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Pinter & Martin Why It Matters #1
Why Your Baby's Sleep Matters (Pinter & Martin Why It Matters, 1)
Research shows that normal infant sleep is not what most experts claim it to be. In fact, many of today s sleep problems with young babies and children predominantly occur in the developed world. In Why Your Baby s Sleep Matters, renowned gentle parenting expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith demonstrates how nurturing babies at night helps their brain development, and covers the topics every parent of a new baby will need to know about, including naps, SIDS, night weaning, coping with your own exhaustion and even dealing with advice and criticism from others."
- GenresParentingNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2016
21 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Ockwell-Smith
84 books227 followersBorn in Bedfordshire, England in 1976, Sarah Ockwell-Smith is a mother of four school aged children, three boys and one girl.
After graduating with an honors degree in Psychology, specialising in child development, she embarked on a five year career in Pharmaceutical Research and Development, working with clinical trial data, until she became pregnant with her first child in 2001. After the birth of her firstborn Sarah retrained as an Antenatal Teacher, hypnotherapist/Psychotherapist, Infant Massage Instructor and Birth and Postnatal Doula. Over the years Sarah has updated her knowledge with various study days and courses including paediatric first aid, paediatric safeguarding, perinatal psychology and birth trauma.
Sarah now works as a parenting author, writer and coach. With a particular interest in child sleep.
After graduating with an honors degree in Psychology, specialising in child development, she embarked on a five year career in Pharmaceutical Research and Development, working with clinical trial data, until she became pregnant with her first child in 2001. After the birth of her firstborn Sarah retrained as an Antenatal Teacher, hypnotherapist/Psychotherapist, Infant Massage Instructor and Birth and Postnatal Doula. Over the years Sarah has updated her knowledge with various study days and courses including paediatric first aid, paediatric safeguarding, perinatal psychology and birth trauma.
Sarah now works as a parenting author, writer and coach. With a particular interest in child sleep.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 23, 2021
"Kadının iş hayatındaki eşit hak arayışı anneliğin değerini düşürdü"den sonrasını okuyamadım.
August 28, 2022
Fantastic book, full of research and evidence based opinions. A definite must read for young parents, who only start to learn their babies and how sleep affects their brain, mood, development and life in general. Proves how important sleep and well-being is, and motivates to treat babies as individuals, rather than training/looking for help from consultants etc. Inspired to think that sleep is not a problem, and we don’t have to make babies sleep convenient for us, we’d rather have to observe their queues and fulfil their needs by adjusting to them.
April 27, 2020
The only sleep book I’ll ever need. It’s everything I wanted: I wanted to understand the science and history of sleep, the history of where this god awful cry-it-out came from. This book made the MOST sense out of every sleep book I’ve ever read. Do what is natural!
March 1, 2023
I am already starting to feel a bit "Hmmm" about what I thought would be an excellent series of short sharp (cheap) evidence based parenting books, chiefly because the impression of brevity is achieved in part by a smaller than average font which doesn't seem entirely tired stressed parent friendly.
There was a lot of decent stuff here and I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it (there are books I will shuffle to be less prominent in bookshops) but overall I don't think it is going to bump my top two infant sleep books off their spots and where it strays from background information was verging on irritating. It felt curiously unempathetic and certainly non-inclusive. It should have been called Why Bedsharing with Your Infant Matters because it has no explicit guidance for the many categories of situations where it simply says you shouldn't. They are the usual ones (premature baby, small for dates baby, smoker, formula fed) but I don't like the phrasing, I'd prefer risk, I'd prefer relative risk. It also seems ridiculous to say 'don't make any decisions when you are exhausted' (seriously... as Rush sang "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice") I prefer the approach of Sweet Sleep which has a crisis plan.
It's fine if you are 'in the club' (as I certainly was) but most parents do not start out that way.
