Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

Rating:
Summary: Weissbluth Offers Sage, Caring Advice
Review: I found the information in this book to be very sound and doable as it is based on an entire career of research and experience as a clinician, pediatrician and well as a father of 4 children. Living in Chicago, I wish to share that Weissbluth has a long standing well-respected reputation.

For me, this book taught my husband and I a variety of strategies regarding various sleep issues as our baby grew older. Most recently we consulted the book for the step by step process of how to get our 3 year old to stay in HIS bed all night. It takes tenacity and consistency (and maybe a couple of glasses of wine) to execute over a 3-4 day period...but the method worked and I am so grateful my husband and I stuck it out. If you have a child that won't stay in his bed after you tuck him in...this book offers a way to solve the problem. This is THE book for handling all sleep problems.

For more tips on managing a variety of related toddler/preschooler behaviors (such as tantrums, bad words, power struggles, whining and many more), I wish to recommend "The Pocket Parent". Weissbluth is quoted several times in the chapter on Bedtime Refusals and Nighttime Fears. --These are two parent freindly books you can refer to again and again for insight and strategies that work.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION for parents of 2's, 3's, 4's, and 5's:

THE POCKET PARENT: Hundreds of fast answers

Rating:
Summary: Some utility, but poorly presented
Review: Weissbluth has some valid information to convey based on his research and years of practice. However, the writing is so poor that it is very difficult to get the goods. Sentences are often long and ambiguous due to fuzzy modifiers. Several phrases like "or several weeks later for infants born prematurely" are repeated far too often. Organization of chapters is deceptively sensible, but the contents of each chapter often contain paragraphs that belong in other chapters, leaving the reader confused as to whether the recommendations apply to the featured age group. Chapters contain client vignettes that are often inserted in places having nothing to do with the preceding or subsequent paragraphs, adding to the confusion. Though I was able to ferret out a few useful points to help me with my baby girl's sleep habits (3 months), in general I would recommend that you look for another book that can skillfully convey the information you seek.

Rating:
Summary: conflicts galore
Review: This is one of the most irritating books I've ever read. I was looking for some good, solid advice on what are healthy or unhealthy sleep habits, and what I got was a book full of contradictions. First he says that you should put your child to sleep at the same exact time every night - then he says that it should vary up to an hour, depending on the child's behavior. Then he says that you shouldn't rely on motion (rocking, swinging, walking, etc) to get your baby to sleep - then he says that motion is very soothing to children and should be used. What the...? I got so tired of trying to figure out what he was saying that I finally gave up.

In addition to all of the conflicting information, this book is so poorly written, it's hard to follow. It's not logically layed out so it's pretty much impossible to find the information that you are looking for at a glance. So unless you have unlimited time on your hands and want to read it from cover to cover (all 500 pages) to understand all of the points, you may want to try to find a better book. That's what I'm doing.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for the soft hearted!
Review: I loved this book. I cannot bear to hear my child cry so crying it out was not an option for us.

This book is a lifesaver. It's a quick read and also a great guide to refer back to if you forget some of the tips.

A must for anti cry-it-outers.