Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

Rating:
Summary: Wow! My baby is finally sleeping!
Review: This book helped me to realize why my baby was climbing the walls and crying every night! After reading "Healthy Sleep Habits..." we realized that our daughter was not getting enough naptime sleep and was going to bed too late at night. Dr. Weissbluth explains why it is difficult for overtired babies to fall asleep. He emphasizes that timing is key for getting babies to fall asleep easily. He does say that it is ok for babies of a certain age to "cry it out;" however, he also explains that if the baby isn't overtired, s/he will not cry when put to bed. I have found this to be true! Prior to reading this book, our baby would cry each time she was put in the crib, so she ended up sleeping with us for 3 months. Now, we put her to bed earlier and after a set "soothing routine" and she doesn't cry. It is a miracle! She is so much happier and more well rested. I have only used this method for a week and I can say that after 2 days, she was sleeping on her own with no crying and waking once or twice to breastfeed at night. I WISH I had read this book before I had my daughter!

Rating:
Summary: Happy, Well Rested Little Girl!
Review: This book works I promise! At six months of age we began using the methods described in the book and have been delighted ever since. My daughter sleeps twelve to thirteen hours a night and naps two to three hours the during the day. I have to admit the book is very parent dependent and you must be disiplined to put your child's needs above your own especially when it comes to outings and social events. People will think the early bedtimes and protected nap schedules are extreme but we are all sleeping while their not! This book really gives you the biological information you need to understand sleep. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Rating:
Summary: I Hate This Book
Review: Extremely inhumane. It's weird what people will do to their kids and themselves just to get some sleep. I know how hard it is, I've been there too. My suggestion to everyone is not to trust everything that doctors say, I think Americans have an "expert addiction". Which is just to say that we tend to ignore what our hearts tell us in favor of some scientific method that some doctor guarantees will work unless of course we don't do it the right way. Think about that for a minute. Your instinct is to soothe your child(ren), do it. Stop listening to the "experts". I truly can't stand this guy and I hope I never meet him.

Rating:
Summary: Well Rested Mommy
Review: This book is awesome! I can't say enough good things. It took no time at all before our then 3 month old was on a great sleep schedule. She is now 7 months old and is very happy. She loves naptime and bedtime. When I tell other parents what a good sleeper we have they are always very envious! I tell them it didn't just happen, we worked at it. Believe me, it is worth the effort!

Rating:
Summary: The best sleep book out there.
Review: After reading Baby Wise and Baby Whisperer, I have to comment that Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child was the BEST of the lot. It is by far the most realistic approach to sleep training my baby.
My baby started sleeping 11-12 hours per night at around 5 months along with good naps totalling about 3-4 hours during the day. He is now 16 months and continues to be very well-rested and happy. He takes one nap during the day for about 3.5 hours and goes to bed for the night at 6:45pm until almost 8am the next morning.
Dr. Weissbluth's approach completely worked for him and it was relatively painless for us as parents. We did not have to endure the countless number of nights of crying as we didn't try to sleep train our baby until 4 months (Dr. Weissbluth's recommendation). Our baby learned how to sooth himself and get himself back to sleep when he awoke in the middle of the night. Give this book a try - it was worth it to us!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Advice on the Subject
Review: We tried Brazelton, Sears, and several others. This is the method that works the best and is most in line with our needs and our son's needs. Everyone comments on what a happy baby we have, and some of the credit goes to the fact that he gets enough sleep! Thank you Dr. Weissbluth.

Rating:
Summary: The Only Sleep Book You Need
Review: My son is six months old and we have been using this for a little over a week. He was sleeping 9 to 9-1/2 hours a night. Now, he getting 11 hours of sleep at night and 2-1/2 to 3 hours of naps a day. He is so much happier!

Rating:
Summary: excellent book
Review: This book was, by far, the most helpful book I have read in this area. I have read and reread this book many times with my first and second child, and still seem to find new information which is helpful. Both of my children are excellent sleepers, in spite of my second child having severe colic, and I truly owe a great deal of it to this book. I now understand children's sleep cycles and their development of sleep. I also have a better understanding of the importance of healthy sleep habits early on and of napping. I have been told many times I was lucky to have two happy babies, but honestly, they were happy because they were well rested.

Rating:
Summary: Finally sleeping now
Review: Thank you for all your help. Our family has greatly benefited from all your years of experience and research. Your approach to your patients is kind, compassionate and very reassuring. Any new parent can tell you about stress and sleepless nights. All the changes came so fast, hormones still raging from the birth and somehow you managed to calm our whole family down. Getting sleep for all of us helped us deal with our new life and enjoy our baby so much more. One hundred thousand thank you's.

Rating:
Summary: No Concrete Solutions
Review: In this book, Weissbluth goes on and on about what you *should* do, without offering concrete solutions. We all know that our babies should nap, but what do you do when they just won't? I found this book to be badly written and extremely unhelpful.