I recently had the chance to read the book, Gentle Goodnight, a lovely little book (only 60 pages, so you can read it in one sitting) outlining the author’s method of nursing and dancing her babies gently to sleep. I wanted to share it with all of you, because it’s something I would have loved to have read when I was a new mom, still figuring it all out! No sleep training here….. just a loving, conscientious way to help your babies and toddlers get peacefully to sleep. The book’s author, Lyssa Armenta, was kind enough to answer some questions for me. She’s also giving away TWO copies of her book, so keep reading to find out how to enter.
1. Parents like to hear from other parents. How long have you been a mother / how many kids do you personally have, and what are their ages?
I have been a mother for 12 years now. My oldest son is Sterling who is 12, my daughter Samantha is 9 and my youngest son Spencer will be 5 next month.
2. Tell us a little bit about what prompted you to write this book?
I wanted to share the Dancing Method I had been using almost non-stop since becoming a mom to get my own kids down for nap and bedtime. Gentle Goodnight can be used into toddlerhood if you are still nursing. My oldest was 2 and a half when he stopped, and my daughter and youngest son were both 3 and a half when we stopped. I felt I had a duty to not let this gentle sleep method stop with my kids. Every time I put them down and saw how peaceful they were, I was convinced it would help other new moms. My kids were each so different that I learned more tricks and things to include so I felt I was perfecting the Dancing Method with each one of them. To me, parenting is so much trial and error, and I felt I should share the finished product. This way, new moms do not need to make the errors and this will hopefully make their lives a little easier. Being a new mom is so overwhelming. I felt so vulnerable with my first that I thought any method that gives them more confidence or helps them out in any way has to be a good thing.
3. How is your book different from other books about sleep that are on the market?
This method meets your babies where they are at before nap or bedtime in terms of how awake and active they are, and then matches their energy level to be able to slowly bring it down to fall asleep. Every nap or bedtime can be different (activity-wise or mood-wise) and the songs can all be adjusted to start where your baby is at with the dancing intensity, volume, beat or rhythm…to get them to first start to relax and finally to sleep. This method also provides the benefits of exercise for mom. Most moms have no energy or time for exercise but this is multitasking at its best: getting your baby to sleep, losing a few baby weight pounds, and the exercise is also stress-relieving for both of you. It is not strenuous enough to effect milk supply, yet it is considered weight bearing exercise with the baby as the weight. This book doesn’t suggest things to try. Instead, it gives you detailed instructions on how to prepare, how to do the Dancing Method, how to put the baby down, and things to take into consideration that could be keeping the baby awake. Gentle Goodnight provides ways to overcome obstacles by giving many modifications you can make to meet the needs of your own unique little one. The last thing I want to mention is that this sleep method can be done anywhere, as long as you have a little music. From visits with friends or family to vacations, you will have confidence that your baby will still be able to enjoy his familiar routine of getting to sleep. This eliminates anxiety for mom and baby to be able to enjoy any outing.
4. Some parents who see the phrase, “A proven sleep method” worry that this is just another controlling, “sleep-training” book, and/or that it employs some hidden crying-it-out. How would you respond to those concerns?
It is a proven, loving, gentle sleep method that has been personally tested over 6000 times with a 99.99% success rate. I say that with confidence because I know this method works, but of course you can not say it will work for every baby. No sleep method will work work for every baby. In the beginning of the book I have a Note From The Author saying that the book was specifically written for nursing, co-sleeping mothers for the purpose of not wasting anyone’s time or money. I am trying to get the book in the hands of trusted sources such as Dr. Sears (who has a quote on the book’s cover) and The Path Less Taken who are publicly known to be against cry-it-out and controlled crying. This way they can share with their fans or readers who trust them already when they say that the book contains no cry-it-out or controlled crying. I am honestly trying to give moms an alternative, fun, quick, easy method to try to get their babies to sleep. I understand the suspicions and I am willing to try to gain trust one mom at a time to help one baby at a time find a peaceful, gentle way to catch some zzzzzzzzzz’s.
5. If you could give just one piece of advice to brand-new parents, what would it be?
Do whatever you can so that when your kids are grown and you think back that you have as little regret as possible in the way you raised them! I love the quote: “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.”
You can read more about Lyssa and her book, as well as purchase a copy, at the Gentle Goodnight website.
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This giveaway has now been closed. Thanks for all who participated! The winners are:
Lydia, and
Maria Wong
Congratulations! Please send me a message with your mailing address so I can get it to Lyssa, and she can send out your books!
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Hi! I liked the Gentle Goodnight FB Page and I am going to share the link on FB as well. I would like to win a copy because I am excited to be pregnant! I have had two miscarriages and trouble conceiving over the last two years. I am only 9 weeks today but had a really good ultrasound last week so things are looking good this time. My husband and I run an organic vegetable farm in VA and I am committed to cloth diapers and breastfeeding. This book sound interesting. and I really like your blog. =)
Melanie@designsbymelanie.net
Liked the page on FB and leaving a comment here. Thanks!
I have a 3 month old son who has trouble falling asleep unless I’m wearing him but always wakes up when I take him out if the carrier. I don’t mind wearing him for naps but we need a better bedtime solution.
Shared about giveaway on facebook – Jeanne Bates Tennant.
https://www.facebook.com/jbatestennant/posts/248403565279071
Tweeted about giveaway @jeanneandbuster –
https://twitter.com/jeanneandbuster/status/226021069964840960
I would like to win the book to share with a good friend’s daughter who has her first baby and is having trouble with getting him to sleep even though she nurses him and sleeps with him – which is all I needed to do to get my babies to sleep.
Liked the Gentle Goodnight page on Facebook
Would love to win because my little one has a rough time getting to sleep (and staying asleep) our whole house could use any tips or tricks available – unfortunately there aren’t that many available for a co-sleeping breastfeeding mother. Everyone says I should just let her cry it out – to them I say phooey.
Commented here, posted on fb and liked page. Don’t have a twitter account for the fourth entry.
I continue to enjoy your posts. It is nice to know there are so many like minded parents taking the gentle parenting approach! I would love a copy of this book. We have a decent routine, but this method could only help 🙂
I would love to try this with my little one. She’s always been a good baby and falls asleep fairly quickly but for the last few weeks, I feel that something has changed and it’s a lot more difficult. I can’t really pin point what is going on but I think a gentle approach to sleeping would provide us with additional tools to help ease her into sleep.
I guess I should include my email: racheletdaniel (at) hotmail (dot) com. Thanks!
I like Gentle Goodnight on Facebook
my email is racheletdaniel (at) hotmail (dot) com
Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/RachelG38/status/228618534312374273
email: racheletdaniel (at) hotmail (dot) com
I liked the Gentle Goodnight Facebook page. I would love to win a copy of this book as I am expecting my third child in November and this sounds like a sleep idea that I could include my 3 and 4 year olds in and also sounds fun!