When baby finally sleeps through the night, it's time for a French toast

I wish I were French. It's not the first time, either. I had the same strong urge when I was at university, struggling with when to use the hideously complicated French verb mood, the subjunctive.

This time, however, it's because I've read the book French Children Don't Throw Food by Pamela Druckerman. An American living with her three small children in Paris, she outlines how French parents manoeuvre their babies into successful sleeping, eating and behaviour patterns. Meanwhile, Anglo-Americans fail miserably on all counts.

The main thing I want to tackle ?la Fran?aise is my son Tom's sleeping habits. At 10 months old, he still wakes up at about 4am or 5am for a bottle of milk.

Ten months of broken sleep has taken its toll on both my husband and me. We're extremely tired and cranky. We both work and find that sleep deprivation means we can't concentrate. I leave things everywhere and can't remember the most basic words. We really need to get back on track.

The thought of a full night's sleep feels akin to finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - a delicious prospect, but is it likely?

My first question is: how do I know Tom isn't waking up in the early hours because he's hungry?

Deborah Taylor is the founder and director of Infant Sleep Resources, a Hong Kong-based baby and child sleep consultancy.