Rating: 
Summary: I hated this book so much, I actually threw it in the trash!
Review: Ferber's method for getting babies and small children to sleep alone is to allow the baby or child to cry for longer periods each night until he/she finally gives up and falls asleep. The parent is supposed to watch the clock and not go in for a specified period of time--and then only to briefly reassure the child, not pick him up or necessarily get him to stop crying. I know a lot of people who've done this, and it seems to work for them, and they're nice people. But I can't help feeling that Ferber himself is kind of a mean guy. Where he lost me was when he said that even if your baby cries so hard he throws up, there's no need to feel bad or guilty--and that you should just quickly clean up the mess and put the baby back in the crib to cry some more! He also casts a lot of unnecessary aspersions on alternative methods, especially the family bed, and implies that children who aren't taught to sleep alone will have psychological problems. And he doesn't allow at all for differences among children--some may respond relatively well to being left alone to cry; others (like my son) get totally freaked out. The book is also not particularly well organized if you're trying to find sleep advice for a particular age group--although that's a very minor criticism, compared to my intense dislike for Ferber's whole approach. Nights at my house got a whole lot more tolerable after this book went out with the trash! (I still have to get up at night, though.)
Rating:
Summary: You don't have to let your child cry!
Review: If you're going to read this book, you OWE it to yourself and your child to also read Dr. William Sears' Nighttime Parenting. Dr. Sears will help you get your child to sleep without making him cry. Dr. Sears will show you how letting your child cry himself to sleep can be detrimental to both your child's and your own emotional well-being.
Rating: 
Summary: Helped my wife and I through some tough nights.
Review: A great resource for new parents. The book discusses when to comfort your child, and when to let her cry--all as part of the natural process of developing sleeping routine. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Saved Me
Review: As a mother of twins, I found Ferber's advice to be practical and realistic. Almost made it as simple as "parenting by numbers". The book is serving as a valuable, ongoing source of reference
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Practical Advice
Review: We used this book when our daughter was a baby, and now have an extremely happy, well-adjusted two-year old who sleeps well. Hard to argue with results!
What makes Ferber's book so valuable is that doing what seems like the right thing can often reinforce sleep problems (i.e. rocking a kid to sleep -- nice for the kid up to a point, but you end up with a child who can't go to sleep unless someone rocks her). Solving kids sleep problems doesn't mean expecting newborns to sleep through the night or being cruel to kids, but it does mean setting some limits, and being kind to everyone by sometimes resisting the temptation to be immediately responsive.
Being the soul of kindness doesn't do you much good if you end up with a sleep-deprived kid being raised by sleep-deprived parents!
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Summary: LOVED this book - I'm SLEEPING and so is our baby.
Review: I must say that I was very wary of this book. I was adamantly opposed to any methods that used CIO. After unsuccessfully exhausting all the non-CIO methods... I reluctantly picked up this book at the urging of our pediatrician. I was surprised and grateful and the plain language and TOTAL SENSE of this book. I felt great about the method "controlled crying" and our daughter was sleeping through the night in TWO DAYS! She was sleeping at a regular bedtime withing A WEEK!! She was taking regular naps within 2 WEEKS!! My husband and I couldn't believe it. We are happier and our daughter is happier. We can plan to do things better because we know when her naptime/bedtime is and can be sure when she is ready to play and be alert.
This book is short, to the point -- written expertly for that sleep-deprived, frazzled and concerned parent....AND covers the whole range of adolescent sleeping problems. If I could give this book a higher rating I would!
Rating:
Summary: Help your child get the sleep he needs
Review: I was very skeptical about the Ferber method. I bought various books about sleep and I tried different techniques to get my baby to fall asleep without crying it out. He always had a tough time getting to sleep, except in the car. Night time was the worst, he would cry for an hour or so, no matter how much I tried to comfort him. He never fell asleep at the breast or with a bottle, even as a newborn, and so I spent months trying to figure out a way to help him drift to sleep easily. I finally gave in and really gave the Ferber method my full commitment. My baby boy was about 6 months at the time and he did not fall asleep without any crying on the third night like I was hoping. However, the crying did decrease and we experimented with different bedtime routines, until we found the one that seemed to relax him the most. Every once in awhile he still cries a little before drifting off to dream land, but for you Mother's out there struggling with guilt that I know you have, your child will wake up a happier baby in the morning if he gets the sleep he needs. Your baby won't resent you and it is much better that you teach them how to fall asleep on their own then struggle with nap time and bed time every day. Take it from a Mom that resisted the Ferber method for months, it works and my son and I are both much happier and less stressed about sleep time. :)
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Summary: Don't know what I did without it!
Review: When my son was an infant, he too would want to fall asleep with bottle. A friend lent me to this book and after a little hesitation, I tried. My husband was sure it wouldn't work. I was adamant I was at least going to try. Being a first time mom, I must say the first night wasn't easy (for the parents)but the next night was easier and within 3 nights my son was going to sleep easier and staying asleep all night! I have had to reapply the philosophies from time to time when my son had developed more bad habits or when you pamper him when he is sick and then wants it all the time. Now that my son is 3, he wants me to lay down with him, which originally I thought was cute but now has become quite cumbersome. I went out and bought the book and used it ONE night and my son went to sleep without me with very little trouble. Now I by this book for every new mom! I highly recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: Thank G-d for Dr. Ferber!
Review: My daughter went from being up and down and crying all night as well as "needing" to be fed, to sleeping peacefully through the night in just three days! This method may seem "mean," but my baby is much happier now and understands how to put herself to sleep. I highly recommend this book to everyone with a baby with poor sleep habits!
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Summary: Sleeping again!!
Review: Thank goodness for this book!!! We have a 10 month old, who at 6 months was sleeping through the night. About a month ago she started waking up 5-6 times a night, sometimes more. She ended up sleeping with us, because that was the only way we could get some sleep. After reading the on-line reviews, I figured it was worth a try. After having tried the no-cry solution, and nothing changing, in fact, I think things got worse. First night she cried for 50 minutes. Woke a few times, but went right back to sleep on her own. The second night 20 minutes. The 3rd night 20 minutes. Then on the 4th night she went to her grandparents to sleep, was out in 5 minutes. The amazing things is, even the 'wakings' in the night, have been less, and when she does, she goes right back to sleep on her own. I haven't had to get her out of her crib until the morning, since we started this. Some people think that it is mean to let them cry, but they have to learn & be taught that they can go to sleep on their own. As parents there are things that we don't like to do, but we know that it is best for our children. I don't like her having to get shots, but I know that that is what it best for her. If the no-cry thing works for you, then great. But for us, it just wasn't working. I wish I could thank Mr. Ferber in person!!!
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