The Gentle Sleep Book

For Calm Babies, Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers

By: Sarah Ockwell-Smith

Narrated by: Katy Sobey

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The Gentle Sleep Book offers gentle, no-tears sleep solutions for exhausted parents of newborns to five-year-olds.

A large percentage of parents find their young children's sleep - or lack of - challenging. This new audiobook from Sarah Ockwell-Smith, founder of BabyCalm, will be an indispensable guide for parents, whatever challenges they are facing with their child's sleep - from the day they bring their newborn home until their child is settled in at school.

Examining everything from frequent night waking in babyhood through bedwetting in toddlerhood to nightmares and refusal to go to bed in preschoolers, this audiobook provides extensive scientific and anecdotal information plus plenty of gentle suggestions to help everyone get a good night's sleep.

This is a gentle, evidence-based approach that doesn't involve leaving a baby to cry or shutting a sobbing child in his or her bedroom.

©2016 Sarah Ockwell-Smith (P)2016 Hachette Audio UK

Critic reviews

"Sleep is not a battle. It's a balance, and in this book Sarah helps parents find that balance...the practical advice for real situations is very helpful." (Juno)

Interesting Perspective

Wasn’t sure if the research shared was US, Australian, or Global based. I appreciated the non US-centric perspective. I feel like I have healthier expectations of my child’s sleep and have several elements to consider while being empowered to creat my own action plan.

Nice enough, but it didn't work for me

This is a nice book, with some scientific data, but as I have a high need child, most things presented here did not work for me. Maybe they can work for you.

A Must Read for all Parents!

I wish I had read this book first, before reading two different sleep training books/programs and putting my child through 4 months of sleep training hell. This book is scientific and helps to explain that there is nothing wrong with your child, and that all children will sleep through the night without any intervention when it is right for them. And sure enough, my child started sleeping through the night exactly when Sarah Ockwell said he would. While this book offers wonderful, practical advice, it is not a one-size fits all "quick fix" sleep training book, but rather it helps you to adjust your reality and expectations and helps you to understand that it's your mentality (and honestly society) that needs to be fixed, not your child. This book not only promotes a safe, supportive, child-led approach to sleep, but it is also the foundation of helping your child emotionally regulate and begin building their emotional intelligence. This book teaches you to trust your child and listen to them, AND to listen to your parental instincts that are telling you to nurture your child- there is strong biological reasoning for all of this, which she explains in her book. Through Sarah Ockwell's advice, we have watched our son's emotional regulation transform from having the most intense emotions I've ever seen in a child to being one of the most chill and emotionally regulated toddlers. He still has big feelings, but they don't escalate and get out of control the way they used to, because we have learned through this book to be highly responsive day AND night, and this has lead us to have the most beautiful attached and co-regulated bond with our child, and we no longer struggle with his big feelings the way I see other parents struggling with their toddlers. Please read/listen to this book, you'll be so glad you did!

A must read for anyone caring for children!

This was a fabulous book and so helpful. I'm a Birth Boot Camp Instructor and mom of 2, and purchased this for help with my youngest who is currently bedsharing. I will recommend this to my students as well, and honestly to anyone caring for children, especially those who are with them in the evening and at nap times. I must listen again to retain all of her helpful information.

great

love it thanks for the tips. it has helped a lot. the voice of the narrator was soothing as well

excellent, provides answers and explanations

I loved it. extremely well organized for reader' s benefit which is rear for an audio book . provides practical solutions as well as general evidenced based explanations . will recommend

It's fine but not much about 2-4 years

What did you like best about The Gentle Sleep Book? What did you like least?

There is some good information in this book, especially on babies and newborns. Information we wish we had for our first daughter and had figured out by our second.

There really isn't much content for 2 -4 year old despite saying "and Pre-schoolers". Which was why I had purchased it, so pretty disappointed. Lot of repeating. The last third seems as much self praise (or at least replied letters on how good the advice was, which filled a lot of time and wasn't useful) as actual advice. Started fast forwarding towards this point.

There seems to be differences between US pediatric practices verses UK pediatric practices, so how do you know what's best? And honestly the one thing she drills on is "go with your instincts and not what people are telling you". I agree with this concept.

if you just want reassurance, heres your book

not sure i needed to listen to this book for 7 hours to realize not sleeping for longer than 5 hours at a time (despite implementing over half of her suggestions for the past 15 months) is no fun and I'm not the only one. not entirely helpful or practical. although I will attempt some suggestions not tried, by the time I do he will probably have "out grown" the issues we currently face.

Every New Parent Should Read This

Clear, easy to follow, sound advice.
I wish we were given this when our baby was born. Even more I wish every parent who was told to let their baby cry it out (I was, many times) read this and told those "advisers" how wrong they are.
Beautiful book that will change my family life.
Well done!

Great and very useful book. Helped us improve our child’s sleep

It’s the topic where there are many contradictory approaches and it’s not always easy to sort through the noise.
I find it very helpful and delivering what it promise: gentle approach to sleep.
We follow attachment parenting advices and this book greatly build on those rules. It encourages a baby centric approach and having a baby’s feelings in mind.
I am very grateful to the author.
It helped us a lot. Our child is not sleeping through every night but going to sleep and preparation is much smoother.