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Summary: No mom should be without this book!
Review: My son was having a lot of trouble sleeping...and it turned out I was creating most of the trouble! I was creating unhealthy sleep habits...starving him of sleep. You wouldn't starve your child of food, so why starve him of sleep? This book shows the way, from easy babies to colicky babies. In the first two weeks I used it, my son's average daily sleep increased 2 hours! More importantly? HE WAS HAPPIER!!Yes...there are lots of things in this book that seem harsh. So what to do? DON'T USE THEM! I never let my son cry (and yes, fuss, not vomit-inducing crying) for more than 15 minutes. THE KEY is not the crying...it's the paying attention to their clock and their "language"....put them to bed BEFORE they get overtired. It really works like a charm. It's a bit hard to read, yes...but if reading sections a couple times makes it so that your child sleeps and is HAPPY...isn't that worth it? What I recommend to all my friends is this....take from it what feels right. That's what I did, and my son is an enviable sleeper!!
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Summary: Healthy Sleep Habits DO make for Happy Children!
Review: As a working mother of twins, this book assisted me in setting nap and bedtime habits that have made my twin sons so easygoing, fun-loving and calm. They look forward to their naps and bedtime. They awake with smiles. The examples provided in this book helped me twofold: 1. It showed me that establishing healthy sleep habits was a win/win situation for parents and kids. 2. It showed me that not establishing healthy sleep habits was a loosing situation for both parents and kids. It also had clear examples of how to begin establishing healthy sleep habits if you missed the early stage. A good read for all parents who want to get sleep of their own and want to be refreshed and energized to enjoy their children! Also, a definate reference tool for older years.
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Summary: Be warned, "Cold Turkey" is NOT for everyone!
Review: I bought this book based on the glowing reviews listed here and was disappointed. If you are currently pregnant and want to get started on Weissbluth's techniques the day you come home, his technique might work better for you. If, however, you are like most families these days and follow the advice of never letting your baby cry (if you can help it) in the first three months, and then suddenly try the "cry til they fall asleep, they will eventually" method, you might be in trouble. Weissbluth states that letting your baby cry it out is NOT the way to get your child to sleep, and then everything he says leads you to letting your baby cry it out. After about 4 days of trying with Weissbluth and hearing my baby cry for upwards of two hours only to quiet for about 15-45 minutes before crying again, I ran out and bought Ferber's book. Ferber started working for me in less than three days, with excellent results within a week. Weissbluth gives the Ferber method credit but says, to paraphrase, most parents get tired of counting the minutes, going in and soothing their child, and finally just go cold turkey anyway. However, I think that most parents would be glad to take the time to sooth their child, who is confused about being put down in their crib all alone and left to wonder if their parents are ever coming back! The soothing is almost more for the parents' reassurance, anyway, I think. It helped me to cope with a crying baby...I was able to see he was just fine. And your efforts wouldn't last more than a week or two before your baby figures it out. Weissbluth's book is also a bit confusing in that there are many questions that I found were left unanswered. There also are some areas left vague. One area is subtitled "Weeks 4 to 8" and then it goes right into "three to four months." Is my baby ready for the "three to four months" chapter techniques when he's 9, 10, 11 weeks old and by all accounts that I know, still considered a two-month old? I was very confused. I think the older your child is, the easier this method might be. I started at 12 weeks and tend to think I was rushing it. I backed off and am still not trying to get naps accomplished in the crib (my son is now 4 months). Weissbluth states that napping "on the move" is very bad sleep and that it should be avoided. However, if your child will only nap in the car, or in a swing, or in a baby carrier, and he won't nap when laid in his crib, what is better? A "poor quality" nap to begin with, or a "poor quality" nap immediately after he wouldn't sleep in his crib and cried for an hour and then is really exhausted (and so are you)? Please, let's get realistic. I did find Weissbluth's theory on sleeping to be interesting, and I am using some of the background information as a basis for how I'm doing things in my current sleep training with my son, but for a better all-around technique, read Ferber. Or better yet, read both like I did and glean what you want from each. Finally, try not to laugh at Weissbluth's parent stories, which I think are supposed to make you feel like you aren't alone in your sleep struggles. When you read about the woman who wonders if she is a bad parent because her baby cried for a WHOLE 15 minutes before going to sleep, and your baby is working on his second hour, you'll begin to laugh (albeit hysterically) at how easy some parents have it. Good luck with whatever theory you try...all sleep-deprived parents need it!
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Summary: I Love This Book!
Review: Dr. Weissbluth's approach to getting your baby to sleep is much more flexible and easier on parents than other "cry it out" methods. This book tells how sleep patterns work in infants and children and instructs parents on how read baby's cues. I didn't allow my son to cry as long as recommended and it still worked for me. He is 6 months old and naps with little protest and sleeps through the night. A little crying because of tiredness will not hurt your child or destroy trust. This book helps you realize that.
