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Summary: This book is mandatory reading for new parents!!!!
Review: My husband and I read this book before the birth of our first child on recommendation from a friend and we've now been using it again for our newborn twins! This book taught us some sleep basics that were contrary to our "new parenting instincts". Ideas like: babies need to learn to soothe themselves to sleep (if you consistantly rock, nurse or cuddle them to a deep slumber they will grow to need that in order to fall asleep). Or: infants should not be awake for longer than aprox. 2 hour stretches or they will become overtired. Or: sleep begets sleep. These ideas single-handedly helped us get our children on a sleep schedule and directly correlate to their happy demeanor. We notice when their sleep is off or irregular, they become crabby and difficult. To those who criticize this book for allowing too much crying, we found that using a modified version (not ever letting them cry it out entirely, but in little bits) it still worked well for us. I can't recommend this book enough (I've bought it for several friends).
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Summary: My twins are excellent sleepers, thanks to Dr. Weissbluth!
Review: Most of the reviews written about this book are ignoring its basic premise--that overtired children do not function nor sleep well. Therefore, the trick is to put your baby or child(ren) to bed EARLY, when sleep will come more naturally. This book DOES NOT advocate crying it out, but encourages early bedtimes and frequent naps to avoid over-tired children. When my boys are well-rested, they fall asleep at bedtime and naps with no problem, and awake happy and full of energy. When they're tired because they missed a nap, or went to bed late, they usually cry before falling asleep. Therefore, deviations from the routine are rare and my kids are happy and healthy, just as Dr. Weissbluth suggests by the title of this book.I highly recommend this book to any and all parents!
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Summary: THIS BOOK IS POORLY ORGANIZED
Review: The approach Dr. Weissbluth takes to sleep for your baby, in my opinion, has some merit but at times completely contradicts itself. Equally annoying, is the way this book is organized. Nowhere was his method clearly outlined so parents can use this for what busy new parents need - a quick reference/guide. I found that I did not have the time to read entire chapters at a time - but rather would prefer to refer to 'steps' or 'action plan' when I needed to and go back and read testimonials and research when I have the time (it is all intermingled - I had to search for topics applicable to me, my baby and his sleep issues). I was very bothered by the fact that he seems to discourage breastfeeding and fails to recognize all of it's amazing health benefits, writing that ' there is no proof that breastfed babies are any heathier than formula fed babies'. I know that most of the medical community and the rest of the world would strongly disagree with that statement. I have NEVER heard of anyone not condoning breastfeeding until I read this book. Even the companies that make formulas state RIGHT ON THEIR PACKAGE that breast feeding is always best!
While I AM a proponent of the 'crying it out' method, I do not trust Dr. Weissbluth to guide my baby safely and comfortably through it.
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Summary: Not as easy as it sounds
Review: I read this book and wasn't comfortable with the techniques, so I visted a sleep training support message board of mothers using his ideas. I was amazed to see that so many of them were making their babies cry endlessly for weeks, sometimes months, and one mother complained that she had been doing it for almost a year. This book makes it sound like every baby will sleep after a night of two of crying but that obviously isn't true. I also bought The No-Cry Sleep Solution which covers much of the same sleep data but then provides gentle non-crying solutions, which I am more comfortable with.
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Summary: Works with twins too
Review: My 15-month-old twins still weren't sleeping through the night, wouldn't go back to sleep unless in my arms, and were cranky all the time. I was desperate for rest and a full night in my own bed when a friend bought me this book. Imagine my surprise to discover it was written by their new pediatrician. I found the quick-read Action Plans helpful to start with in my sleep-deprived state and made immediate changes from the tips there. Once I read a few chapters, I found out I was doing everything wrong, from keeping them up until they passed out from exhaustion every night, to letting them fall asleep in my arms for every nap. All the statistics and data Dr. Weissbluth included from his research helped me realize how sleep-deprived my poor boys were. Plus the bold, boxed-in Practical Points, hints and warnings were great for quick reference later. I thought the book was a terrific teacher and learned more than just techniques. It educated me about the whole process of sleep, the different types of sleep, and problems surrounding them. Dr. Weissbluth kindly gives options for parents of problem babies who can't tolerate the seeming "cruelty" of his extinction method - but we tried it and I fully recommend it. After three horrible nights of crying (but no less actual sleep for me than usual), the boys settled into their new routine and one month later are sleeping together 10-11 hours through the night 90% of the time and napping together 2-3 hours every day. I've never had so much free time on my hands. They are put in their cribs awake 3 hours earlier every evening now that I've read this book and go to sleep with NO CRYING - I swear. They start the day at the same time as they always did, but now I wake to hear them giggling in the morning instead of crying. And as a bonus, the son I had labeled as colicky, difficult, and fussy is now suddenly eating better, is much less whinny and crabby, and is finally starting to try new things like walking now that he is getting the rest he needs. Thank you Dr. Weissbluth for giving me back my evenings with my husband, and helping me enjoy my wonderful boys during their waking hours. This book is a must have for every parent and I will give it as a baby shower gift from now on.