There was a lot of decent stuff here and I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it (there are books I will shuffle to be less prominent in bookshops) but overall I don't think it is going to bump my top two infant sleep books off their spots and where it strays from background information was verging on irritating. It felt curiously unempathetic and certainly non-inclusive. It should have been called Why Bedsharing with Your Infant Matters because it has no explicit guidance for the many categories of situations where it simply says you shouldn't. They are the usual ones (premature baby, small for dates baby, smoker, formula fed) but I don't like the phrasing, I'd prefer risk, I'd prefer relative risk. It also seems ridiculous to say 'don't make any decisions when you are exhausted' (seriously... as Rush sang "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice") I prefer the approach of Sweet Sleep which has a crisis plan.
It's fine if you are 'in the club' (as I certainly was) but most parents do not start out that way.
February 13, 2018
Reassurance when needed the most
As a parent to a now 6 week old babe, I have found this book invaluable alongside other support in breastfeeding and mother, baby forums. I've recently downloaded an ap whereby baby's nappy changes, feeds and sleeps were monitored...now I knew she was on me A LOT and slept very very little, but seeing the figures in black and white (around 20 feeds in 24 hours) with very little day time sleep scared me senseless. Reading this book has provided me with the reassurance I need to know that this will change, but it has given me a new focus on parenting and I will try to go forward in a mindful manner as Sarah Ockwell-Smith discusses. I'm secure and happy with the knowledge that my recent decision to bed share with my baby is the right one for now. It also provides much needed advice around the unwanted advice from family etc and how to positively deal with such experiences. Hearing that the professionals do not always use evidence based information when giving their advice has also supported me in feeling good about my choices and strong in questioning others.
Fantastic book, which I'm sure I will return to read throughout these early weeks and months for mini confidence boosts in my parenting choices and baby's path as needed.
As a parent to a now 6 week old babe, I have found this book invaluable alongside other support in breastfeeding and mother, baby forums. I've recently downloaded an ap whereby baby's nappy changes, feeds and sleeps were monitored...now I knew she was on me A LOT and slept very very little, but seeing the figures in black and white (around 20 feeds in 24 hours) with very little day time sleep scared me senseless. Reading this book has provided me with the reassurance I need to know that this will change, but it has given me a new focus on parenting and I will try to go forward in a mindful manner as Sarah Ockwell-Smith discusses. I'm secure and happy with the knowledge that my recent decision to bed share with my baby is the right one for now. It also provides much needed advice around the unwanted advice from family etc and how to positively deal with such experiences. Hearing that the professionals do not always use evidence based information when giving their advice has also supported me in feeling good about my choices and strong in questioning others.
Fantastic book, which I'm sure I will return to read throughout these early weeks and months for mini confidence boosts in my parenting choices and baby's path as needed.
February 3, 2023
Read this book
I wish I had read this book earlier. I co-sleep and contact nap, but still worried about my baby waking more often than friends’ babies and what I I could do to “fix” the “problem”. I’m glad I followed my instincts, but reading this book affirmed my choices and I may have worried less about them if I’d read it sooner.
I wish I had read this book earlier. I co-sleep and contact nap, but still worried about my baby waking more often than friends’ babies and what I I could do to “fix” the “problem”. I’m glad I followed my instincts, but reading this book affirmed my choices and I may have worried less about them if I’d read it sooner.
July 5, 2020
Packed full of information and stories from other mother's experiences.
December 16, 2020
Neden uyku eğitimi almamalıyızı anlatan bir kitap. Yumuşak ebeveynliğe değinilmiş ve örnek ailelerin hikayelerine bolca yer verilmiş.
October 30, 2022
Gorgeous book. Absolutely recommend of everyone struggling with baby’s sleep 😴 ❤️🔥
December 15, 2025
Outstanding book that helped us navigate first-time parent questions. My happy baby definitely benefited from us reading it.
December 9, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It's a pretty quick read, even though it contains a lot of information, and it is very clearly written. It's based on research evidence but still accessible. Great for expectant parents to read, but equally valuable if you already have a baby and you're frustrated by the lack of sleep. It doesn't offer any quick solutions, but a deeper understanding of what babies' sleep needs actually are and practical tips to get through the nights of broken sleep that usually come with a new human being in the house.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews