Rating: 
Summary: Provided welcome relief, without drastic measures!!!
Review: Don't be misled by some claims that Ferber advocates letting your child cry him/herself to sleep. He, in fact, cautions against using this draconian practice. His methods, backed by years of research on sleep disorders, provides the most logical advice on the subject I've ever come across. The methods vary, according to the type of sleep problem. Instead of just saying "do this, it works", he provides an easy-to-understand, logical scientific rationale for his advice. Our 8 month-old daughter had never slept more than 3 hours without waking, expecting to be nursed each time. Ferber explained why night-time feedings, which were unnecessary at her age, were the cause of the frequent wakings. Instead of nursing her back to sleep, we began offering her a bottle of diluted formula: first half water, then 3/4 water, then just plain water. By the THIRD night, she slept 11 hours without waking even once! No "letting her cry herself to sleep"; just a gradual elimination of night-time feedings. That's all it took!
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Summary: This book should be called "Torture your baby and Yourself"
Review: This book made me so angry I actually cried. If I could convince just one parent NOT to use this torturous method, I'd feel much better. Yes, Ferber is obviously a well educated man and the information in this book is interesting, but he is obviously lacking in the heart department.
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Summary: This has wonderful advice for sleepless families!!!!
Review: Dr. Ferber's book finally helped us solve our daughter's sleep problems after 11 sleepless months. We wish we would have known about this book months ago. The book was suggested by our daughter's doctor. Like any parent I don't like to hear my child cry, but on the third night our daughter started going to sleep without any fuss or crying. We have told several of our friends about t the book and how wonderful we think Dr. Ferber is!!
Rating: 
Summary: Follow Your Instincts!
Review: As a breastfeeding (and very hormonal) new mother, I was jumping up and down two and three times a night for my daughter till 4 months of age. My husband finally suggested I bring her into bed. I did. We all sleep at night! Before we committed to the family bed, we went with Ferber's methods, just to be sure. I never made it through the first bought of crying and screaming. Why? My body, my soul, my hormones told me NO. Nature wired us to respond to baby's crys.We make a CONCIOUS choice to ignore them. Don't be afraid to respond. The reason your baby no longer cries for you could very well be that he has given up: You have taught him that if he cries, you won't respond. The ripple effect of that action could last forever. My instincts tell me what no male scientist or doctor could. It is frightening that this book has such an influence on parents. Please go read Dr. Sears.
Rating: 
Summary: I followed my instincts, and knowledge, and it worked!
Review: Every child is a unique individual and so are parents. Use this method in a way that works for you and your child. I used a combination of the Ferber method, and the "Babywise" method (another good book especially if you are expecting a new baby) , and my own mothering instincts. My baby did not suffer, I did not suffer, he falls asleep on his own, (starting at 3 months of age) usually without even fussing, especially at night. He is our first, he is 4 months old, and I feel great! We all are getting a good nights sleep and I am better prepared and educated for his future sleep problems (if any),and for our next baby as well. I highly recommend this book, and remember to do what feels right to you, not to follow any one method verbatum, follow your heart and know that what you are doing is in your childs best interest, your best interest, and your sanitys best interest.Knowing that I was helping my child to learn good sleep habits was incentive enough.
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Summary: Now that I'm well-rested...
Review: ... I can tell you that this book worked for us. Our baby was waking and crying ten times a night. Then we read the book. We endured two hours of crying the first night, 65 minutes the next, then 25 minutes, and last night - 25 seconds. Hallelujah!
Rating: 
Summary: Consult your pediatrician first.
Review: If you are a parent of a baby 6 months or younger, looking for relief from nightime feedings, please consult your pediatrician first. While the Ferber method does work, it presupposes that all children 3 mo + should sleep through the night. This is patently untrue for ALL babies. Talk to your pediatrician first to understand better your baby's height/weight ratio. He or she may need the food. Last, try Sleeping Through The Night by Jodi Mindel for an easier read, that incorporates the Ferber training style, albeit more sympathetically.
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Summary: An excellent tool to help our family sleep at night.
Review: Our first child went to the doctor's for his nine month checkup. The doctor asked if the baby was sleeping through the night yet. My wearied wife explained that no he was not. The doctor recommended this book. That night we bought a copy. My wife read the book, then I read the book. The book is very quick reading and easy to understand. We then discussed the book's content and agreed that our exact situation had been described perfectly in the book. We waited until the weekend to try the techniques in the book because we were not sure what would happen. The first night our child cried for an hour before going to sleep. The second night almost an hour and a half. The third night he cried for 2 minutes and was asleep in 10 minutes. Both our children are excellent at falling asleep and sleeping through the night. My wife and I are very grateful and have recommended this book to all our friends who have children with sleeping problems.
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Summary: REDISCOVER YOUR SANITY
Review: As a parent and an educator I never dreamed I'd reach the point of "Ferberizing" my baby. After all, wasn't this the toxic method that forced you to let your baby cry all night alone in a cold, dark prison-like bed? As a new Mom I was committed to the theoretical viewpoints of Dr. Sears and his colleagues, and was determined to make the family bed work for us. After 10 months of perseverence with little to no sleep at night I knew I had to make a drastic change for my own sanity. That is when I bought the Ferber book in an attempt to find a solution to our nighttime woes. As it turned out, I read the book in one night and was completely wrong about the process Dr. Ferber advocates. His logical, developmentally sound and behavioristic approach helped me to understand the improper sleep associations I was developing in my young one. After one week we were well on the road to recovery. I can now be a better parent to my child during the day since I am getting adequate sleep at night. This book has changed our lives! To all those who cringe at my words, I should add that I am still a staunch advocate of the family bed...if it works for you. I would never change the bonding my baby and I experienced sleeping together the first few months. However, there comes a time when you need to assess the health and happiness of the family unit. If you have reached the end of your rope at night, this book is the right one for you.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Ferber's book is worth considering.
Review: It is true that Ferber's method does entail letting your child cry it out. Although it's extremely upsetting listening to your child cry, it may only consist of one or two sessions of crying. My daughter slept with me for most of her first ten months. When I returned to work and desperately needed to sleep, I tried Ferber's method reluctantly. The first night my daughter cried on and off for nearly thirty minutes before falling asleep on her own. And, of course, it was tortuous listening to her cry. I was consumed with guilt. The second day I resolved not to let her cry it out again, but when I put her down, I was surprised when she fell asleep after under a minute of crying. Since then she has been falling asleep on her own and sleeping through the night, without crying - for the most part.
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