Rating: 
Summary: Very seductive
Review: QUESTION:If God and Mother Nature had intended for babies to sleep through the night, why then do we need all these "sleep training" books? I was almost seduced into trying the method in this book after several sleepless nights of what seemed like constant nursing by my co-sleeping son. In my exhaustion and desperation I picked it up and began reading. Dr. Ferber compares your baby learning to fall asleep without you to you learning to fall asleep without a pillow. In this analogy he asks that you imagine that you've been told by a doctor that for health reasons you can no longer sleep without a pillow under your head. It may take a few nights but you would become accustomed to it and tough it out because you knew that it was for your own good. Therein lies the rub--I realized that my baby would have no idea why he wouldn't be picked up and nursed or hugged if he cried. He wouldn't know it was for his own good. Then I had to question whose good it would really be for, mine or his? I ultimately decided to tough it out and keep him in bed with me. Turns out he was just going through a growth spurt and needed me to increase my milk supply (thank goodness I didn't "ferberize" him--it could've really jeoperdized our breastfeeding and his health). I realized that I'm responsible to parent my child 24/7, not just in the daytime hours when it's relatively easy.
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Summary: Not for Breastfeeding Moms . . .
Review: I've read this book several times and have found some useful information in it. However, I would advise breastfeeding moms to take his suggestions with a grain of salt -- it could really compromise your breastfeeding relationship with your child. Sometimes kids really do need you in the middle of the night. Why take a chance?
Rating: 
Summary: This book saved my sanity, and my health.
Review: Don't write off this book because you have an aversion to letting your child cry and you've heard this book is an advocate of that method. I wouldn't let my son cry for ten seconds without bolting from whatever I was doing to soothe him, so I understand the trauma associated with that concept. The methods in this book are moderate and compassionate, and they WORK. I had a billion different explanations for why my son couldn't sleep through the night--chronic acid reflux, difficulty with bowel movements, insatiable appetite, etc. I didn't believe there was anything this book could tell me that would enable my son to sleep for these reasons. If this sounds like you, don't fall into that trap. Dr. Ferber outlines several different categories of possible causes for sleep disturbances and helps you identify what's wrong, which is probably the most helpful aspect of the book. It turned out my son had several different problems as identified by Dr. Ferber, and in a simple, easy to understand way the book outlines flexible solutions you can tailor to your own parenting style and intestinal fortitude. While adjusting my 7-month old son's sleep cycle did involve a little crying, it was MUCH less than I expected (not even five minutes the first two nights) and by the third night he had gone from sleeping 5 hours a night to 11! Don't understimate the impact too little sleep has on your little one. As the Dr. points out, a little crying won't psychologically damage your child, but month after month of insufficient sleep for both you and him will certainly do so. Do yourself a favor and buy this book--you won't believe how it will change your life!
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Summary: Ferber's method really worked for us!
Review: I was a total skeptic about Doctor Ferber before my husband and I finally broke down and bought this book. Our son was eight months old and had been waking up more and more at night for about two months, sometimes up to six times a night. We were practicing attachment parenting even though we both worked full time. Believe me, I did not want to let him cry and was so nervous about trying Ferber. But it worked! My son didn't even cry that long the first night. He did have a couple of episodes of crying in the middle of the night for about 1 hour each time off and on, and that was really hard for us. But in about two weeks, he was able to sleep for ten to eleven hours a night EVERY NIGHT. He is still happy as ever during the day. We are now wondering why we didn't try this approach earlier! I think maybe my son was ready to sleep on his own but didn't know how to tell us, and was probably wondering why we weren't getting it for two and a half months while he protested at night! All I can say is, give this approach a try. You will need to stick to it to make it work and really partner up with your spouse. However, if it really doesn't work for you, you can always stop. But if it does, you and your baby will be soooooo much happier!
Rating:
Summary: Ferber's methods do work
Review: This book was suggested to us by friends of a 9 month-old who used the program successfully. Although our son was only 2 1/2 months old, we were concerned if he was getting the best possible rest, and if we were doing all we could to help him along. Although our baby slept very well in his bassinet at night, he didn't do so well for naps and hated his crib. At 3 months I felt comfortable enough to move him upstairs to his crib and begin the Ferber approach. It did work! This book is NOT cruel. It is not about letting the baby cry hysterically for minutes and hours on end. It is about understanding sleep cycles and the importance helping a child develop lifelong healthy sleeping habits. Those who speak out against it are not understanding the book's information and adapting to their child's situation. Use your common sense when applying the methods. Unwittingly, small children are very manipulative of their parents and will do their best to have Mom and Dad at their beck and call, especially at night. This book helps parents differentiate between manipulation and need. A parent must provide support and structure in all areas of life, and sleep is one of those areas. This book helps parent and child get more and better sleep which leads to a healthy individual. Yes,there is crying involved, but it is minimal and will not affect a child who receives love and attention. I'm giving this book to all new moms now and cannot express enough words of praise.
