April 2023 MBR The Parenting Shelf

The Parenting Shelf

The Sleep Lady's Gentle Newborn Sleep Guide
Kim West, MSW
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781637741566, $19.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Lady%C2%AEs-Gentle-Newborn-Guide/dp/1637741561

Synopsis: Sleep training isn't recommended until your baby is 6 months old, but that doesn't mean you're powerless to help them (and you) sleep better now. For the past three decades, Kim West, known around the world as The Sleep Lady, has personally helped over twenty thousand families gently teach their children how to fall asleep (and fall back asleep) without leaving them to cry it out alone.

Now, with the publication of "The Sleep Lady's Gentle Newborn Sleep Guide", Kim offers gentle, evidenced-based ways to help newborns (and parents) get to sleep! Understand action steps you can take and learn myths you can let go of with easily digestible chapters you can follow along monthly.

In month-by-month chapters that are easily digestible (even in the middle of the night!), Kim and her Gentle Sleep Team share: How feeding, attachment, soothing, and temperament all factor into your infant's sleep; The key developmental milestones from birth through five months and how to encourage sleep at every stage; Safe co-sleeping guidelines and clear answers around this hotly debated topic; Success stories from real parents; Alternatives to the "cry it out" method for newborns, based on an infant's developmental readiness to self-soothe; What parents need to know to make sure they're taking care of themselves, too.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by conflicting advice on sleep training, nap coaching, sleep schedules, and more. The Sleep Lady(R)'s Gentle Newborn Sleep Guide provides clear guidance and a safe haven free of judgment, guilt, and criticism for parents seeking options that align with their parenting values and beliefs. Raising a newborn doesn't have to be a sleep-deprived nightmare. Trust your instincts. Learn how to read and respond to your baby's cues with confidence. And finally get a good night's sleep.

Critique: An absolute 'must read' combination of parental instruction manual and 'how-to' guide for moms and dads with newborn infants, "The Sleep Lady's Gentle Newborn Sleep Guide: Trusted Solutions for Getting You and Your Baby FAST to Sleep Without Leaving Them to Cry It Out" is exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, While "The Sleep Lady's Gentle Newborn Sleep Guide" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Sleep Lady's Gentle Newborn Sleep Guide" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Kim West (http://www.iacsc.com/kim-west) has been a practicing child and family social worker for over 25 years. She has personally helped over twenty thousand families all over the world gently teach their children how to fall asleep -- and fall back asleep without leaving them to cry it out alone. She started training Gentle Sleep Coaches internationally in 2010 and has appeared as a child sleep expert on numerous magazines, newspapers, and television programs including Dr. Phil, TODAY, and Good Morning America.

Your Child Learns Differently, Now What?
Roger Stark, author
Betsy Hill, author
Seabiscuit Press
9798987188200, $24.95, PB, 274pp

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Child-Learns-Differently-What/dp/B0BLG2PCMY

Synopsis: School is a struggle. Homework is a battleground. Nothing you've tried seems to help.

The education system isn't solving this problem-the cavalry isn't coming. And your child isn't going to outgrow these difficulties. In fact, what you don't know could be keeping your child from succeeding at school. Now what?

It doesn't have to be that way. In spite of what we were led to believe, intelligence isn't fixed and can improve. At the core of learning are mental processes called cognitive skills, which are how our brains learn. It's the "how" of learning, not the "what" of teaching that matters. By understanding this, you can help your child turn on their learning superpowers.

How? By taking advantage of your child's cognitive strengths and building up their cognitive weaknesses. And the place to start is in the pages of "Your Child Learns Differently, Now What?: The Truth for Parents", where you will discover: How your child learns is more important than what educators teach; There is proven neuroscience that can improve your child's cognitive skills; Your most underutilized asset is your child's ability to learn; You can create a roadmap for your child to succeed at learning and life.

"Your Child Learns Differently, Now What?: The Truth for Parents" includes a guide to helping parents understand how brains learn and how their child's brain learns best. This knowledge will empower parents like never before. Not only will they understand why their child reacts the way they do to school-they will be able to help them.

Critique: Exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'parent friendly' in organization and presentation, "Your Child Learns Differently, Now What?: The Truth for Parents" is an invaluably informative DIY guide for parents having to deal with children who are not succeeding as they should in elementary school, middle school, or high school curriculums. While unreservedly recommended for community library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Your Child Learns Differently, Now What?: The Truth for Parents" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note #1: Roger Stark (https://edcircuit.com/author/roger-stark) is CEO of BrainWare Learning Company. Over the past fifteen years, he has championed efforts to bring comprehensive cognitive skills training and cognitive assessment within reach of everyone. He led the team that developed BrainWare SAFARI, now the most researched comprehensive, integrated cognitive training tool delivered online in the world. He was the first person ever invited to deliver a joint Congressional briefing on Neuroscience in the Classroom.

Editorial Note #2: Betsy Hill (https://edcircuit.com/author/betsy-hill) studied the neuroscience of learning with Dr. Patricia Wolfe and other pioneers in the field, coining the term neuroeducator. She is former chair of the board of trustees at Chicago State University and teaches strategic thinking at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management where she received a Contribution to Learning Excellence Award. She received a Nepris Trailblazer Award for sharing her knowledge, skills and passion for the neuroscience of learning in classrooms around the U.S. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and a MBA from Northwestern University.

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