Quotes from Elizabeth Pantley

The aromas of lavender, chamomile, jasmine, sweet orange, and vanilla have long been used to entice relaxation.

The hour before bed should be peaceful. Your routine should be done in rooms with dim lights. Your last step should end in the quiet, dark bedroom with little talking and your usual go-to-sleep technique. Write down your routine, and make it very specific.

The best foods to aid rest are whole-grain carbohydrates, green leafy vegetables, cow's milk, soy milk, bananas, avocadoes, nuts, nut butters, seeds, and warm milk And, of course, the award-winning rest-inducing food: breast milk.

gentle touch as a way to help them rest and relax. Massage is also proved to stimulate circulation, digestion, and neurological development. It

As you read, keep in mind that no author will parallel your beliefs 100 percent, so you must learn to take from each one the ideas that work best for your family.

Create a cozy resting place with a blanket and pillow. Dim the lights or turn them off, and unplug any phones or devices that could disturb the peace. Turn on soft music or white noise. Sprinkle lavender scents and then bring your child to this restful room. Get your child settled and give him a massage or read a book, sing, or tell a story.

Making the decision to have a child—it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go

Another technique is to sit beside the bed and lay your hands on him. If your baby stirs, you can pat, rub, or shush him to prevent him from fully waking.

After your baby wakes up, keep him active and exposed to bright light. Tone down the activity, lights, and noise about a half hour before naptime to help your baby wind down and prepare for sleep. Keep the napping area dimly lit and free from loud or jarring noises.

When children don't sleep, or don't sleep enough, many things can go wrong. Examples include being so sleepy that they cannot learn or function normally, or having abnormal hormone function, which may predispose them to obesity and diabetes.

When your sweet new baby falls asleep in your arms, you look down at your child and the sensation of fierce protectiveness rises to the surface as subtle as a tsunami.

there is no such thing as holding a baby too often, cuddling a baby too much, kissing a baby too many times, singing too many lullabies, or breastfeeding a baby too often. When it comes to babies, there is definitely no such thing as too much love, and babies define love in very physical ways. I

even a one-hour shortage in appropriate sleep time will compromise a child's alertness and brain functioning and increase fatigue.

if your child is not getting close to the amount of sleep on the following chart, he may be chronically overtired, and this will directly affect his behavior, moods, health, learning, and growth.

it takes between 90 and 120 minutes for your child to move through one sleep cycle. Each stage of sleep brings a different benefit to the sleeper.

When you respond to all needs in babyhood, you build the foundation for a happier child.

So, your best defense is knowledge. It really is power, as they say...The more you know, the more easily you will develop your own philosophies about child rearing. When you have your facts straight, and when you have a parenting plan, you will be able to respond with confidence to those who are well-meaning but offering contrary or incorrect advice.

Until about age ten or so, a child thrives on spending special quiet time with a parent before bed. Reading books, talking, giving back rubs, and simply being together quietly are all important prebed rituals. Actually, I find that most parents who do not have a formal bedtime routine typically spend that last hour before bed fighting with their children about going to bed—now that is unpleasant and unnecessary.

When you use thoughtful, gentle methods and are patient about the switch, this can be a peaceful time of transition for all of you.

This library must be where dreams come to gather new stories. No one would call this a mere building; it was a kaleidoscope of wondrous sights. Even the sounds were magical, the murmurs of hundreds of secrets being shared. I stood at the entry for several minutes, just drinking in the amazing place.

Without a nap break, the homeostatic pressure continues building until the end of the day, growing in intensity, so that a child becomes overtired, wired, and unable to stop the explosion. The result is an intense bedtime battle with a cranky, overtired child who won't fall asleep no matter how tired he is.

new studies tell us that babies should not be left to sleep for long spans in a car seat because the positioning can also interfere with proper breathing.

Address only those problems that are true problems to you, and don't create or imagine problems because someone else thinks you have them, no matter if that person is family, friend, or expert.

Read, listen, and learn constantly, but always sift what you learn through the strainer of your own personal beliefs and parenting philosophy.