Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: With my first child I tried letting him "cry it out" at about 4 months with no success. It was misery. Then I read this book and understood sleep, where our problem seemed to lie and a reasonable game plan that wasn't so cruel. It worked great immedicately and after a few nights we were all sleeping beautifully. Since I understood sleep better with the second child bad habits didn't start. We had no problems at all. I wished I'd read it before the birth of the first child. What a waste, it could have been such a much nicer experience if I'd known. I give it to new parents as a baby gift now. I suspect they think I'm nuts since the don't have a sleep problem but I really think it is the nicest gift they could receive if they read and apply it.
Rating:
Summary: Finally....
Review: Like others, I was at the end of my rope trying to "fix" our son's sleep problems. His waking 3-5 times a night at the age of 2 was wearing thin on us all. It was producing countless hours of sleepless nights, feelings of quilt, frayed nerves, and short tempers. Frantically, I purchased this book looking for hope and answers. After soaking in as much as I could in an hour and fifteen minutes, I was able to identify our son's potential sleep problems and come up with a game plan for the evening. This book helped me to understand sleep patterns and body rythms and the fact that what I was doing to soothe and comfort him was really contributing to the problem. That very night, I was refreshed and hopeful with a new attitude. Ferber's suggestions for getting a child to stay in their bed was wonderful and worked--the very first night! In just two nights, our son is sleeping for longer periods at a time than ever before. When he does wake, he goes back to sleep with minimal interaction. The second night, he woke and called for me at 10:30 p.m. By the time I made it to the top of the stairs, he was already back to sleep. Alleuhia! There is hope. The past two nights have been heavenly. All I can say is THANK YOU, Dr. Ferber and GOOD night!
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Summary: I got this book because I COULDN'T let my child "Cry it out"
Review: At 2 years old, my daughter wouldn't sleep on her own. We would have to lie down in bed with her until she was asleep, then get up and go to our own bed. She would then wake up in the night crying, and wouldn't go back to sleep until one of us laid down with her again. Most of the time, one of us just slept in her bed with her (a twin size-not very comfortable). We were miserable, and asked everyone we knew for advice. Everyone, including her pediatrician, told us to just let her cry it out, but we just couldn't do that. We tried, but it just seemed to cruel. Then her pediatrician recommended this book. I read the whole book the afternoon that I got it, and tried the method that fit her problem that night. I was able to get her to sleep on her own without crying, at first by sitting outside her room while she fell asleep, then gradually moving further away. Now she goes to sleep without any fuss, without me staying nearby, and sleeps through the night. And she actually asks to go to bed at night. She knows that if she needs me, I will come immediately. This book truly changed our lives, and for the better. Anyone who says this is a "cry it out" method is wrong. Every baby is different, and some will go through some crying, but the parent is constantly going in and reassuring the child, so that the child knows he/she has not been abandoned. Real "crying it out" is just leaving the child to cry and scream until they tire themselves out. This book is totally different, and offers parents alternatives. You can modify the methods to suit your individual child. Your child CAN sleep through the night, and so can you! I just wish I had had this book from the very beginning. I highly recommend it to all parents of young children or babies, whether they have a sleep problem or not, because it also teaches you how to develop good sleep patterns and habits.
Rating:
Summary: What a difference
Review: I am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and have recommended the Ferber method many times. However, when it was my own child, I thought "no way I can let my child cry." However, after weeks of no sleep I had to do something. The first night he cried for 7 minutes; the second for 2 minutes; the third 30 seconds; and after one week he pleasantly goes to bed, does not cry, and sleeps through the night. Thank you Dr. Ferber.
Rating: 
Summary: I was worried too.
Review: When I first read the book, I was very uncomfortable with the idea of letting my child cry until he went to sleep. But he wasn't sleeping very well in the family bed either, so I took a friend's suggestion and read this book when he was about 6 months old. My pediatrician recommended the method as well, but didn't push it, saying that we should wait until we were really ready. It only took two nights for him to learn to settle down to sleep easily, and now he sometimes dives into the crib when he's sleepy, rather than fighting to stay out of it. I really think that it was the best choice for him. He definitely doesn't seem to show any signs of lack of attachment or clinginess. He's just a well rested one year old, with enough energy to explore and who still runs back now and then to get a hug from Mom and Dad.
