Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't work for everyone
Review: I have followed this book to the letter and - 6 weeks later and many many tears - my son still cries and cries at bedtime and does not sleep through the night. Not even close.
Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievably helpful
Review: My partner and I agonized over using this method, which is really a more gentle version of Ferber's method. Our twins were so different, our baby girl sleeping 10 hrs at night by 5 months old, while our little boy struggled, waking up 4x/night at this age, requiring 20-30 minutes of walking/jiggling to get back to sleep. We finally reached a point where we could no longer do this and continue to work. After using this method, in 3 nights he was putting himself to sleep and a much happier baby. unfortunately, he was also a child who kept up with night waking and a month later we finally did the 'cry it out' method for night wakings as well....whichi'm happy to report only took 1 night of painful short (10-20 min) episodes of crying. Now he sleeps routinely 7 pm- 4 am, i give him 1 feeding, and he sleeps til 6-7 (now 8 mo. old). We did not agree with the idea of no nursing before bedtime, i still do that, but the difference is that i don't nurse them til they're asleep....instead i let them nurse 5 min or so til drowsy and then put them down.we have been so happy with this book and the 'healthy sleep habits' book, used together, that i recommend them to all my friends. just know you have to believe 100% that this is the right thing for your child because it is incredibly painful to go through. we were rewarded by seeing such a change in his demeanor once he got better quality sleep that i know it was the right thing for him.
Rating: 
Summary: The methods in this book worked for us
Review: My daughter is 10 1/2 months old and has only just begun to sleep through the night. She's my first and only child so I don't have any experience with this but perhaps she just hit the age when she was ready or perhaps it was the methods I used from this book that helped. Mindell does advocate crying it out but encourages you to check on the baby and reassure the baby as frequently as you need to. I was putting my daughter down very drowsy where she'd start to fall asleep in my arms but wake upon putting her in the crib for many weeks before I started to put her down fully awake. I think this was a very gentle transition and my daughter never cried more than 10 minutes before falling asleep. She still sheds a few tears for a few minutes but then falls fast asleep and we don't hear from her until 11 hours later. It took us over 10 months but this was also a hard transition for me because I think I looked forward to rocking her all sweet and quiet during those dark middle of the night hours. This method isn't for everyone so if you think crying it out is babaric, then don't get this book. If you're really tired of waking up and need some fresh ideas to help your baby teach him/herself how to get to sleep, then it's definitely worthwhile trying this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Another cry it out book
Review: The thing with this book is, it's touted as a "gentle" way to get your baby to sleep through the night. The truth is that it is yet another "baby training" book that "teaches" you to let your baby cry alone in a dark room in his/her crib until s/he finally gives up and goes to sleep. The only difference is that Mindell "lets" you go and pick up, comfort, etc. your little one with any subsequent night wakings (Ferber methods "teach" to let the baby cry with each subsequent waking). Basically, if you have the heart to let your baby cry him/herself to sleep, don't waste the money on this book-it won't teach you anything you don't know. IF, however, you don't want to try a "cry-it-out" approach, you'd do much better by buying Dr. William Sears book titled "Nighttime Parenting". This excellent book will explain baby's sleep patterns & why your baby may be having sleep problems. With understanding you can usually gain tolerance, and that will help you deal with a baby who doesn't like to sleep alone a lot better than letting him/her cry.
Rating:
Summary: I am finally getting more than 5 hours of sleep!!!!
Review: This book is a savior! My daughter was 5 months and not sleeping in her crib and was still getting up in the middle of the night for a bottle. I read this book and it took only one week to get her into her crib and sleeping through the night! The first couple of nights were really hard (she cried for 45 minutes straight! AH-AH), but if you follow the plan described in the book and stick to it, it will work. The book was easy to read and understand, and has information about all kinds of sleep and behavior problems.
Rating:
Summary: Works amazingly well... temper with common sense
Review: I began using this method with my son when he was 10 months old. He was still sleeping with me and my husband. Plus, I was three months pregnant. No one was getting any sleep and I was a walking zombie. Within 5 days he was sleeping through the night. For me, the critical part about the approach was establishing a consistent bedtime routine. When my second child came along, I immediately established a routine with her and avoided the crying out portion completely. A lot of negative reviews were written concerning the vomiting comments Mindell made. First of all, my child never even came close to vomiting. If he had, I would have dialed it back and sought a reasonable alternative. I believe in seeking assistance from professionals, but I always temper the advice with good old fashion common sense based upon what makes since for my children. I suggest you do the same.
Rating:
Summary: Good facts - bad approach
Review: This book has lots of information about sleep, but the approach for correction is a variation of the Ferber cry to sleep method. If you can stomach many nights of crying to get to your goal this may be a book to read. If you want a more gentle approach that works just as fast I'd recommend The No Cry Sleep Solution. Both of these books are written by mothers which make them (in my opinion) better than those by professionals without children.
Rating:
Summary: essential reading for new parents
Review: I found this book enormously helpful right after my first child was born. I re-read the book after my second child was born, and I continue to reference it as sleep issues arise. The first six chapters are a goldmine of information, and they're a very quick read -- just over 100 pages. This is key when you're sleep deprived and time for reading is at a premium. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Informative and helpful
Review: My wife and I read this book before the birth of our child, and we found it to be very informative. It makes so much sense, that it almost seems like common sense. Of course babies (and everyone) wake up during the night, and of course if you put your baby to sleep by rocking, feeding or whatever, they will continue to need you to put them to sleep. I am happy to report that we put the method in motion and our baby was sleeping thru the night by week 7! And she puts herself back to sleep in the middle of the night without crying. Fantastic.
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