Do you want to learn more about how babies sleep and what that means for breastfeeding? Barbara interviews Dr. Helen Ball to discuss infant sleep and their book group!
Over the past century and a half, we have tried to manipulate baby sleep to fit with the rapidly changing nature of adult lives. The mismatch we have created with our babies’ biology is framed as ‘baby sleep problems’, and infants are often ‘treated’ using behavioral and clinical interventions. But it is not baby sleep that needs fixing—only our understanding of it.
In How Babies Sleep, Helen Ball brings together cutting-edge science, anthropological insight, and practical advice to provide parents with everything they need to help them confidently—and sanely—navigate the first 365 night-times with a new baby. It will teach you how to harmonize your needs with your infant’s and empower you to reject approaches that make you uncomfortable. Feel confident in a strategy that works for you and your family!
Join our How Babies Sleep Book Group. How Babies Sleep, by Dr. Helen Ball, provides a comprehensive look at infant sleep through the eyes of anthropology, along with the research necessary to update your practice. This book group covers the first year of sleep and much more.
Dr. Helen Ball is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Infancy & Sleep Centre (DISC) at Durham University. She founded Basis, the Baby Sleep Information Source in 2012 as an outreach project of DISC, for which she was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further & Higher Education in 2018. Her research examines the sleep ecology of infants and their parents including attitudes and practices regarding infant sleep and sleep safety, behavioural and physiological interactions of infants and their parents during sleep, infant sleep development, and the discordance between cultural and biological sleep needs.
What does the course look like?
The course comprises 4 sessions. We will be using Thinkific, an online learning platform, for our readings, and Zoom for our live sessions. For each session, you will see the required reading assignment, read the appropriate sections, review any supporting materials, attend a live two-hour session or watch a two-hour recording, and then take a short quiz.
Does this book group provide CERPs?
We are applying for lactation education credits.
What do you need?
You need to buy or have access to the 2025 edition of How Babies Sleep by Dr. Helen Ball and have reliable internet access. We recommend using a computer for this, and you need to be at least a bit tech-savvy.
You can learn more and register here!
If you work with breastfeeding/chestfeeding families and are passionate about lactation support, or if you want to turn your passion for nursing into professional practice, visit us at LactaLearning.com and consider following us on social media!
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