New book addresses children's sleep issues

New Delhi, November 22

Blending traditional wisdom and the latest research, a new book "Sleeping Like a Baby" released on Monday presents parents with a new approach to achieve longer naps and better night sleep for both caregiver and baby.

The book, published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI), is written by infant and child sleep specialist Himani Dalmia and journalist-author Neha Bhatt. The book's foreword is written by professor James McKenna of the Mother-Baby Behavioural Sleep Laboratory.

Touted to be a "ground-breaking book" in the parenting space, it serves as the ultimate bedside companion for parents, "packed with all the modern tools you need to build a stronger connection with your children and enable age-appropriate sleep for their optimum growth".

"Indian children are among the most sleep-deprived in the world: on average, they barely clock 8 hours of sleep a night instead of the prescribed 10–12 hours, besides naps for younger children.

"In 'Sleeping Like a Baby', we've tried to provide the answers to fix a broken system that puts tremendous pressure and stress on mothers, babies, caregivers to conform to unrealistic societal standards leading to disastrous physical and mental health consequences," said Bhatt about the book.

With anecdotal insights, deep research and practical tips in an Indian context, it aims to empower parents to tune into their instincts and understand a child's cues so that bedtime battles, cranky days and sleepless nights are a thing of the past.

Not a memoir or loosely argued expert opinion, the book, as per publishers, is packed with research while still being eminently readable and written at a high standard by two established writers.

According to Dalmia, so far there is "not a single Indian book on baby sleep", and none of the international baby sleep books come close to "communicating the unique, humane, biologically normal and effective formula we had discovered and developed to help babies and families sleep better".

"'Sleeping Like A Baby' dives into research on baby sleep and presents several real-life case studies, giving parents the tools they need to tune into their instincts and their babies' cues to navigate these choppy waters with confidence and joy," she added. PTI

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