Rating: 
Summary: This book is a MUST for all parents
Review: At our 4 month visit to the pediatrician she asked "How is she sleeping?" We described this arduous lengthy ritual of feeding and rocking her to sleep every night and she said "You need to think of starting to teach her to get to sleep on her own by the time she is 6 months old." I belong to a new mothers group and a woman in the group suggested this book... she described it as the "kinder, gentler Ferberizing method." Our 7 month old daughter sleeps now from 8 to 8 (sometimes 8 to 7) and takes one scheduled nap in the a.m. and sometimes another in the afternoon in her stroller. She is such a great sleeper and the quality of our lives has greatly improved. YES it was hard letting her cry. Some nights she still cries for a few minutes but I know she needs her sleep and that she is not crying because she is in pain but because she is tired. I know so many parents whose children are horrendous sleepers and are still having problems as toddlers. I am so glad to give my child the gift of having a good nights sleep. She is a much happier baby and we are much happier parents!! If you like some sanity and structure in your life this book will certainly help! As new parents we need all the help we can get!
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Summary: What A Relief!
Review: My son was sleeping through the night at 2 1/2 months old - just in time for me to go back to work full-time. I made the mistake of bragging about what a good sleeper he was! Two serious viruses - at 5 and 6 months - totally destroyed everything he knew about going to sleep and staying asleep. I finally decided enough was enough when bedtime became a 2 hour struggle to get him to sleep (I never feared a ringing phone so much in my life!) and I was getting up four times a night with a 10 month old, resulting in my feeling like a zombie 24 hours a day. I chose this book because I liked the reference to the author as a "kindler, gentler Ferber" - while I have not read Dr. Ferber's work, it did not sound as appealing to me. Dr. Mindell explains what sleep is and that going to sleep is learned behavior. She approaches the sleep solution systematically, yet kindly - she recognizes and addresses parental feelings. I am absolutely amazed at how simple and effective her recommendations are. Within the first week, my son was falling asleep within five minutes of going to bed, and had slept through the night several times. After three weeks, bedtime has become a calm, quiet time and he is sleeping soundly until morning. I feel like a new person - awakening refreshed and able to make it through my long days without feeling drained by evening. We are all much happier and very grateful for this book.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a dangerous advise book
Review: I got the book when my baby was about 2 months old...I read it and as every parent looking for the "solution" to MY "sleeping problem" the contents of the book wondered on my head for days...trying to figure out what to do...I'm glad I didn't try it. After much more months of maturation as a parent, I have learn that it could be dangerous to sell ideas to parents as "the only way", the "best way", "if you don't do this you'll be harming your child:sleep disorders", etc. Every parent knows all babies are different, react different to same situations, every family has a very particular reality and every parent a totally different background. So How is that could ever exist "the way" to do this or that? to approach this or that with your baby? Besides the concept of the method itself "letting your child cry it out", what I dislike the most about this, and all other books that in one way or another support Ferber's theory, is that they sell their approach as "the only alternative" for our culture...This types of books are sure to be a bestseller...these ideas attempt to give you "quick fixes", "one-two-three-steps methods" of parenting, and I beleive there couldn't be such a thing. I went to a seminar (with some other 30 moms of babies from 1 week to 3 years) about sleeping habits in babies. The speaker, a PhD, trained in the same philosophy of Mindell, talked for 5 minutes about general information on baby sleep patterns and 40 minutes on "rules" and "what-to-dos", "how long to let him cry and so on" to get your baby to sleep. I felt that she was selling a life saving device for mothers...all these mothers, as I was, were sleep deprived. You come selling the method and saying "this is it", "do it and get back to sleep normally" and I believe you can capture the attention of every one in the room. But is it appropriate? is it right to assure a group of people that "this is the only and best way", the "american way". The worst part of all is that for some babies it does work...but as a parent everybody should now that this is a trade-in...what are you willing to exchange for a good night of sleep? (A lot...I know) but before considering applying these techniques, read other alternatives. Read more about what are you really exchanging when you do this. I recommend books such as "Evolution's End" by J. Chilton Pierce, "KIDS" by Meredith Small, "Nighttime Parenting" by William Sears, "Attachment Parenting" by Katie Allison Granju. Read about it and if after all, you find that this philosophy (Ferber and Mindell's Method)is the one that best fits your family and your expectations as a parent, then go ahead, but make of this very important decision an "informed decision".
