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Summary: This book works -- my baby is a fantastic sleeper, and happy
Review: I give this book my highest recommendation. I read it when our son was a few weeks old (I was desperate to help him sleep well) and followed Dr. Weissbluth's principles. Our son has been sleeping 12 straight hours at night since he was three months old and has had regular naps. Now, at seven months, he sleeps 12 hours at night and has two regular 1-2 hour naps during the day. He never cries when I put him to sleep. When I put him in his crib to sleep he "talks" to himself for a few minutes and then falls asleep on his own. Other parents and our babysitter have told me they can't believe how easy it is to get our child to sleep. Everyone comments on how smiley, happy and easygoing our son is. I know this is, in part, because his father and I have worked hard to help him get the rest he needs and to sleep well. This book taught us how to do this. Buy it and read it before you have your baby. It is a fantastic book.
P.S. Dr. Weissbluth supports his ideas about and method of sleep training with scientific research which, in my opinion, is essential, but which seems to be rare in the childcare book world.
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Summary: Great Book especially when starting early
Review: In the beginning, as we all have experienced, the newborns are expected to sleep a lot and whenever they want. My daughter's sleep started off great, especially at night in our bed. When she reached 3 months her naps were sporadic, and I couldn't understand why my young baby was so cranky. To test this book I followed the instructions to make sure the baby was taking frequent naps at certain intervals. The result was a very changed, HAPPY baby all day long. We are now trying to sleep train the baby in her crib. We did not choose too brash an approach in the beginning as far as letting the baby cry it out for several hours, but the daily attempts to start in the crib gradually worked into a pretty decent nighttime sleep. I will be honest, it is a rough ride in the beginning, but as long as you follow the book and not give in, the results are spectacular.
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Summary: very informative but not for everyone
Review: I loved this book especially all its facts, tables, different scenarios, etc. I would recommended it even to those who oppose the "cry it out" method (CIO) because of all the information. He explains how sleep differs at different ages/stages and gives ideas for dealing with multiple problem scenarios. The book emphasizes the need for kids getting enough sleep and the need for them to learn to put themselves to sleep- by whatever method you choose. He also emphasizes routines, and he does recommend letting them cry if need be to learn to sleep. However, he wisely acknowledges other sleep methods have merit (and explains why he disagrees with them). He acknowledges it is up to each parent to decide what is best for one's child. I waited until my son was older to use this sleep method since he was very fussy, and I felt after reading the book he was not ready for it until he was older. He did cry for a few days when we started sleep training but now sleeps much better than he did before. Bottom line: very factual and informative even if you decide to not let your child CIO.
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Summary: Sleep = Health! Be willing to do anything for healthy kids!
Review: It is amazing to me how some parents are too proud to admit they don't know what they are doing. When I found out I was pregnant with my son, I knew he wasn't coming with instructions. I bought and read every baby book on the shelf and anticipated the worst (colic, sleep and eating problems, tantrums etc.) I read Dr. Weissbluth's book several times highlighting chapters, jotting down notes, placing cheat sheets on my refrigerator. Our family educated itself, worked hard and followed the book's suggestions. The results? my son grew from baby to toddler and is a fabulous sleeper. For me, the "light bulb" moment in the book was this: if your baby cried every time you tried to feed him would you stop feeding him? So why do we give into the tears when it comes to sleep? SLEEP, like food, is just as absolutely CRUCIAL to a childs health. With education and determination we can do what is best for our children. We can learn how to stop depriving them of sleep. My mom has forever said "their's always two ways: an easy way and a hard way". A well rested baby is the easy way and Dr. Weissbluth helped me make that happen!
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Summary: We love this book! It's better than Baby Wise.
Review: Here's what sold us on this book: We were visiting some friends and their 15-month old baby for the first time. After her bath and a brief play time, her parents handed her her paci and blankey, then she herself walked to the bottom of the stairs and waited for someone to take her up to bed. This was the book they recommended. They had only begun sleep training at 10 months.If you are interested in trying out the principles in BabyWise, you *must* read this book--it seems to be the source material for some of BabyWise's best advice. The most helpful thing about this book was its wisdom regarding early infant waking and sleeping needs. Weissbluth teaches that babies need to be asleep by the end of every three hours of waking. Because our son is naturally wakeful, it was so helpful to have been warned ahead of time of the problems associated with not enough sleep: namely, increased difficulty sleeping. I also liked Dr. Weissbluth's approach to getting baby to sleep: Whatever you do (put down awake or get to sleep and then put down), be consistent. When the time comes for more sleep training, parents who were consistent with either method had similar success rates. We found this to be true. We consider this book a no-frills classic with information you can trust.
