The Happy Sleeper: the science-backed guide to helping your baby get a good night’s sleep ― newborn to school age

Product Information

Planning for a long camping trip? Keep your comfort first with our range of sleeping bags. Our wide variety of sizes gives you enough room while keeping you cosy, and away from all the creepy crawlies as you zip yourself inside for a good night’s sleep. In locations with warm and humid weather, go for our lightweight sleeping bags that’ll keep you feeling fresh. And if places with higher altitudes are on your to-do list, nothing beats our insulated range of winter sleeping bags. When thinking about the content of the routine, remember that the main aim at bedtime is to bring your child down from an alert, awake state by activating the calming brain chemical oxytocin and the sleep hormone melatonin. As a parent, you can help your child to regulate his brain chemistry in a way that prepares him for sleep. This article was co-authored by Julie Wright, MFT and by wikiHow staff writer, Jessica Gibson. Julie Wright is a Marriage and Family Therapist and the co-founder of The Happy Sleeper, which offers sleep consulting and online baby sleep classes. Julie is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in babies, children, and their parents, and the co-author of two best selling parenting books (The Happy Sleeper and Now Say This) published by Penguin Random House. She created the popular Wright Mommy, Daddy and Me program in Los Angeles, California, which provides support and learning for new parents. Julie's work has been mentioned in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR. Julie received her training at the Cedars Sinai Early Childhood Center. Many families who come to us have read lots about children’s sleep and tried different solutions. Most feel exhausted, are aware of the impact that it is having on their child and family dynamics. They want some professional guidance and support to enable them to overcome these difficulties — and get some much-needed rest for all the family. The mattress size you choose depends on the size of your bed. To avoid any gaps or overhang between your mattress and the frame, you should always opt for the exact same size mattress as your bed. For example, a small single bed will require a small single mattress. If you’re also upgrading your bed and are wondering what size to go for, we recommend choosing the largest bed size for your available space and budget. This will ensure you have plenty of space to get a good night’s sleep.

Our daughter went from being a light and fractious sleeper who would only nap in her pram, which had to be moving, and waking several times a night, to being a confident sleeper in her cot, who is happily able to settle to sleep. Happsy is an online bedding and sleep accessory brand that has been in business since 2017. The company specializes in products made from organic and sustainably sourced materials. In this review, we’ll take a look at the Happsy Organic Mattress. This latex hybrid model first debuted in May of 2017, and is the company’s only mattress at this time. Solid information on children’s brain development and physiology supports a clear and systematic “attunement” philosophy that strikes a happy balance between “cry it out” and “over-helping.” Turgeon and Wright’s compassionate but firm system reminds parents that even the smallest infants are already learners, and to be cognizant of what they want to teach.” The Happy Sleeper is a research-based guide to helping children do what comes naturally—sleep through the night.

RT. 4 years, Leeds

When choosing mattress firmness, however, it is important to consider your weight and the weight of anyone who will be using the mattress alongside you. A firmer mattress is perfect for those who may weigh more or share a bed with someone else. But what is most important is choosing the mattress firmness that is right for you.

Stomach sleepers in other weight groups may feel differently. Those weighing less than 130 pounds will likely find the mattress a little too firm, and with that they may not experience enough conforming or pressure relief. The topper may be useful for some of these stomach sleepers. For those weighing more than 230 pounds, the mattress will probably feel more comfortable without the topper than with it – but even then, the Happsy won’t be firm enough for some. With my daughter I just trusted my instincts more. We never let her cry un responded to. Every child is different, and perhaps that is why it was so much easier and pleasant getting my daughter to sleep through the night. But I would never recommend this book or method. Open Coil - open coil mattresses feature hundreds of steel springs running across the mattress connected by a wire rod to maintain the mattress’ shape. It did seem strange to me to go straight from the Soothing Ladder for babies below 5 months to the more hands-off Sleep Wave with nothing in between. We wanted a slightly different approach for our 5 month old than that presented in the 5 month - 2 year old section, so we incorporated some of the ideas/methods from the book but aren't following it exactly, and that's working very well for us. I think sleep training and parenting in general aren't as cut and dried as this and other books suggest.

CD, Hackney

Our work with under 5’s is very much parent led. We indirectly gather information about your child’s developmental stage, personality, interests and preferences. This enables us to adopt a child centred and personalised approach. We do not need to work with your child but always enjoy meeting any little ones during our calls. from the foreword by Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times-bestselling author of Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain