Sleep: What Every Parent Needs to Know

By The American Academy of Pediatrics

Sooner or later, most parents face challenges at bedtime. From infants and toddlers to school-aged kids and teens, sleep problems can affect everyone in the family. 

In “SLEEP: What Every Parent Needs to Know” (American Academy of Pediatrics, $16.95 paperback, September 2013), Dr. Rachel Y. Moon offers practical advice and strategies to address the sleeping difficulties children may face – from getting to sleep to staying asleep, bed-wetting, fears, or nightmares. 

“Almost every day in my clinical practice, at least one of my parents brings up a question about sleep,” writes Dr. Moon. “Many are unhappy or frustrated because their child isn’t sleeping how, when, or where the parents want. What I usually find is that the sleep problem is often one that could have been avoided.” 

From understanding what is “normal” and “typical” for a child’s age and stage of development to establishing bedtime routines and rituals, Dr. Moon helps make sense of conflicting, and potentially dangerous, information widely available about sleep and presents smart solutions in easy-to-understand language. 

In the book’s 16 chapters, written with a team of pediatricians, she details:

• How sleep cycles function, and why parents need to understand them
• Children’s sleep needs, from newborn to teen, and how those needs change as children grow
• Sleep safety concerns for infants and young children, and what parents can do to address them, based on the latest findings and newest recommendations from the AAP
• Strategies to deal with specific problems, such as crying, night waking, sleep refusal, night terrors, and teenage sleep binges
• The relationship between sleep problems and health issues, from headaches and pains to allergies and ADHD symptoms
• How to help regulate multiples’ sleep, how to manage difficult behaviors, and how to overcome bedtime resistance

Dr. Moon also provides advice on: what to do if your child has a cold; teething pains; swaddling a baby; sleepovers and vacations; welcoming a new baby to the family; security blankets; dietary changes; keeping a sleep diary; sleep disturbances after a separation or divorce; and much more.   

Whether it's a 2-month old who still isn’t sleeping through the night, a 3-year-old who won’t fall asleep until midnight, or a teen who stays awake at night, sleeps most of the weekend, and struggles to make it to school, “SLEEP” presents parents with the help and answers they need. 

Readers may download a free excerpt of “SLEEP: What Every Parent Needs to Know” on HealthyChildren.org, the official AAP website for parents, through September 30, 2013.

About The Author:

Rachel Y. Moon, MD, FAAP is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as an internationally recognized expert in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and safe sleep. Based in Washington, DC, she serves as the director of academic development for the Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health at Children’s National Medical Center and is also professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services. 

Available for purchase through HealthyChildren.org 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.