|  I
hope you enjoy reading these excerpts from my book. The book
does not contain the actual settling techniques used by Rhonda
Abrahams as we still firmly believe that visual demonstration
is the best way. However it does contain all the most frequently
asked questions, it will help you to understand why controlled
comforting techniques work, it will tell you about my journey
to It’s Time to Sleep, it contains endorsements from
the health services and testimonials from other parents.
Around twelve months ago, Practical Parenting magazine published
an article under the heading of ‘Solve Sleep Problems
(in just one hour!)’. The article summarized the basic
techniques demonstrated in Maree Viotto’s video, It’s
Time to Sleep.
The response from our readers was phenomenal. Those who
followed the advice wrote and called to tell us, through happy
tears, that their previously unsettled baby was now sleeping
through the night. Our letters page the following month was
bursting with praise from parents all over the country who,
after months of getting up to their baby at night, had finally
– gratefully -- found sleep again.
Those who missed the article, but saw the extraordinary
response from our readers, wrote in asking for copies and
back issues. To this day I still field calls and emails from
readers who have heard about the article and are desperate
to try the techniques for themselves. No other story we have
run has ever generated this kind of response.
Lack of sleep is often the hardest thing to deal with as
a new parent – and I know, because I’ve been there!
To have at your fingertips a realistic and practical guide
to helping your baby learn to sleep is to move one step closer
to the time when you can go to bed at night and enjoy an uninterrupted
night’s sleep. And, as we now know, this is a new parent’s
dream.
May a happy rested family be your new reality!
Mara Lee
Editor of Practical Parenting, author
of Baby’s First Year for Dummies and Staying Mum: The
First Year
The journey you are about to embark on will probably
be no harder than the one you are already on.
-RHONDA ABRAHAMS
Sleep deprivation can have a devastating effect on families.
In fact 1 in 3 children will experience real sleep issues
before they reach school age.
So with an average of 2.5 children per family, it’s
hardly surprising that you’re reading this book!
Just as our new bundle of joy weaves their magic through
our heart, the effects of sleep deprivation weaves its way
through our body and mind, and at times we have to ask ourselves
if the best job in the world, isn’t also the toughest
job we’ve ever had to do.
The parenting road is indeed a long journey.
With directions and advice coming from every which way;
some of which is helpful and some about as useful as breasts
on your husband, it’s little wonder that we get lost
along the way from time to time.
It’s Time to Sleep can be a rough ride. Whilst
most of you will almost certainly make it, some of you in
record time, some it may take a few weeks, and there will
be a few who will choose to turn back. Persistence is the
key, and remember that you will only get out of this what
you are prepared to put in. Either way you will have gained
the knowledge that there is a way, and I will ask you all
to hold this thought.
The journey you are about to embark on will probably be
no harder than the one you are already on. So buckle up, your
destination – SLEEP
A regular routine is the surest way to get a baby or toddler
to sleep independently.
Babies respond well to a familiar pattern of events, and
sleeping in the same environment each night offers them a
sense of security and comfort. Establishing a bedtime routine
will not only benefit your child, but also you and your partner.
At the end of the day parents look forward to a bit of ‘Adult
quiet time’.
In newborns encourage pattern, as patterns turn into routine,
and babies learn from repetition. Keep in mind that it only
takes 3 days to create a habit.
When bringing a newborn home it is very easy to get into
the habit of passing baby around from visitor to visitor,
everyone wants a cuddle. If your baby is obviously in need
of some sleep, or sleeping in their arms, then rather than
feel rude in whipping baby from under them, encourage your
family or friends to watch how you settle them into their
cot, after all they could all be potential baby sitters at
sometime and wouldn’t it be great if they could do it
too.
The best way to establish a routine is using the feed /play/sleep
method.
During the day when baby wakes, first feed them, then place
baby on the floor for some playtime, the age of your baby
will depend on how long they will go before showing tired
signs. Watch for the tired signs and then act on them by implementing
the settling techniques. In the evening after dinner or a
feed, replace the playtime with a relaxing bath. Have some
cuddling time and perhaps a story or two. Baby massage can
also be very useful in relaxing your baby. Never over-stimulate
your child before bedtime or think that the longer you keep
them up, the more tired they will become and the easier it
will be to get them off to sleep.
An overtired baby is harder to settle. If you wait until
baby is already showing tired signs to begin the feed, they
will surely drop off to sleep whilst feeding, and this is
not what we are aiming for, so by following the feed/play/sleep
method you are establishing a routine that works for everyone.
There were 4 in the bed(s) and the little one said
roll over…
 As
I am approaching the end of the draft for this book I’m
invited to a barbeque one Sunday afternoon, and meet a delightful
couple, Dean and Flavia and their 2 gorgeous children Oscar
31/2 and Abilgail 7 months. Flavia and I were engaged in the
usual getting to know you girlie chit chat and I enquired
if she lived locally. ‘Yes’ she said ‘West
Preston’ I asked if she attended the West Preston Maternal
& Child Health Centre and she said she had been going
there since Oscar was born - So I went on to ask if she ever
had the occasion to meet Rhonda Abrahams at one of the many
mothers’ group talks Rhonda had given there. ‘Oh
yes’ she said ‘I know Rhonda, I took Oscar to
the settling centre when he was 7 months old, she taught me
everything I needed to know to be able to go home and do the
program, but I couldn’t follow through with it.’
(Well actually it was Dean who couldn’t stand all the
crying and gave up eagerly!)
I asked how things were going now that Abigail had arrived,
and was she on top of all this baby settling stuff second
time round - ‘Well actually’ she says ‘We
have it working quite well, we have 2 queen size beds pushed
together in our bedroom and Dean sleeps with Oscar and I sleep
with Abigail, I know it’s not the ideal situation but
I’m not ready to do anything about it just yet, but
when I’m ready, I know exactly what to do and how to
do it!
Some people find having their children sleeping with them
is not a problem, perhaps everyone of you who choose to have
your children sleeping with you should try this pushing the
2 beds together trick, thus avoiding the kicks to the back,
the elbow jabs and the pokes in the eye. I guarantee if you
were to ask them (as I did Dean) each and everyone of them
will say, ‘Well of course we’d prefer it if they
were sleeping in their own bed.’ Just as Flavia is armed
with the knowledge to deal with the situation when she chooses
to, so too will you be.
Cost of a good night out - $180.00. Cost of take away for
the family - $35.00
Cost of a good nights sleep – Priceless.
When I met Rhonda Abrahams I would have given her an open
cheque to get my son sleeping through the night – fortunately
I didn’t have to.
In this world there are givers and there are takers, Rhonda
has given so much to so many, and it has come from her heart.
This program doesn’t come with a magic wand, but Rhonda
Abrahams is the closest I’ve ever come to a fairy Godmother,
offering real solutions to real problems. I only hope that
in my producing It’s Time to Sleep, that I too, have
been able to give something to the many parents that Rhonda
would have otherwise been unable to reach.
Maree Viotto
You can purchase the book two ways:
Buy the DVD and Paper Back version of the book for only $39.95
($AUS) either from the Buy
Now section of this site or go to the
Stockist
page and see if there is a store near you.
OR
Purchase a PDF version of the book for only $15.00
($AUS) by simply going to the Buy
Now section of this site and a copy will be emailed
to you in the form of a PDF file. To view the PDF you need
Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download FREE Adobe
Acrobat Reader here.
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