Tag Archives: Introduction

Is the book coming out in the U.S. (or anywhere else)?

I've been getting several emails about whether the book will be available in the States. Short answer: I don't know. The book is published by HarperCollins CANADA. They (and we) have plans to try to sell the rights in the U.S. But it's not happening in the next month or two. I suspect we have to show that the book did really well in Canada first, and then the American publishers will be willing to consider also taking it on (and even that may be a long shot with the state of the economy down there).

I know the shipping cost is a real pain and I'm very sorry about that. Unfortunately, it's completely out of our hands (but hey!  The cost of the book is only about $12 which converts to something like 75 cents American, right ;-))

And YES, the book DOES ship to the States, no problem, it's just a pain when you see that the shipping is as much as the book. <sigh>

Here from Moxie? Welcome!

I am so thankful to Moxie for her thoughtful review and for sending you all over here. I'm really hoping to live up to her generous words of support.

Since I've just started up this blog, I'd love to get your input on what you think might be most helpful to you. What would you like to see featured here?  I've got tons of ideas in terms of posts and some other thoughts on different types of links or "support spaces" that we could create… what do you think?

  • I'd like to create a "space" where parents could come and vent and get support throughout the day, but especially during the horrendous wee hours of the night/morning. I remember logging into Moxie's site when I was pumping at 3 am and feeling just a little less alone when someone else was posting at the same time. You know that feeling of being THE ONLY ONE AWAKE in the world, at 3 am, 4 am, 5 am? Would it be helpful for you to have a place on this site to go and commiserate with other parents during that time?
  • Of course, I'm planning on featuring studies, reviews of research, and highlighting developmental principles that are most relevant to sleep issues.
  • Given that the topic is near and dear to my heart, I'd also like to feature topics that are relevant to parents of twins (or other multiples) and young siblings
  • I'm in Toronto and of course whenever I read Moxie, I wondered if there were Moxie readers in the city that I could hook up with and just be my sleep-deprived self with in my offline life. Would it be helpful for people in the trenches of sleep training or sleep deprivation (if you're waiting out one of those hellish transitional or regression stages) to find others to just stare out into space with? Could we figure out how to facilitate that through this site?

Any other suggestions that you think might help you out with either surviving the "bad" stages or fortifying you for your sleep-training efforts?

Why a blog?

This is my first foray into blogging and I'm hoping it proves useful and productive for everyone involved. Let me try to lay out the rationale for starting this site:

I wanted a place to talk about the issues raised
in Bed Timing, to highlight particular research findings that form the
basis of the book and, most importantly, to provide readers a space to
ask questions and trouble-shoot through their own sleep-training highs
and lows. We’ve been on several call-in radio shows as part of the book
promotion tour and my favorite part of this process has been connecting
with real moms who are in the trenches, trying to solve their own young
children’s sleep problems. I’m hoping to do more of that through this
blog.

I’d like this online space to serve several functions:

(1)
To provide a Q & A forum in which readers can send me their own
personal sleep training dilemmas and I can try to provide some tailored advice, based on
my developmental training (and some personal experience!).  Please,
feel free to email me any
question related to your child’s sleep issues, or developmental
challenges that may be relevant to their sleeping. If you’re worried
about something, there’s sure to be many, many other parents in the
same boat. I’ll post questions and answers several times per week. 

(2)
To highlight the latest research findings on the link between
children’s sleep and cognitive and emotional well-being (both the
child’s and the parent’s). I’ve got tons and tons of research that I’ve
compiled, summarized, and critiqued. Much of Bed Timing is based on
that research. I’d like to post relevant studies, articles, and new
research findings on a weekly basis and have you comment about the
usefulness and relevance of that material.

(3) To develop a
supportive community for parents and caregivers that can help parents
help each other through one of the most harrowing developmental
challenges. The extent to which this goal will be realized is all about
you.

So… clearly, this blog isn't going to get very far without your thoughts, criticisms, questions, and general feedback. I'd love to hear what you have to say…