ABSTRACT
Going on the plethora of letters on the subject, it can safely be said that sleeping or, more accurately, not sleeping is a leading concern for Ursula Wise's readers. Many of the letters in this chapter overlap with those on fear and phobias – the themes being inherently similar. She also refers to receiving second letters from parents and how she uses such feedback to inform her future advice. Wise takes on what seems to have been two of the biggest questions of the day: those of smacking and leaving a baby to cry itself to sleep. One of the main uses she makes of her column is to draw links between what she is told about the child's experience and the possible reasons for them having problems at bed time. Wise is consistently opposed to leaving a baby to scream, commenting on its un-wisdom and the detrimental effects on the child's future mental health.
