Book SummaryPrecious Little Sleep, by Alexis Dubief

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Precious Little Sleep

Too often, parents accept chronic sleep deprivation as an inevitable part of raising babies and young children. But infant sleep expert Alexis Dubief argues that enduring years of sleep deprivation is neither inevitable nor necessary. She maintains that, armed with the right knowledge and approaches, you can establish healthy sleep for your baby, which will benefit them and you. In Precious Little Sleep, she shares her strategies and...

Precious Little Sleep Summary Sleep Basics

Dubief argues that contrary to popular belief, babies don’t naturally develop healthy sleep habits on their own—they need to be taught. But without proper guidance, well-intentioned strategies can lead to poor sleep patterns.

(Shortform note: Not all infant sleep experts believe sleeping is a skill that needs to be taught to babies. Some view sleep as a biological function that naturally develops without formal training, as long as babies' needs are met and their circadian rhythms are supported.)

Dubief says healthy sleep is when your baby gets the right amount of sleep for their development stage, has minimal night awakenings unrelated to hunger, and has an easy, timely, and pleasant bedtime routine. She maintains that the most important way to encourage better sleep is to...

Precious Little Sleep Summary Sleep Safety

Before we dive into Dubief’s techniques and pointers for improving your baby’s sleep, it’s important to review her sleep safety guidelines. Safe infant sleep boils down to creating and maintaining a good sleeping environment. Dubief writes that the ideal sleep environment for safe and high-quality sleep is uninteresting, dark, and free from potential causes of injury: falls, toys that present choking hazards, or anything that may accidentally strangle the child.

The most critical part of safety for children under 12 months of age is minimizing the risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of infant mortality. She recommends that you talk to your doctor about reducing the risk of SIDS. Some common recommendations include:

• Always put your baby to sleep on their back...

Precious Little Sleep Summary Forming Helpful Sleep Associations

Dubief notes that while your baby is a newborn, they’ll have unpredictable, chaotic sleep patterns and may need a lot of soothing to help them sleep. During this period, you should use every appropriate and safe technique to aid them, including rocking, bouncing, holding, massaging, and feeding.

(Shortform note: In addition to the newborn soothing techniques described above, some infant sleep experts suggest you explore soothing methods that utilize all five of your baby’s senses, including skin-to-skin contact and smell. Skin-to-skin contact provides numerous benefits, including regulating the baby's heart rate, body temperature, and digestion and transferring protective bacteria from your skin to your baby's, which helps ward off infections. Familiar scents can provide comfort to newborns. For example, experts recommend you avoid cleaning off too much of your newborn's vernix (the cheese-like substance covering their skin at birth) since its scent is similar to the womb.)

However, Dubief says you’ll soon have to teach your newborn to sleep without your help, and to do that, you...

Precious Little Sleep Summary Schedules and Routines

In addition to using sleep aids, you can also support your baby’s sleep by managing their sleep schedule and having the right bedtime routine.

Manage Baby’s Sleep Schedule

Dubief says that getting your baby's schedule on track is the key to healthy sleep. It can make sleep more difficult when you put your baby down for the night too late, when they're overtired, or too early, before they're ready.

How do you know it’s time to put your baby down to sleep? According to Dubief, one method is to follow their tiredness cues. Tiredness cues include fussiness, eye rubbing, and yawning. However, some babies mask their fatigue until they’re overtired.

(Shortform note: Other infant sleep experts explain that infant tiredness cues include a much broader range of behaviors and signs than Dubief covers, and that the cues differ depending on your baby’s developmental stage. For example, newborns may arch their backs, turn away from stimuli, and sweat due to increased cortisol levels. From 3 to 12 months, your baby may rub their eyes and nose or pull at their ears. However, all infants are unique, and with careful...

Precious Little Sleep Summary Independent Sleep Methods

Dubief outlines two methods for teaching your baby to sleep independently. We’ll call them the Assisted Sleep Method (ASM) and the Self-Soothe Method (SSM). She recommends you start with the more gradual ASM approach and move to SSM if needed.

Be prepared for your baby to fuss and cry as they adjust to the major change of sleeping without your help. The author asserts that it’s normal for your baby to feel frustrated and upset as they struggle to learn something new. Your baby crying during this process doesn't make you a bad parent—your job is to support them as they learn difficult things at every stage of their lives.

(Shortform note: Some infant sleep experts advocate for what they call No-Tears methods, where you avoid letting your baby cry during the process of teaching them to sleep. Advocates of this approach argue that allowing a baby to cry, even for a short period of sleep training, is cruel and can damage their development and your relationship with them. Many No-Tears advocates go so far as to claim that all sleep training approaches, like Dubief’s methods, are abusive. However,...

Precious Little Sleep Summary How to Improve Your Baby’s Naps

Babies who take good naps tend to sleep better at night as well. But lots of babies struggle with naps for many reasons: Nap needs change as babies grow, naps aren’t as fun as being awake, and nap schedules are delicate—illness, teething, car naps, and skipped naps can all throw things off.

(Shortform note: Although getting your baby to take good naps and keep a good nap schedule can be challenging, research shows that not getting enough nap sleep during the day can have consequences for your baby: Skipping naps regularly can inhibit their growth and development. Napping supports learning by helping babies process and remember information they absorb while awake. Naptime is also when [restricted term] is secreted most in babies, so interrupted or insufficient naps may interfere with their physical development. Missing out on naps can also have long-term effects, such as causing behavioral issues or attention problems later in life, because sleep is instrumental in brain maturation and cognitive functions.)

Refer to this nap chart as a general guide for understanding your child’s nap needs according to age.

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Shortform Exercise: Craft Your Baby’s Sleep Plan

Improving your baby's sleep requires that you understand where you’re starting from. The following questions will help you reflect on your baby’s current sleep habits and patterns and prepare you to take the first steps toward better sleep.

Looking back at your baby's sleep habits and routines so far, what unsustainable sleep associations do you think your baby has developed (for example, rocking to sleep, nursing to sleep, and so on)?