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Summary: The importance of sleep
Review: Good friends recommended this book to us 2 years ago. It worked so well for our son starting at 8 weeks old, that we have in turn recommended it to many other couples who have also been successful in establishing good sleep patterns for their children (of a variety of ages). Most improtantly, this book helps you to understand your childs sleep NEEDS. So many parents fool themselves into thinking that if their child doesn't look sleepy, they mustn't need to go to sleep, or that their child had different needs. The proper amount of sleep has kept our child healthy and alert and us parents sane. We have enjoyed parenthood without losing touch with still being a couple; our child is in bed at a proper hour leaving US couple time in the evening. Our only suggestion is that ALL the people involved with your child's care must agree to follow the guidelines of the book otherwise you are sending confusing messages to your child. Be as consistant as gravity!!
Rating: 
Summary: Sleeping Through the Night
Review: [....] I must say I was very disappointed with the content. I did not want to resort to the typical "cry it out" method. After 12 months of no sleep we pulled the book out again, desperate. Our child did not start to go to sleep on her own until almost 3 weeks after starting Mindell's method. Mindell says that it will only take a week. We are now in our third month of practicing Mindell's method and our daughter still does not sleep through the night consistently. Mindell gives a lot of good info regarding why its important for infants to learn how to sleep on their own but by no means is the book a guarantee that your child will sleep through the night.
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Summary: It Worked Great for Us - What More Need I Say?
Review: It worked great for us - and in a very short time. It may not be the right approach for everyone, but we're very glad we got this book early, and we give it to all our friends as they beome parents. Frankly, we are the envy of most of the new parents we know because our son, Sterling, sleeps from 7:30pm to 6:00am almost every night with seldom any waking in-between. While we are certainly blessed with a good baby, we think the book made a critical difference. Best wishes to all of you starting out on parenthood, this book made things much easier on us - hope it works as well for you too. Good luck.
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Summary: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!
Review: This book has changed our lives. Both our 3 year old (who is in a bed) and our 5 month old were terrible sleepers, waking every night. We were exhausted and they were exhausted. Our pediatrician recommended this book and after reading it, we had a new appreciation for how important sleep is for everyone in our family. Within a week of implementing Dr. Mindell's suggestions, our entire lives have changed. Everybody is sleeping well and dramatically happier during the day. It is so wonderful to walk into our daughters' rooms in the morning and see them so happy and ready for the day.Everyone should own a copy of this book and I give it to all my pregnant friends. It truly is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
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Summary: Not for Toddlers in a Bed
Review: My husband and I have spent the last two weeks walking our daughter to her bed for 2 to 2 1/2 hours every night. The ideas in this book are good if your child is in a crib and cannot get out. This theory became a game that kept our daughter awake instead of sleeping.
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Summary: you don't need to pay money to hear your child scream
Review: The gist of this book is "just let them cry". My husband and I have followed the advice of this book to the letter but my son does not and has not responded the way the book says he will. Sometimes he falls asleep after screaming only five minutes and sometimes he falls asleep after screaming for hours, there's no pattern that I can tell. He does eventually fall asleep though, but he did that before we used this method.
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Summary: Our son cried ... until we got this book!
Review: Our 10-month old son was waking up 3-4 times a night, sometimes screaming in little mini "night terrors". He was cranky all day, would burst into tears for no reason, and napped on no particular schedule. We thought we were following his body's lead and pursuing a "natural" sleep cycle. When I got this book, I realized that he was getting too little sleep and that we weren't helping him to get to sleep when he needed to. The truth was, he wanted to stay awake, but it wasn't good for him. It took three nights for him to start sleeping through the night. Did he cry? Sure. Was it hard? Sure. But it was hard when he wasn't sleeping well, too! By the third day, he was a different kid; smiling and happy in the daytime, sleeping 12 hours at night. His nap schedule meant that we could actually plan our days. I don't think this method is for every kid, but I have seen it work on many. Don't be put off by other people trying to frighten you off from learning more. Read the book yourself and see if it makes sense to you. The author has a lot of information about children's sleep patterns that I come back to again and again. Take from it whatever you find useful and apply it to your child. Good luck!
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