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Summary: Solve Your Child's SLeep Problems by Richard Ferber
Review: Please be aware that your child could develop a hernia if you follow the advice given in this book. My son did and had to have surgery. Buyer beware!
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Summary: I don't even like to give this book one star!
Review: When my oldest son was a newborn I attended a class put on by our public health clinic. As a part of that class the nurse facilitating showed us a video and gave us a hand-out on this method ("Ferberizing"). I felt like if I was a "good mother" I had to do it. I cried through the whole experience. But it "worked". Too well. I hated sleeping apart from my new baby but felt pressured to keep it up. Autism runs in my partner's family and as our son got older he hated to be touched and held more and more. Finally when he was two I forced him to rejoin us in a family bed sleeping arrangement. IMMEDIATELY I noticed his symptoms lessen until they gradually disappeared (over a few years). My friends noticed the difference in his personality and everyone commented on how he was more affectionate and more open. When my next child was young I read Dr. William Sears' book "Nightime Parenting". After that I was not only angry about Dr. Ferber's book, I was terrified! How could parents do something so damaging to their children? How could he advocate such a dangerous parenting philosophy? I felt very guilty for having blindly followed his advice myself. I highly recommend that you NOT buy this book and instead read "Nighttime parenting". As I read in a parenting magazine a couple of years ago, if you are not prepared to put the time into parenting that it takes perhaps you should consider getting a cat. Parenting is not a 12 hour a day job nor should it be. I KNOW that nighttime parenting can be VERY hard, but that doesn't mean that you don't have to do it. Find support and access "information" not easy advice. La Leche League provided an excellent support system for us.
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Summary: Taken in by all the testimonials...
Review: After reading all the glowing reviews of this book, I decided to buy it. I was determined that my 4 month old bottle-fed son should be sleeping through the night. The concepts sounded logical, and that's what drew me in. I read it word for word, and even gave it a try. After my son screamed (and I don't mean cried) for 15 minutes, I couldn't stand it any longer and I picked him up and held him. After talking to my pediatrician I now know that MOST babies are not ready to sleep through the night by 4 months. My son's pediatrician defines sleeping through the night as sleeping 5 hours straight (he was doing this already). I am a first-time mom, and now realize that I was looking for the simple answer to a complex question in a book. Once I learned to trust my instincts and do what is best for my son and myself, I threw this book in the trash where it belongs. Any book that condones letting an infant cry/scream until they throw up, and then offer them no comfort, is bordering on teaching child abuse. This idea is absurd to me as a mother. I must admit there was good, solid scientific information on sleep cycles and sleep associations, but it was obvious to me that Dr. Ferber doesn't have a clue about the mother-child relationship. I bought Dr. Sears after that, and while he hasn't solved the problem either, I can agree with his approach to solving a problem with my child. PLEASE don't follow the advice of this book without consulting your pediatrician.
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Summary: It's not "crying it out", it's learning to fall asleep .
Review: This is probably the way to go for most parents! And it appears to be very healthy for children. We used it for my son. We put him down sleepy, and gradually lenghthened the minutes until we again came to reassure him that we were there and that everything would be ok. In only a few days he was allowing himself to drift off to sleep when we put him in the crib. I am so glad I did this when he was still an infant. We have been sleeping through since he was 2 1/2 months. At four years old, he tells us when he is tired, his bed is a cozy, secure place that he enjoys, and he has basically conditioned himself, just as we adults have, that BED equals SLEEP and sleep is good. And Mom & Dad will always come for him. That's healthy security as I see it.
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Summary: Instant Solution!
Review: Holiday travel and a minor surgery left my one-year-old daughter a very dependent sleeper leaving both my husband and I exhausted, frustrated, and sleep-deprived. Understanding the sleep cycle really helped us to solve the problem very quickly and even helped me to address my own night-time waking problem. The Book arrived on Wednesday and I was prepared to put the techniques to use on Friday. Although there were some horror stories portrayed in the Book, I am happy to report that by Monday my daughter was putting herself to sleep by the end of the first five minutes and by the following Wednesday did not even whimper when put to bed, instead she simply rolled over, babbled for a few minutes and went to sleep. I probably could not withstand the hysterics if they had lasted for long but I am a firm believer and will share this book with all my friends who have problem sleepers.
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Summary: life changing
Review: This book has truly produced a miracle for me. My son was never a good sleeper from day 1. Until I got this book (just after he turned 1) he was waking up to 6-8 times per night and sleeping with me! The book explains sleep patterns which I found very helpful in understanding my child. The first night was horrible with about 6 total hours of crying but each night got remarkably better. Within a few days he was sleeping well and taking a nap during the day. People who say this book is barbaric and cruel must not really be sleep deprived themselves. Believe me I was more than happy to sing to my child, rock my child and even sleep with him, if that would have worked but nothing did until this book which I read along with Sleeping Through the Night. I saw one review that said even animals sleep with their young. So I guess this person thinks humans should to. I thought we were supposed to be smarter than the animals. It's been 6 months since I applied Dr. Ferber's method and my son is sleeping well in his own bed and so am I. Sure, we have had a few set backs when he's been sick. But they have been easily cured when applying the methods again. You do have to be ready to do this though and if you are looking for books on this subject I would say you are.
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Summary: good way to destroy your childs self esteem
Review: studies show that children left to "cry it out" are more prone to develop self esteem problems. the child assumes that because the parents ignore its needs they are of little importance and value. well your kids personality is stuffed but at least the parents can sleep ok. can only recomend this book if you dont care about the way your child develops emotionally. outdated barbaric ideas. thumbs down.
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Summary: This book produced a miracle
Review: This book produces miraculous results. Since my original purchase one year ago, I have sent copies to half a dozen friends. Everyone's reported results have sounded like this: "The first two nights were really rough, but because we were able to go in and comfort [insert child's name] periodically, it made us feel better. After those first two nights, we have never had problems, and our child sleeps great, feels great in the morning, and has more energy all day." The book also has "refresher courses" for when your child has been sick, or on vacation, and temporarily gets off schedule. Anyone who wrote a negative review probably didn't fully read the book, or did not follow the program correctly.
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Summary: Sleep at last!
Review: Our 11 month old son had only slept through the night a handful of times when Richard Ferber's book was recomended to us. It helped immediatley! It was helpful to gain insight to a baby's sleep patterns and possible reasons for not sleeping well. The book suggested taking away the pacifier, which we did. That has been the most helpful element of the book to us. We also had to do the method of crying, but, it never went past 15 minutes. I am so glad someone recommended this book to us or we might still be up every night and crabby all day. It has made a huge difference in our lives. I'm sure it doesn't work for everyone. But, I think if your child has sleep problems it is worth a try.
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Summary: Helpful, but not too helpful
Review: Please note if you have a very stubborn child, this book may push you past all sanity. While I learned a good deal about sleep habits and sleep associations that was helpful, I ended up having to create my own method for getting my bright, sweet, incredibly stubborn year old baby to sleep. Believe me I read the book, and applied the method as stated. My little boy cried (read screamed non-stop) for 9 1/2 hours, and my going in every 10-15 minutes soothed him not at all. The next night he fell asleep (Gee, wonder why?), but the third night he was back to screaming for hours and hours. Not for us, thank you. I used the information on sleep associations, and gradually added the ones that would be helpful (dark room, same blanket, etc.), while gradually removing the ones I didn't want (rocking, singing). It took a while but my son sleeps pretty well these days, and I don't think any of us would have survived pushing through and using the outlined extinction method.
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