Nights provides a comprehensive look at:
- SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH - Science is uncovering a wealth of advantages, including possible protection from SIDS, for babies who share their parents' bed.
- SURPRISING BENEFITS - Parents of young babies get much more sleep with the family bed! And little ones who spend time sleeping next to parents end up more independent (you read that right!) and closer to their parents than their cribbed peers.
- SAFETY - The authors give simple-to-follow advice on how to make your family bed at least as safe as a crib.
- SOUND SLEEP - Yes, it can be had. Good Nights lets you know how to overcome the obstacles.
- SEX - Ditto.
- SAYING GOOD-BYE - Your child really will leave your bed! Good Nights helps you help your child move on when the time is right.
If you're among the record number of parents turning to the family bed, turn to Good Nights. It's a bedside companion you won't want to be without.
About the Author
Jay Gordon, M.D., is a pediatrician, and a teaching and attending faculty member at UCLA Medical School. He is a frequent expert guest on network television, and writes medical columns for national parenting magazines and web sites. He has acted as CBS TV's Medical Consultant for Children's Programming, and also worked for five years on ABC Television as the on-air medical correspondent for the "Home Show." He continues to consult regularly for television and movies, and is the author of three other books about children. His medical practice is based in Santa Monica, California, where he lives with his wife and daughter.
Maria Goodavage is a former USA Today staff writer and the author of three popular books. Her interest in sleep research started at Northwestern University, where she worked at the school's sleep laboratory and studied the science of sleep. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog. The latter two no longer share the family bed.
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