Reviewing Sweet Sleep by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, Linda J. Smith, and Teresa Pitman

A lot of parents hold fears about cosleeping and bedsharing, and can end up in an even more dangerous situation, such as falling asleep in a chair or on the couch with their baby. This book reassures exhausted parents that there is a safe way to fall asleep while feeding your baby! This book is an excellent resource for new parents and parents-to-be, allowing them to explore possible ways for them to organise their rooms and sleep situations to allow for the most sleep, in the safest way possible. It opens presuming that a new parent has bought this book when looking for immediate sleep solutions, and gives quick-fix solutions for how to get more sleep right now – where to put your bed, your baby, yourself and your partner, and how to organise the pillows and bedclothes.

It is perfect for those parents-to-be who are open to the idea of cosleeping, but who may hold fears regarding safety, and who will feel more comfortable when reading such an evidence-based text. It’s also great for parents who have babies and are struggling with getting enough sleep, following a lot of modern-day cultural ‘rules’ such as cots and bassinets, but are not finding success and are feeling ready to try something new.

I personally love that this book is not simply full of anecdotes, quotes and stories from mothers, but it is instead full of concrete research and science-based evidence. This, I feel, in addition to the stories from families in these situations, will effectively remove the fear that many parents hold about cosleeping, and will assist with fostering a safe, healthy and happy family unit.