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Summary: Strong Sears supporter recognizes wisdom in Weissbluth also
Review: I have been a mom for six months now and I've learned more than I would have imagined. Most importantly I recognize that nothing in life is as straightforward as any book makes it out to be and it took me a long time to come to terms with that. I have waited for the day that I could write a review of this book reporting my AMAZING results. I decided to write now instead!My son slept in bed with my husband and me for the first five months. We did it because we believed that was where a baby should be, and it worked for all of us. My son also did all his napping in a cloth sling. As he grew, this started NOT working for us, and I did some serious soul-searching. I consider myself an attached parent. I have difficulty bearing my son crying, ever. If my son would have been able to continue napping with me I would have done it. But he didn't. Every time I would put him down, he would immediately wake up, either at bedtime or for a nap. It got to the point that he would go 12 hours during the day without any sleep at all and only be able to get to sleep at night nursing. He wasn't a raging beast, he just seemed like he needed more sleep. My gut, my instinct said sleep was important and that he wasn't getting it. Especially when people said, "When he needs to sleep, he'll sleep!" Not my social butterfly! I wholeheartedly support attachment parenting, especially sleeping with your children -- as long as it works for everyone. My husband wasn't comfortable with the idea of our son in our bed for the long haul, so we decided to try Weissbluth's book upon many friends' recommendations. I believe Weissbluth knows what he is talking about. I have observed my son for two months now and can see the periods of wakefulness in his arousals at night, the maximum time he can be awake without becoming overtired... all these things make sense and I have seen them in my son. He now takes two naps (which vary in length daily) and I put him down awake. I also put him to bed awake at night. MOST of the time, this works without causing him distress. Sometimes it doesn't, and we both cry for a while. As I said at the beginning, I waited to write a review so I could report a "perfect" result... Life isn't perfect. When my sweet baby needs to sleep, I try to help and let him take it from there. Most of the time he gets there without getting crabby; sometimes he's ticked. Life is like that. I don't think I'd be doing him any favors if I wasn't consistent. You know your own child. If your child needs you, you know. If your child is overtired, you know. This book will help you slowly but surely figure out how to keep your child from being overtired and most of the time it will work. I still have trouble coping when he has trouble getting to sleep, but certainly all of us are in better spirits more and more often, because my son is much more well rested. I absolutely believe sincere effort to observe your own child and watch his or her cues is the key -- you want to give your child what he or she needs. All parents do. Sleep is a big need. Good luck!
Rating: 
Summary: This is a MUST HAVE for any parent.
Review: I received this book as a gift from a friend of mine who said it had saved her life and her sanity! I started reading it before I actually had my son and got myself familiar with the information, methods, etc. and I was well prepared by the time my son was born. When people ask me how I am able to get my son to go to bed so easily (put him in his crib and leave, with no crying at all), I tell them it is all because of this book. I have given one to all of my friends who have gotten pregnant. One reason I love the book so much is that it breaks down into age groups and gives several examples and methods to use when your child is 0-3 months, 6-12, months, etc. I refer to the book at least once a week and every time I have tried what he suggests, it works exactly like he says it will. Anyone who is expecting a baby, or is having too many sleepless nights should have this book.
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Summary: Buy this book--see my review for why
Review: I don't often take my valuable time to write book reviews but after reading and successfully implementing Marc Weissbluth's advice, I cannot help but recommend this book for any parent who struggles with bedtime battles, or has a consistently overtired and cranky child. As a parent of a baby who had colic, I was able to better understand why my child wasn't sleeping during the day and how to improve the quality of her sleep at night (no more sleep fragmentation). I also read specific chapters to my sister who had a 3 year old son who constantly got out of his bed during the night. After implementing Marc Weissbluth's advice, her "Jack in the Box" was going to bed within in fifteen minutes rather than the nightly two hour battle and remained in bed throughout the night. This book also discusses night terrors, sleep walking, temper tantrums and special issues that may challenge even an experienced parent.
Rating:
Summary: Help your child get enough sleep!
Review: This is a well written book. Easy to understand, with lots of encouragement and down to earth advice, backed up by years of experience. They even had a section on twins' sleeping problems which can be more troublesome than singleton's. I was able to put the advice to the test immediately with my 11 month old twins, and even with my 5 1/2 year old. We have been having much better days, and nights as a result! Worth reading, worth doing!
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Summary: Important Resource on Sleep and Your Child. Sleep is Vital.
