Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in newark, NJ

The No Cry Nap Solution by Elizabeth Pantley - Review and Giveaway

by Vanessa Druckman

March 16, 2009

Elizabeth Pantley's newest book, The No Cry Nap Solution, is full of fascinating information about our children's sleep needs. I expected her book to be full of preachy dictates that I would feel guilty about not having followed, but I found her tone to be non-judgemental and flexible. Her method was more to arm you with information about the importance of sleep and then to provide you with a variety of solutions to teach your child to sleep.

Some of the key facts that I learned in this book were that:

1. Naps are critical, and although children generally conform to some age-related guidelines, every child has different sleep needs.
2. Lack of sleep leads to hormone imbalances and can lead to obesity and inability to learn.
3. Catnaps don't help. Naps shorter than 1 1/2 hours don't offer the physical and mental nourishment a longer nap provides.
4. Many techniques I'd thought would be taboo, like pacifiers and swings, are actually okay for babies to get them to develop good sleep habits.

Pantley lays out many options to deal with common sleep problems children have. She presents her solutions in a relaxed, non-dictatorial way. Some of the many issues she tackles include overcoming nap resistance, altering cat naps, how to change from one nap to two naps, and knowing when your child is ready to give up their nap.

I'm sure you'll find The No Cry Nap Solution is full of valuable information. I'm giving away my copy (warning, it is not pristinely new as I have read it and it is autographed to me) to share the wealth of information. If you're interested in being entered in the drawing, please email me at beingsavvynewark@savvysource.com by 3/31. I'll select the winner at random then.

More Great Books

by Vanessa Druckman

December 04, 2008

I shared my thoughts about five of the children's books reviewed at Savvy Source last week, and I'm going to do it again today! There's just so many great books out there, and as we're all shopping, it seems like a good time to share. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. This book never fails to bring a tear to my eyes, and launch a wonderful game of who loves who more with my kids. The  Read more...

Great Book Reviews on Savvy Source

by Vanessa Druckman

November 24, 2008

Did you know that Savvy Source also has book and toy reviews? There's just no stopping these resourceful folks in trying to make our lives as parents easier. And there's even the ability for you to share your comments about the books. In all seriousness though, I love to give books both for birthday gifts and at Christmas, but I'm often overwhelmed at bookstores (especially if I have the kids  Read more...

Five Books that Crack Us Up

by Vanessa Druckman

November 18, 2008

I'm loving this month's Savvy Source focus: children's books. And as today is list day, our topic was funny books. It wasn't hard to come up with the five titles below. We love to laugh, and these are among our favorite books for bedtime. So, without further ado, here are five books that crack us up: 1) Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss. Of course, all the Dr. Seuss books are hilarious, especially  Read more...

Book Nooks for Tots in Northern New Jersey

by Vanessa Druckman

October 16, 2008

My kids are avid readers, and they're always game for a good story hour. Luckily for me, there's no shortage of places to take them to when they get bored of my reading. When we lived in the City, Barnes & Noble was THE destination. I've been amazed since moving to New Jersey to discover that there are a lot more reading hour options here. The Ridgewood Library prides itself on its  Read more...