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Summary: THERE SHOULD BE A COPY IN EVERY HOME
Review: For 30+ years, I have been involved with the care of infants and toddlers. As a professional caregiver, I have worked as a Nanny, a Daycare Worker; and for the bulk of my carreer, as a Family Day Home Provider. In my lengthy career, I have interviewed, and spoken to many parents who are returning to the work force and they are terribly concerned about their infants. It seemed that the story was always the same: "My baby no longer sleeps through the night and I can not seem to get him or her to nap for more than 25 minutes in the morning, and maybe 40 minutes in the afternoon. S/he is not nursing or eating well, at all;I am not getting any sleep at night, as s/he wakes up continually. How can I possibly go back to work now? Dr. Weissbluth's research findings are "worth their weight in gold" to every parent and caregiver,globally. This knowledge has the potential to produce generations of healthy,happy, calm, alert children, as well as, confidently, competent, take-charge parents who truly know what is in the best interest of their children. I cannot think of any group of people who could NOT benefit from the information contained in Dr. Weissbluth's books. His research has truly produced a revolutionary approach to the universal problems facing parents and caregivers alike. My reccommendation would be to buy a copy of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy child for your own enlightenment, then give a copy to your daughters, daughters-in-law, your sons, their Nannies; every pediatrician your family consults. Recommend the information to your Neighbourhood Day Care Centre, or to every young mother you see trying to deal with a cranky baby at the suppermarket. As far as I am concerned there should be a copy at every facility or organization that is involved with the care of children, at least, one copy in every home!
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Summary: courage to move forward, not a sadistic lie.
Review: I would recommend this book to anyone who is sleep deprived with a grumpy child. Don't let anyone, including this author, tell you what's right for your child. Use your instincts. But, the facts are: Your child is not getting enough sleep, Neither are you, and your marriage is probably as strained as you eyelids. Your child is probably OVERTIRED. Trust YOURSELF on when the time is right - NOT any book. But use this method. One night, ten minutes of crying, done! Bedtime 7:00pm. He's happier. We're much happier. He gets his sleep, we got our lives back.
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Summary: My Husband and I Call It "The Sleep Bible"
Review: Our 11 month old son was waking us up 3-4 times a night and would refuse to take a nap until late afternoon - and he was a CRAB! After one terrible night, at 5 am I got online to order a book and it turned out to be "Healthy Sleep Habbits, Happy Child." I decided to strictly follow Weissbluth's advice. After 3 tough days, our son was sleeping from about 8:30-6:00am! It was so hard to put him down and "let him cry it out" - it was against my nuturing-motherly instinct. But I am now convinced that it was in my son's best interest - because healthy sleep is sooooo important for their development. So don't let anyone make you feel bad about being diligent and letting your child learn to fall asleep on their own - including yourself. Sometimes the picking your child up when s/he cries may feel like the right thing to do but is not really the healthiest thing to do. It pays to have a baby who gets healthy sleep - and you will too! Think of it this way: if your child refuses to eat fruits & vegetables and will cry unless you feed him/her junk food, would you feel bad about enforcing healthy eating habbits - even if there's crying? No. It's like enforcing healthy sleep habbits. I never realized that by picking up my baby and nursing him when he cried in the middle of the night, I was enabling him to develop unhealthy sleep patterns. I was exhausted. I tried keeping him up really late to make him sleep longer - it never worked. But now that we're putting him down at 7:30/8:00pm, he sleeps until about 6:00/7:00am -- Go figure! If you're having problems with you're child at night... GET THIS BOOK, IT'S GREAT!
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Summary: Great Book....Read On!
Review: This is an excellent book. My daughter is now almost 2 years old and has been sleeping 12-13 hours a night since she was 6 months old thanks to the help and support of this book. This is a no nonsense approach but the techniques make sense, and contrary to some of the negative reviews I have read, there is no cruel or unusual punishment involved. In fact, Dr. Weissbluth provides a very detailed and interesting explanation of the importance of sleep and how parents very often make honest mistakes when it comes to naptime and bedtime. Trust me this is an excellent book, and one that I have personally recommended to many with excellent results from all.
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Summary: I highly recommend this book!
Review: My husband and I highly recommend this book to all parents and expectant parents. In this book, Dr. Weissbluth explains babies' physiological need for sleep, and how to help your baby get the rest s/he needs. Our baby, Ares, could not go to sleep by himself and could not stay asleep for more than two or three hours at a time. By the time he was 10 months old, he was getting less than eight hours of sleep in a twenty-four hour period, and no more than two or three hours of uninterrupted sleep. He was irritable, easily startled into crying, and had no appetite. We followed the suggestions in this book and now Ares sleeps for twelve hours a night uninterrupted, and takes two naps a day. His appetite has improved, he is happier, calmer, and has more energy. He doesn't cry anymore. We are grateful to Dr. Weissbluth for writing this book.
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Summary: My child sleep wonderfully now.
Review: Applying the information in this book is what finally got my child to sleep through the night. I read Ferber first and tried his method. His method seemed to work for my daughter for getting her to take naps, but she still would not sleep through the night. As a matter of fact, she only cried more and longer with us going and comforting her. It wasn't until I read Weissbluth in which he explains the whole picture (naps, schedule, bedtiming, etc) that we were able to get her to sleep through the night. I think the Ferber method is fine and may work for other children, but he doesn't explain the importance of nap and bedtime timing. I knew Weissbluth knew what he was talking about because I could already see the patterns developing naturally in my daughter. I just needed to get her naptimes at the right times that he suggests and move her bedtime up. As soon as I did this she started sleeping through the night (and we didn't even have to deal with the "cry it out" part). I have recommended this book to dozens of new moms who were also having problems (and who had already tried Ferberizing) and they loved it as well. I now buy it for all my friends having babies as you don't have to wait till there's a sleep problem - it's just an excellent book in which to learn exactly what your child should be doing at what age. Much more thorough than Ferber.
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