Rule #1: Turn off the TV

If we had a nickel for every parent who came in here and told us that his or her child WOULD NOT SLEEP without the television turned on, well, we would be blogging from Cabo on matching little iBooks. The first thing that you need to do if your child will not sleep is to turn off the TV. Actually, we're not sure why you have a TV in the child's room, so while you're at it, take the TV OUT of the bedroom. This also goes for iPods and cell phones and laptops and Gameboys and any other electronic gadget that your child NEEDS in order to fall asleep.

Here is what we do in the sleep lab: we agree on a time to turn off the electronic devices. Then we turn them off at that time. Then we turn out the lights. Then the kid goes to sleep. In a strange bed. With 40 wires stuck all over his or her body. That's it, folks.

So, Rule #1 is: turn off the flipping TV.