"Polly,

Hello, I haven’t gotten to read your entire book yet. However, I find it fascinating as I noticed this 90 min. sleep cycle when my 9 month old was 2-3 months. We started out sleeping great, but have created a complex problem that must be solved ( I am pregnant again and need my sleep!). He slept 5-8 hours beginning about 6 weeks and took 2-4 naps a day pretty regularly. The first nap of the day (90 mins after waking) seemed to be the most important. This all fell apart around 5 months. At some time in the previous month or two, we began bringing him into our bed after his first night waking (no longer needed to be fed at night). This backfired around 6 months when he began waking 5-6 times per night. After talking with the doc. and friends, we began supporting him in sleeping in his own bed. We were getting a little more sleep at first, but he seems panicked and unable to return to sleep. (He is teething constantly and this seems to wake him a lot at night). We have resorted to napping in the car a lot because it works. I have a lot of professional experience with behavior and realize that I have created several problems for myself in my efforts to get enough sleep myself. Now my husband and I have a lot of work to do. How do we break the car-nap habit? Why does he go to sleep better and sleep longer with sitters and grandparents than his parents (that he has bonded beautifully with)?

Thanks sooo much for your book and this opportunity."

- Stefanie

Hi, Stefanie,

I'm not sure why he sleeps better with other caregivers, but it may be they have different responses to his cries. (It's hard for me to know unless I'm in your household on questions like these)

The car-nap habit is usually (though not always) a sign that a baby is not getting enough sleep, overall, over the course of a 24-hr day. Needing the motion of a car to fall asleep means he can't soothe himself, and needs the external help.

Have you been able to recognize your son's signs of sleepiness? I hope so, and I hope it has helped you and him to get more sleep. The funny thing is, when he starts getting more sleep, he'll have an easier time getting to sleep and staying asleep.

Let me know what has changed since you first wrote me, if you have time.

Polly.