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Summary: The most comprehensive and practical sleep book ever!
Review: My only problem w/ this book is that I waited to buy it until my baby was 3 months old! You must have this book from the very beginning, before would be better, because if you wait until you have problems, you'll be too tired to read it--but luckily there is an "Action Plan for the Exhausted Parents" at the end of each section. While reading this book I felt that Dr Weissbluth has a very thorough understanding of children and sleep. He discusses multiple situations and schools of thought and presents more than one solution so that parents can do what they feel is best, which is what parents are meant to do. And since babies aren't the only ones that have trouble sleeping, it includes age specific sections for ages 0-18. So for the last 7 months that I have been consulting this book I have one of the happiest and easiest babies in the world--and I'm not just saying that; everyone that meets her comments on and is amazed by how happy and good natured she is. (And she wasnt' just born that way either; before this book she was extremely collicky--crying all day and much of the night--and I was an emtional, fatigued wreck.)
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Summary: Sleep...at last!
Review: My father-in-law gave me this book two weeks after the birth of my second child. I wish I had been given it before the birth of my first! With my first child I was a die-hard advocate of Sears' attachment-style parenting. At age two-and-a-half my daughter was still nursing to sleep at naps and bedtime when our newborn son came home. Needless to say two weeks worth of trying to nurse both children, (especially difficult at bedtime), was absolutely wearing me out. The transition to sleeping without nursing was not an easy one for my daughter, nor was it easy for me and my husband! Our daughter cried a lot--45 minutes to five hours at the worst. However, even after crying and screaming and raging for that amount of time our daughter was still the same loving child (although a tired one for the first two weeks). During the first two weeks our daughter slept extremely lightly and would wake up many times during the night. Now, after using this method for seven weeks her sleep has improved dramatically. While nursing she would typically go to sleep at 10pm and would wake one or two times every night. Now she sleeps from 8pm to 7:30am, and occassionally wakes during the night, but is able to go back to sleep on her own. She also takes a one hour nap every day. We used a video monitor during the training so that we could see what she was doing. This made us feel much more secure in letting her cry. I highly recommend this book. I could have been sleeping through the night for the past two years if I had had it sooner!
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Summary: This is the best book on sleep I have found...
Review: Hurry for Dr. Weissbluth! My one year old is now going to bed at 8 and sleeping through the night (4 nights and counting) for the first time in his life. He is also beginning to nap in his crib. A cloud has lifted from our house. This book combines discussions on sleep research with practical how-to information. Weissbluth emphasizes keeping the child from becoming over tired and training the child to achieve sleep continuity. He does recommend allowing a child to cry if neccasary, but that is not the ideal or primary thrust of the approach (like Ferber). I found this approach to be more logical and research based than many popular sleep books. It is better than Sears' "Nighttime Parenting" if you have a child with real sleep issues. It is more scientific and practical than "Babywise" (which my pediatrician says is based on poor research). It is a gentler approach than Ferber, who I feel puts too much emphasis on the act of crying. Also, this approach allows greater flexibility than Ferber's method.
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Summary: The Sleep Bible
Review: My best friend and I call this the "Sleep Bible". And everytime people want to know why our kids are such great sleepers we recommend it! It is the best! Both of my children were colicky and this book helped us enormously. My girls are in bed earlier than any of our friend's kids and sleep just as late...and my husband and I have several hours to ourselves before we go to sleep (and we go to bed early too)! If you follow his recommendations I have no doubt you too can have great sleepers.
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Summary: Not exactly the kinder, gentler approach to sleep
Review: While Dr. Weissbluth had some good tips (e.g., take a child outside in the a.m. to reset the circadian rhythm; have them nap before overtired), I disagree on certain points. First, I believe that letting a child cry to sleep and then, even after the child throws up, letting him or her sleep in her own vomit (after briefly ascertaining that the child is alive) is cruel. That's taking the claim that children are manipulative way too far. Secondly, my child has had pain from teething; she sleeps well when not teething and wakes at night when she is teething. If this is my invention to excuse her poor sleeping, why does she only sleep fitfully when teething? And, why does teething bother her during the day? Finally, I think letting a child fall asleep standing up in the crib crying is also cruel. Again, I feel there are some good facts regarding sleep as well as some good tips. Once the book began discussing leaving a child to cry, and going to such extremes as to letting a child sleep in vomit, it lost me.
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