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Summary: Awesome book
Review: This book is absolutely the best parenting book I've ever read. So many parents think that their child is "an exception" to the rule. I, however, have found that all children will respond negatively to anything that is different from their own desires. It is the parents' responsibility to enforce proper habits. It starts in the first months of life and will continue until adulthood. I have three children, all very different in demeanor. Although different, they all work best on a shedule. This book re-enforces the importance of a parent-directed household. Some people may find the methods "cruel." However, is it not also cruel to deprive your child of their need for sleep. It may seem like torture at first, but the end result will benefit both child and parent. It takes 21 days to establish a new habit. People who quit smoking go through similar anxieties as a child who is re-learning proper sleep habits. Is it not in the smoker's best interest to quit smoking? It is also in the child's best interest to get good rest. Studies show that children who tested with superior intelligence had one common link- a good night's sleep. Dr. Weissbluth seems to be genuinely concerned with each child's individual needs. Let's keep in mind that anyone who buys this book obviously is concerned with their current methods. I would recommend this book to anyone.
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Summary: This book saved my marriage!
Review: My husband and I were at our wits end trying to get our 7 month old daughter to sleep every night. A routine that involved rocking, moving to her crib, her waking up, and then starting over again for two hours every night. This would be repeated when she awoke once or twice throughout the night, she was also an "early riser". My husband was always for the crying it out method, and I just couldn't do it. READING THIS BOOK CHANGED MY MIND! Dr. Weissbluth explains the scientific reasons why babies need to get uninterrupted sleep and naptime, and also explains the biological reasons that inhibit a baby from falling asleep, one big mistake is a too late of a bedtime, which we were guilty of. We implemented Dr. Weissbluth's solution and our daughter is sleeping through the night now, we put her in her crib awake (no more sneaking out of the room!), and she also sleeps later everyday. It's a miracle, I highly recommend this book. Yes you have to let you baby cry at first, but a few nights of crying are worth the results, for everyone...including our baby!
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Summary: Read this before you have your baby!
Review: I read the first part of this book while pregnant. It was extremely helpful in establishing good sleep habits for my baby - I never would have thought babies had to sleep so much! At 9 weeks, my baby was sleeping completely through the night (7pm to 7am) and I credit the tips in this book.
I've heard this book criticized because of the "cry it out" suggestions at 4+ months - but you'll never get to that point if you pay attention to your baby's need to sleep early.
This book is practical, realistic, and it works!!
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Summary: Borderline child abuse!
Review: I bought this book in hopes of getting our son more routine in his sleep patterns. IT MADE HIM WORSE- DAY AND NIGHT! My husband came home from work to hear our son screaming and me sobing! Which lead to poor sleep and made him miserable the following days. The Dr. makes good points about sleep in children but his methods are cruel. He even advocates locking the childs door(Take your child to the store when you purchase the lock, and make yuor child watch you install the lock.,p 352) No time limit on crying!! Let your child scream for 4hrs. Close the door and walk away. If you did that to your spouse isn't that abuse or grounds for divorce. Its your fault that your child doesn't sleep well.(Parents should no project their own emotions or misinterpret these naturally occuring arousals as lonneliness, fear of the dark, or fear of abandonment, p263) No GAS is why my child doesn't sleep well! It hurts! Children want to be comforted when they hurt(even adults do!) If you where to treat an adult/ spouse/ etc the way this Dr advocates it would be on the verge of abuse or neglect. I was very disappointed, actually disgusted by his sleep solutions. Maybe if the more time was spent loving and nurturing our children they would sleep better! What worked for us- play time not put him in an bouncer by himself all day! Attention not blocking him out! Instead of letting him cry for endless hours, giving him the love he wanted yet with a set schedule for activities and night time routine that worked. He's happy day and night. Always wakes with a smile- not screaming to try to get my attention.
This book is appropriate for parents who don't want to be bothered with attending to their childrens needs and just thinking about their sleep or needs!
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Summary: Mother of 2. #1 - colicky. #2 - sleeps like a dream!
Review: For you people giving this book a 1-STAR rating - pooey! You've either started too late with your child (in which case, your issues will take longer to resolve than examples in the book. And btw - I call them issues b/c you obviously feel you need help with something or else you would have not sought this book) or you can't bare the 'cry-it-out' method. In which case - try another method and don't denegrate this one. Dr. Weissbluth's methods worked WONDERS for our family and my first son who was colicky from day one. At our wits end, I started sleep training at six months (a bit too late). Listening to his crying before he feel asleep was hard, but I knew he was well-feed, clean and tired. Eventually he would sleep - and that he did. The length of crying diminished each day, but would occasionally have times where he would cry for 15 or so minitues before sleeping for several hours during the day. Using this menthod described freed us from endless hours of soothing and rocking, gave us more sleep and made us better parents in the end. Our second child has slept better because we were informed. As a result, our children are happier and more alert when they are awake. This book also addresses other sleep issues through teen years. I plan to keep this book at hand for many years to come. This book can be a real life-saver!!!
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