It’s Never Too Late to Sleep Train

Dear reader,

This book is particularly personal to me as it has saved my sanity and finally got my toddler, husband and myself sleeping soundly through the night without disturbance (most of the time at least!). When this manuscript landed in my inbox I was intrigued to act as guinea pig. Broken from almost hourly interruptions for my sleep-deprived toddler, I had tried almost every form of sleep ‘education’ and in desperation had even hired a sleep consultant at one point. Each new approach came with the vow that within weeks (some even promised days) my toddler would be happily practising the 7pm-7am model. While these ‘magic’ solutions I shelled out for time and time again often did offer an initial improvement, before long, we’d be back to the usual pattern of frequent waking throughout the night and hideously early starts to the day, usually around 4.30am.

So before I considered publishing It’s Never Too Late to Sleep Train, I wanted to test-drive it myself. It’s a competitive market for books like these so I needed to know it actually works. What becomes immediately clear is the author’s reassuring expert voice, backed by many years as a paediatric doctor specializing in infant sleep at Yale’s Sleep Centre in the US . Built on clinical research combined with experience treating a vast number of babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers, in addition to sharing the sleep issues his own children have endured, this sleep plan is the most convincing I’ve seen. Rooted in Dr Canapari’s evidence-based approach, is the power of habit. The more we practise and enforce habits, the easily they will stick.

Good sleep is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children as it forms an integral part of their development. You will see for yourself, the sleep plan is easy to implement and throughout the book, Dr Canapari calmly advises how to implement strategies, ensuring your child gets the sleep they need to grow. He provides practical solutions too for those of us who inhabit small spaces, where children share bedrooms or live in noisy neighbourhoods. It also offers ideas for children living across more than one home. There are practical tips for night-weaning (whether breast- or bottle-fed) for those whose babies are ready for that stage and guidance for dealing with older kids desperate to avoid their own beds in favour of their parents’. It’s a one-stop-shop for developing a routine best suited to your family’s unique set-up.

A week after we started the plan, the difference in my whole family’s sleep is hard to convey without resorting to hyperbole. Several months later, the effects are still in place. My toddler is less cranky during the day and so am I!

Happy reading (and happy sleeping!).

It’s Never Too Late to Sleep Train is available in paperback, eBook and audio.