Have you ever heard of the word “Nen-tore (Sleep training)? It is a training for the baby to fall asleep by own-self without having the adult to lull into sleep for long hours. It is one of the problems, which mothers of the world are troubled. Sleep training is advised to start from around 5 ~ 6 months when baby’s living rhythm is coming in good order. However, I would like to introduce an idea, which I learned from my friend in my pregnancy and tried it myself and found it effective.
　This friend is a musical actress, and because of her career, she sung the same song during her latter period of pregnancy every day. Consequently, the baby seemed to have remembered the song and whenever the mother sung the song, the baby immediately fell asleep feeling at ease. It continued until the baby became 2~3 years old and this “Sleep training” was very effective and truly helpful to her.
　
　Upon hearing this, I myself tried half in doubt in the last month of my pregnancy, and repeatedly sung a simple song for about 10 minutes before going into sleep. And when the baby was born……at the beginning, he was mostly sleeping or suckling, and I had no chance of finding out the effect of my song and forgot about it and few months have passed. One day however, when he could not fall asleep for sometimes, I just remembered about the song and sung the song, then the playing baby suddenly turned to sleeping posture, and tried to make an effort to sleep by himself closing his eyes. The lulling of that day was a great success and he fell asleep while hearing my song. Since then whenever he hears my song every day at his sleeping time, he fell asleep by himself reacting just like Pavlov’s dog.
　Now he is 1 year and 6 months old and his self-assertiveness is becoming stronger, and even when he is not yet sleepy but it is becoming dark and he feels like sleeping, he voices out the beginning of the song “Ma–,” and begs me to sing the song. He must know himself that “When I hear the song I can sleep.” And when he hears the song he goes to his bed and falls asleep himself.

　This method may not be effective for all the children, but at least it was effective for 2 children with very little effort. I truly hope you who are pregnant or planning to have a baby try this method. In my case, I chose the song under such condition: ①Music not being distracted by the meaning the Japanese words. ②Repetition of short and simple music. ③Slow enough melody so as not to become excited. It is a Latin hymn of about 1 minutes with slow melody, and when I repeatedly sing I myself become sleepy and naturally it becomes humming and when my voice dies out child falls asleep. I hope this idea may help to make the child raising a little easier with the preparation of one effort from the pregnant period.