Sleep Solutions: Quiet Nights for You and Your Child From Birth to Five Years    by Rachel Waddilove Order:  USA  Can Lion Books, 2013 (2013) Softcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch Tell someone you are expecting your first child and often you'll hear, 'Get as much sleep as you can now because when the baby arrives you can say good-bye to a full night's rest!' Although that is often the case, it doesn't have to be, as Rachel Waddilove explains in Sleep Solutions: Quiet Nights For You and Your Child – From Birth to Five Years. This essential guide addresses what has worked and what hasn't when it comes to developing the good sleeping pattern that will create restful nights for both the child and the little one's parents. Waddilove, a mother and grandmother who spent many years as a maternity nurse, answers many of the questions anxious parents often wonder about. What is the best position to place an infant in in the crib? Are monitors in the nursery a good idea? How does the situation change as the child grows older? How do you cope with teething or illness when the baby's routine is totally disrupted? 'This book is a guide for parents of newborns through to five-year-olds and may seem quite repetitive as each chapter covers a different age group,' explains the author. 'Each chapter contains advice on how to ensure baby settles well from the start, and a troubleshooting section you can refer to when things aren't going smoothly. You can either read the book straight through or go immediately to the chapter that covers the age that is most relevant to your needs.' The format for each section of the book is pretty much the same. Some of the headings the chapter is divided into range from how much sleep the child needs at a particular age, how to create a sleeping routine, and a list of reasons for crying and not falling asleep, to a number of actual case studies, and how specific problems were resolved, and how to deal with the situations that might arise when you have twins. For older children you'll want to focus on the material on how to cope with a crying toddler. 'Many babies sleep well, then suddenly start waking up in the night when they are toddlers. This can be a shock if you are used to having good nights,' writes Waddilove. 'If you are sleep training your toddler and he is doing a lot of shouting as a result, do remember that it will pass.' Waddilove is an advocate of controlled crying or the shout it out method of sleep training and she counsels 'do remember that you will feel worse' than the child will about utilizing this approach. She also states that although it is best to begin sleep training early on, you can use these methods whenever a problem pops up. Don't think that it is too late to deal with irregular child sleep patterns. It just might be a bit more of a challenge with a toddler. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews