Book excerpt: THE LULL-A-BABY SLEEP GUIDE: AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO IMPROVING A CHILD’S SLEEP QUALITY FOR BETTER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Sleep troubles come in many forms, but the four-month sleep regression of a baby can be easily distinguished from other issues if parents know what to look for. Newborns wake only when they are done sleeping or when they have a competing need, such as hunger, discomfort, or needing a diaper change. Around the third or fourth month, everything changes, and parents may find that their babies who once spent six to nine hours asleep at night are now waking every one to two! Those deep, dark hours of the night can be very painful. However, parents should also understand how magical, beautiful, and joyful this time of their life can be, too. Table of Contents Introduction STAGES OF SLEEP AND SLEEP CYCLES SLEEP ASSOCIATIONS: THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF FREQUENT WAKING Sleeping Conditions Fatigue and Overtiredness Rituals Association Safety Breastfeeding No-Cry Strategies Why do Children Develop Sleep Problems? What is Sleep Coaching & When Can We Start? Setting A Good Sleep Routine Relaxing Food, Products, And Music To Stimulate Sleep Additional Baby Sleeping Tips My Young Child Won’t Sleep: The Solution Solution 1: The Robotic-Return-to-Bed Method Solution 2: The Happy-Routine Method My Older Child Won’t Sleep: My Child Constantly Thinks and Worries at Night The Solution My Child Just Doesn’t Feel Sleepy at Night The Solution Conclusion