Rating:
Summary: Give it a try
Review: As former co-sleeping parents, we recently Ferberized our 15-month-old and had wonderful results. Months ago I had read Ezzo and half-heartedly tried the cry-it-out method. Our son was younger and seemed so helpless that I really couldn't bear the crying at all, and felt quite traumatized by the whole experience. But after reading Ferber's book, I had a much better understanding of the importance of sleep and why our baby needed to sleep alone and unassisted. Ferber's chapter on sleep associations is so well-written and made so much sense, that we were absolutely committed to seeing this through. It only took about three nights and our baby slept 9 hours straight. This was the first uninterrupted night's sleep I have had in 15 months. Ferber has an undeserved reputation of being cruel. There is a significant amount of crying the first three days, but in the long run, this system reduces the overall amount of crying your child will experience, when he can sleep peacefully through the night. I never believed I would actually be able to put our son in his crib, cover him with a blanket, say goodnight and have him close his eyes and go right to sleep. It works.
Rating: 
Summary: Some good information on babies and sleep, but...
Review: I find the approach hard to take. I BELIEVE it works and am not against letting a baby cry SOME. Where I really decided this approach wasn't for me was on page 73 when I read "Occasionally, when you are increasing the time before you respond to your child, he may cry so hard that he actually throws up. If you hear this happen you should go in even though the "time isn't up" yet. Clean him up and change the sheets and pjs as needed. But do so quickly and matter-of-factly and then leave again." Personally I treated my dogs better when they threw up. I think the value in this book is understanding your babies sleep cycles and habits and really struggled with giving my review even 2 stars. I think the approach will work because you are teaching your baby that their need to be parented to sleep isn't appropriate and you are no longer responding to it. Once they get the message that Mommy and Daddy aren't responding to their need, they give up and go to sleep. At 10 months I can already say that there are enough things my baby wants that I have to say "no" to and I don't consider comforting her at bedtime one of them. That said, I DO think a gentle transition from the rocker or walking your baby to the crib can be accomplished without gut-wrenching (literally!) crying sessions. But I feel the transition takes some sensitivity on the parent's part. Before taking such an extreme approach, I'd suggest you be sure your child is on a schedule and receiving enough personal attention. These two things can really cause a baby to be very needy if they are lacking, especially at night. And if you feel you need to take this approach, I'd urge you to include parental sensitivity and respond to your baby, not the clock.
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Summary: It does work...
Review: First let me say, I am not at all a fan of letting a baby cry it out -- obviously or I wouldn't have bought this book. Second, let me say that this was recommended by my pediatrician. This book offers a better approach to cold-turkey crying it out. I guess it just depends on how tired you are or how whimpy, because I had this book for two months before actaully using it -- and I really wish I had used when the doctor suggested it!
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Summary: 2 year old still sleeping in your bed?
Review: My wife and I had just had our second child, and our first, who was two years old, was still sleeping in our bed. Our two year old had always been a terrible sleeper, never able to fall asleep on his own and constantly waking in the middle of the night. In retrospect, my wife and I have noone to blame but ourselves. With the arrival of our second child, I decided something had to be done and bought Ferber's book despite the undeserved criticism of it as being too harsh. After reading the book in its entirety, everything seemed to make sense. I immediately employed Ferber's method, and although the first three or four days were tough, our son was falling asleep on his own and sleeping through the night after a week. He is now a great sleeper, sleeping about 10-11 hours per night. Although he occasionally gets up in the middle of the night, we are much better off as a family and our son is healthier and happier. I can't stress how much Ferber's book has made a difference in our lives. Now all I have to do is convince my wife that we should try the method on our daughter who is just about to turn 6 months old. Wish me luck.
Rating:
Summary: Teaching child to sleep alone is NOT withholding love
Review: At our house, our kids get lots of cuddling, love and mama time AND they have slept in their own beds since the night they were born. I "ferberized" my son at 9 months when it was obvious that he was seeking entertainment at night, not nurturing. My daughter figured it out by herself. Ferber doesn't recommend this method for babies under 5 mos. I watch my sister, an attachment parenting devotee, having to rock, sing and play music for an hour to get her 3-year-old to sleep every night. That does no favors for the child, let alone the parent.
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