Sleep and your baby

By Brigitte Langevin

Did you know that habits adopted in the first months of life determine if you’ll be a good sleeper or a candidate for insomnia later in life? That’s why parents have a major educational responsibility. However, few of them know the importance and the benefits of a good-quality sleep for a newborn and his development.
The revised and expanded edition of this book talks about an infant’s sleep needs, and takes the mystery out of some beliefs regarding the pacifier, the comfort object, gastroesophageal reflux, separation anxiety and bonding. You’ll also find in this book the 15-second strategy that has been proven and adapted to encourage sleep training for your little baby.
May your future nights of sleep be the best ever!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Éditions de Mortagne
• Release date: Apr 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9782897925239

Brigitte Langevin

Brigitte Langevin a œuvré pendant vingt ans en administration, dans le secteur municipal. Elle a ensuite acquis une formation en auriculomédecine (médecine énergétique), en physiologie et pathologie humaine en plus de suivre des séminaires sur le développement transpersonnel. Conférencière reconnue, spécialiste des problèmes de sommeil, Brigitte Langevin agit à titre de formatrice et de conférencière partout à travers le Québec, le Nouveau-Brunswick et l’Ontario. Elle offre formations, ateliers et coaching dans le but d’améliorer la qualité du sommeil et de comprendre les rêves. Elle est souvent recherchée pour son dynamisme, son humour et sa capacité à vulgariser des concepts théoriques et scientifiques. Elle amène ainsi les individus à prendre en charge leur sommeil et/ou à assumer positivement leur rôle de parents ou d’éducateurs. Leurs nuits deviennent alors satisfaisantes et leurs journées performantes. Brigitte Langevin a donné de nombreuses entrevues à la radio, tant au Québec qu’au Nouveau-Brunswick, entre autres à la radio de Radio-Canada et à CKOI pour des émissions mensuelles. Elle a aussi accordé des entrevues télévisées, par exemple dans le cadre des émissions quotidiennes Deux filles le matin et Caféine, alors animée par Gildor Roy. Dernière Heure et Le Lundi ont publié de nombreux articles et chroniques signés Brigitte Langevin, de même que les magazinesEnfants, La Culbute et Côté Mômes (France).

Book preview

BRIGITTE LANGEVIN

Translated from French by Diane Giroux

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Publisher

Les Éditions de Mortagne

P.O. Box 116

Boucherville (Québec) J4B 5E6

editionsdemortagne.com

© Ottawa 2023

Translation : Diane Giroux

Layout : Ateliers Prêt-Presse

Cover art : iStockphoto

Digital adaptation : Studio C1C4

Legal Deposit

Library and Archives Canada

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

Bibliothèque nationale de France

First trimester of 2023

ISBN 978-2-89792-496-6

ISBN (PDF) 978-2-89792-497-3

ISBN (EPUB) 978-2-89792-498-0

Financé par le gouvernement du Canada

Gouvernement du Québec — Programme de crédit d’impôt

pour l’édition de livres — Gestion SODEC.

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Membre de l’Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL)

From the same author

Mieux dormir… j’en rêve ! Stratégies pour mieux dormir adaptées à la femme et à l’homme modernes, Foreword by Dr. Jean Drouin, Les Éditions de Mortagne, 2009.

Comment aider mon enfant à mieux dormir: De la naissance à l’adolescence, Foreword by Germain Duclos, Les Éditions de Mortagne, 2009.

Une discipline sans douleur: Dire non sans marchandage, sans cris et sans fessée, Les Éditions de Mortagne, 2010.

Comprendre les dessins de mon enfant, Les Éditions de Mortagne, 2011.

La sieste chez l’enfant, Foreword by Dr. François Dumesnil, psychologist, Les Éditions de Mortagne, 2012.

Sommeil: La boîte à outils, stratégies et techniques pour bien dormir, Les Éditions de Mortagne, 2019.

To all devoted parents

Who love their baby so much

That they simply cannot

Bring themselves to say good night!

To all the babies

Who dream of enjoying

An uninterrupted sleep.

Introduction

Sleep remains to this day a mysterious phenomenon but fortunately, we now know enough to help families experience more restful nights.

We already know that babies are not born with the good sleeping habits gene; these habits need to be learned. As soon as we’re born, we start building our relationship with sleep. Depending on the routine we establish, we become a good or poor sleeper. Parents play a major educational role in this. It is their responsibility to learn about the mechanics of sleep, to understand the stakes at play and to adopt the appropriate attitude.

When I started doing consultations on children’s sleep, I never imagined how easily a newborn could learn to sleep through nights… if given the opportunity. The secret lies of course in the parents’ preparation and the baby’s good health. In fact, you yield more influence than you think on the sleep of your children.

With this book, you will become familiar with the workings of normal sleep, sleep needs, sleep myths, the nature of different sleep problems and the conditions for good sleep hygiene. I also offer a strategy to promote sleep training in infants. Furthermore, you will discover in this book a section reserved for fathers and another one for mothers, plus a chapter dedicated to infant-parent bonding. I encourage you to not skip over these pages, even if you want to read the proposed strategy right away.

This short guide addresses sleep in infants, especially between the ages of 8 weeks and 11 or 12 months. If you do not find an answer to all your questions in the following pages or if you wish to learn about better sleep in older children (from 1 to 16 years old), I invite you to read my book titled Comment aider mon enfant à mieux dormir, published by Éditions de Mortagne.

If your questions are more about naps, you will find additional answers in the book titled La sieste chez l’enfant, also published by Éditions de Mortagne.

May your future nights of sleep be the best ever! Happy reading!

Chapter 1

Testimonials

Here are some of the messages I’ve received from parents who found my book helpful:

Dear Brigitte, I was fortunate enough to attend your conference on sleep in newborns even before the birth of my first child. Thanks to this experience and your book, the transition to an independent sleep went smoothly without too many tears, since I progressively applied the principles as soon as my child turned 8 weeks old. I also consulted you over the phone to help me regulate naps and, once more, I particularly appreciated your professional and respectful approach, plus it was a success thanks to your advice. The life of newborns and parents would be so much simpler if everybody had the opportunity to know you before their child was born! I continue to spread the good news and I wish you continued success! Thanks again!

Elisabeth, mother and doctor

Hello Brigitte, after our phone conversation, I worked hard to get my 4-month-old little peanut to sleep well. The emotion I felt was intense… I wanted to give up so many times but thanks to your advice and your encouragements, I finally succeeded. My whiny little one has become a smiling child who is always in a good mood. Wow! It is so pleasant. In addition, sleeping an entire night… I love it! I am a mom who is rested and I finally have the energy needed to play with my two other darlings aged 2 and 3. Thank you for being there for us.

Mélanie Ouellet

I had to write to you to thank you… Jacob (10 weeks old) is now sleeping through the night and is napping well. As soon as I notice signs of tiredness, I calm him and put him in his bed. He whines a bit and falls asleep right away. It’s wonderful! My little fellow is in such a good mood during the day that I appreciate the moments I share with him even more! It is now easier for me to recognize Jacob’s needs. I really have the impression that he is thanking me for respecting his rhythm and for understanding him… We can say that you arrived just at the right time in our lives so that Jacob could develop good sleeping habits.