How to read a book - success story

How to read a book // such a cool email   

Hello insightful parents!  

Ever since I published Sleep, Baby, Sleep, I’ve realized that there are 2 different ways to read a parenting book: 

1. Expect the book to address every one of your personal concerns and get super annoyed if it does not. Throw book in the garbage. Write a negative Amazon review. 
2. Take the new information that serves you. Put it into practice.  Always (always!) follow your own mama & papa instincts. If unsure about anything, check with the paed. Customize for your family and your sweet baby!  

I personally feel that method 2 is the better way to read a parenting book.  And here’s an example of a family who did exactly that.  I love to see how she customized everything for her sweet family!  

Hi Kerry,

My daughter is 2 years and 4 months old now. I read Sleep Baby Sleep when she was 1 year and 6 months old. We are based in Bangalore, my husband and I live with his parents. Due to the space constraints my daughter cosleeps with us sharing the bed. Although I had kept her day as structured as I could before reading your book, I felt she did not sleep well. She took a lot of time to fall asleep. Even as a newborn, her sleep cycle was quite disturbed.  

The first thing I did after reading the book was that I shifted her bed time to 8pm. We created a quiet ambience for her around her bed time. White noise did not work for her though. I am a classical singer and she preferred that I sang a couple of songs for her before she slept. (The same songs that I sang frequently when she was in my womb). She did wake up asking for feeds one or two times initially but slowly I weaned her off her night feeds. I breastfed her until she was almost two years old. 

Ever since she has started to sleep well, we see a considerable change in her growth and development. She is less cranky and her tantrums are easy to manage (although she isn't much of a troublemaker even otherwise). She doesn't ask for much screen time like before.

The whole family gets to go to bed early ever since she has started to sleep early. My husband and I get some considerable time to ourselves. We get to sleep well and hence we feel so positive. I just can't state enough how important sleep is.  

Thank you so much for the wonderful guidelines you've mentioned throughout your book. 

Although we haven't been able to implement everything you have mentioned due to practical constraints, there are a lot of things we could do that have truly changed our life. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

The opera singing!  The rejection of white noise!  The cosleeping!  I absolutely love how this family has found their own beautiful journey to a peaceful and restorative night’s sleep.  

What about you?  Have you had any positive experiences from reading a parenting book and personalizing the info for your family? I’d love to hear about it! 

All my best, 
Kerry