Local Doctor Invents Device To Help Children Fall Asleep

For many parents, getting a child to sleep through the night is a difficult task.

A child's sleep habits can disrupt the whole family, but a local company has come up with a device that may help parents solve that sleep problem.

Laurie Zappone is a mother of three and knows all about sleep issues.

She said, “As soon as you lay them down and walk away, they're up for an extended period of time. We've run the vacuum cleaner; we've put them in the car and driven around the block. We've tried it all.”

Pittsburgh pediatrician Dr. Jim Tucker has been answering sleep questions for 28 years.

He believes the Ferber method, where children learn to soothe themselves to sleep, works best.

Tucker said, “If kids are allowed to be in their crib, allowed to cry and allowed to get comfortable alone in their crib, they'll fall asleep by themselves.”

To help parents, Tucker teamed up with Thorley Industries, a Strip District company, and the Good Night Sleep Trainer was born.

Tucker said the device makes the sleep process easier.

“You set the trainer, and it gives you a one-minute period to let your child cry. You go in and calm your child down, and as soon as they are calm you leave the room,” Tucker said.

If your child starts crying again, you set the trainer again. Each time, the period you wait to comfort the child gets longer.

Tucker said, “What you're doing is giving your child longer and longer periods of time to be alone to cry, and crying makes you more tired so it sets you up to fall asleep.”

It takes some of the thinking out of the process and keeps parents on task.

Tucker said if a parent sticks with the training he or she will see results quickly.

The trainer worked for Zappone.

She said, “In a few days you notice a difference. As long as he's sleeping well, we're doing great.”

Tucker said most babies should be able to sleep through the night by the time they are 4 months old.