An interview with Dr. Jodi A. Mindell, the author of Sleeping Through the Night Jodi A. Mindell is Pediatric Clinical Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Allegheny University of hte Health Sciences in Philadelphia. She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degress in clinical psycyhology, is assoiciate professor of psychology at St. Joseph's University, and is the author of numerous publications on the subject of pediatric sleep disorders. Her book, Sleeping Through the Night , provides practical advice for new parents who crave a restful night . Parents clearly want a gentler and kinder approach and a source for what to do when they encounter obstacles. One of these obstacles, which is usually not addressed elsewhere, is parents own emotional responses to dealing with their child's sleep problems and helping them cope with sleepless nights.
All children wake during the night.
The issue is whether or not they can return to sleep on their own. A child who can self-soothe to sleep at bedtime will be able to do so in the middle of the night. So, the best and easiest thing to do is to teach your child how to self-soothe at bedtime. Within about two weeks most little ones start naturally sleeping through the night. During this process, continue to respond to your child in the middle of the night.