Review: Book is clear, intelligent, research is impeccable. Also easy to read, interesting, friendly, loving. Weissbluth is founder of Sleep Disorders Center at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, has studied thousands, has 4 boys. We have a 6-month-old breastfed daughter. At 4 and a half months we had her up till 11 pm, sleeping till 5 am. Naps were a mess. Read book, saw that our baby was clearly overtired! (Mom was too, with no downtime.) Now baby sleeps from 7 pm till 7 am (no waking to nurse), with two naps. Parents need sleep education. Recommend!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Useful to some degree
Review: I generally like to start my reviews by saying what I liked about the book I read. In my opinion, the best and most important point made by this book is that sleep is vital for babies. Parents should be on the lookout for signs their child might be suffering from lack of it, and should also make sure their lifestyles do not interfere with their child's healthy sleep. I also appreciated the author's input about sleep problems and solutions for older children. I disagreed most with the idea that it is generally a good idea to allow children to cry as long as it takes to get them to sleep at night. Will this method do long term psychological damage? The author says no, and I agree that is probably correct. Okay, so the child won't be delinquent as a teenager, or hate you as an adult. But as a parent, my question is which method is easiest on the child in the short term, as well as being effective in the long term? Frankly, I don't want my child to be unnecessarily miserable, even if it's only for a few nights. Further, I simply couldn't listen to screaming cries for any length of time without intervention. For the parent interested in sleep "training", I think Dr. Richard Ferber offers a better method. Even Dr. Weissbluth admits Ferber's method's work- he simply thinks they may be too difficult for some parents to apply. Well, I think a little more difficulty may be worth while if the child has an easier time. Oddly, Dr. Weissbluth claims to have no problems with the "family bed". However, I find his family bed advice confusing, and most of the tips he offers throughout the book seem to be incompatible with the practice. If anybody is practicing the family bed, they should definitely go with Dr. William Sears, whose advice is much more compatible with that arrangement. Dr. Sears is also a good choice for those who find Dr. Ferber too harsh and want the gentlest methods possible. I tend to disagree with the view of some "attachment parents" that babies always develop the sleep habits that are best for them. There are babies who simply need parental leadership here, and there are also babies whose habits are disruptive to the family. So if parents think their baby has a problem, they should read several books about the topic, and adapt the different views to their personal situation and temperment of their individual child. I think that will lead to a better solution than reading just one book and treating it as a bible.
Rating:
Summary: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
Review: This book saved me. My husband and I needed training and guidance to get our baby boy to sleep. He was about 4 months old and was only sleeping 5 hours per night. We were both working and exhausted. This book trained us and the result has been more than a year of consistency. Our son has two naps every day for 2 hours at a time, at the same time every day and 11 hours at night. Everyone is happy, rested and healthy!!
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Summary: Should be on every new mother's list
Review: When pregnant I got so much info about breast feeding, about feeding, diapering (hour by hour, what color is baby's poop after birth?), layettes, etc etc but everybody ignored sleep, as if that just takes care of itself! But I stumbled across this one and it made so much sense. I agree with another reviewer, it is NOT a cry-it-out book. It made me understand exactly HOW IMPORTANT sleep is to children, how to look for signs of tiredness, what to expect (generally) in terms of naps and sleep times. The book divided the advice by age - it was clear which things you would do with a 9 month old but were completely inappropriate for a 2 month old, for example. My daughter is a sweet happy girl, and I keep her that way by "protecting her sleep times". EVERY NEW MOTHER SHOULD HAVE THIS BOOK - IT SHOULD BE A STANDARD GIFT AT BABY SHOWERS. By the way, I am also a fan of Dr. Sears but his books, even the one about "Nighttime Parenting" are more about attachment and attitudes and have little SPECIFIC, AGE APPORPRIATE advice.
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Summary: Helpful and logical.
Review: After reading many of the reviews of this book, I wonder if I read the same book! Perhaps some of the reviewers read the earlier edition of the book. For example, Dr. Weissbluth no longer advocates letting your baby cry for over an hour. On page 133, he says you should let your baby cry "No more than an hour." He then goes on to explain his reversal of opinion from the first edition. All in all, parents need to find what works for them. Maybe this book doesn't have your answers. But equating Dr. Weissbluth's suggestions with abuse and torture is hyperdramatism.
Rating:
Summary: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child & PARENTS is more like it!
Review: This book literally changed my life! I found Dr. Weissbluth's advice balanced, easy to follow and in tune with the natural needs of the child. I followed the sage wisdom on these pages and as a result, I have a happy, calm 2 year old child who is fully "present" while awake and ready to learn vs. being cranky, overtired or hyper-stimulated. Additionally, our lives as parents have peace and balance knowing that there is a schedule for good sleep we all benefit from...no bedtime battles to fight, we have evenings to ourselves and ALL of us sleep through the night, every night! I recommend this book to ALL parents of ALL children, no matter what age.
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