Rating: 
Summary: Trust your instincts
Review: I bought Ferber's book when my daughter was 7 months old, for the same reason you are reading this review: I was sleep-deprived, and I desperately wanted my daughter to sleep through the night. However, after trying modified crying-it-out techniques (I did not leave the room, I did not let her cry for more than 20 minutes or so), I came to understand that my daughter was not temperamentally suited to respond to these techniques. Putting questions of what is "right" or "wrong" aside, I could simply tell that my daughter would have cried for hours had I strictly followed Ferber' suggestions - and that, for us, was not a solution. Slowly, over time, we developed bedtime and naptime solutions that were effective and that did not involve long periods of crying. My daughter is now one year old, and still doesn't sleep through the night. She does not suffer from fatigue, irritability, or other problems during the day - quite the contrary, she is cheerful, active, and sociable -- so she is evidently getting enough rest. I think my main criticism of this book is the concept that one method will work for all babies, and that there is something "wrong" with your baby (or you) if she is not sleeping through the night. If you read these reviews, you will observe that nearly all of those who endorse Ferber are those for whom it worked in 2-4 nights and with very reasonable amounts of crying. I cannot believe that HOURS of crying could possibly be healthy - physically, emotionally or mentally - for a child, especially a small infant. Please, please trust yourself. It breaks my heart to read about those parents who went through hours of their infant crying because they were told that to do otherwise is harmful for their baby. TRUST YOUR OWN INSTINCTS, NO ONE KNOWS YOUR BABY BETTER THAN YOU DO. Good luck!
Rating:
Summary: It worked so well I was shocked
Review: I used the technique on my 25 month old daughter and the first night she cried mama for about 10 minutes, I never even got to make the second check! She only had one waking in the middle of the night and she cried for 3 minutes. The next night she cried for less than 10 seconds and slept through the whole night! The third night she pouted and turned over and said night night mama! We have both been sleeping all night ever since!
Rating:
Summary: Best for your baby
Review: When I read this book I was primarily concerned with getting more sleep for myself. I didn't realize until after I used this method for a few days that my daughter had been suffering from exhaustion, too. I thought it was normal for my 7-month old, usually happy baby to be fussy for sometimes hours a day and to not be able to go to sleep without an extended ritual of crying, nursing, crying, rocking, crying.... Yes, she cried for the first few days on this method, but she'd been crying anyway despite my best efforts. After just a few days I noticed the fussy spells during the day were gone, and she had so much more energy! After 1 week I can lay her down slightly awake, and instead of screaming for me to pick her up, she looks around and then goes right back to sleep. Naptimes are no longer a battle, nightime is wonderful, my baby is happier, I'm in heaven! Don't disregard Ferber until you've read the book for yourself. I thought he was much more compassionate and flexible than others had led me to believe - he even supports nursing a baby to sleep, as long as night waking isn't a problem. And since he is an expert in pediatric sleep disorders, the general information he provides on sleep is fascinating. I also recommend Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". He stresses the importance of naps and an early bedtime. He also explains what I noticed, that babies suffer from irritability and attention problems when they're not sleeping at night. A caring parent will do what's best for their child's health in the long run and not be deterred by crying. My baby cries when she gets her shots, but does that mean I won't have her immunized? Of course not!
Rating:
Summary: It worked for me
Review: I am writing from the perspective of being a mother of a 13 year old son and 8 1/2 year old daughter. When my son was born (13 years ago) I planned to be ( and thought I was) the perfect mother. I wanted to do everything right for my child. This included some mistakes. I had gotten so "perfect" that my son almost never cried. I could wake up at night and get a bottle ready or get a pacifier to my son in microseconds and I thought I was doing it all for him. By 18 months, I had not had 1 night of sleep. A good night meant getting up twice but 6 times was not abnormal. I was exhausted. Family and friends all gave me advice on what I was doing wrong (much of which matched this book) but I thought I could be a "better" mom and I ignored them. Somehow I became aware of this book, bought it and read it in an afternoon. The book convinced me to make the changes I needed to for my child and why my being "good" was actually not kind to my son. I began the changes that night. I had conviction. My husband, not having read the book, was furious that first night. But I stood my ground. The first night was tough - hours of crying. But the second night was only 45 minutes of crying. The third night he slept straight through. With my daughter, I forgot and tried to be "perfect" again. At nine months, I had to dig around and find Dr. Ferber's book. Again it worked. Now, my daughter is 8 1/2 years old and for some reason is having night terrors. I'll have to find out where I packed it or have to buy another copy. Good luck to all mothers whose children don't sleep. It is difficult to take care of a family with no sleep. I've been there.
Rating:
Summary: It worked for us
Review: My 7 month old daughter was waking up 2-3 times a night to be nursed back to sleep. A friend, who is a pediatric nurse with two toddlers, recommended the book and it made sense. We didn't even have to go through the "crying it out." Dr. Ferber does a great job explaning sleep associations, sleep cycles, and how to teach your child to fall asleep. There have been some bumps along the way, usually when she is sick. But she is a joy to be around--loving and wonderful. I don't see any harm. I strongly recommend, though, that Dr. Ferber's method be used on babies OLDER than six months. He states in the book that his methods are inappropriate for younger babies. Good luck and sweet dreams.
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