Rating: 
Summary: The book to buy if you can't stomach "sleep training"!
Review: After we tried "sleep training" a la Ferber (on two seperate occasions) and discovered that even if you follow Ferber's instructions to the letter, some babies (mine!) can pretty much cry indefinitely without sleep ever occuring to them, I felt like a failure...it worked for *everyone*, according to the books, so what was I doing wrong? [Ferber basically says his method WILL work for your child unless s/he's severly brain damaged!!] I listened to 2, 3, or even 4 hours of crying every night, going in to my child at gradually longer intervals, but he never stopped crying and went to sleep. In fact, he seemed to cry for longer and longer periods each subsequent night. And Ferber never says how long is too long to let them cry...was I really supposed to let my baby cry all night long, if that's what it took to go to sleep? So I threw Ferber out the window and bought Sears...what a huge relief! It may not work for everyone, but it worked for us. We are now doing a partial family bed (my son naps in his crib and sleeps some or all of each night there, but if he wakes during the night I take him in bed with us). I sleep so much better now, even with him in bed with us...if he partially wakes, I can soothe him back to sleep without either of us fully waking up (and the family bed can still work even if you are not breastfeeding--just snuggling up to mom and dad is soothing, and if they need a nighttime feeding, keep a bottle on ice at your bedside). I think this book is a lifesaver!
Rating: 
Summary: I was put off from the start
Review: I purchased this book and several others because I wanted to decide on parenting style: demand feeding vs. scheduling, sleeping habits, etc. This book didn't make any sense to me at all. I think its methods will produce needy, clingy, whiny, dependent children. I have asked mothers of more than one child and they all said that they tried the methods this book advocated for the first child, failed miserably, then succeeded with a more structured approach with baby number 2.
Rating:
Summary: I really needed this!!
Review: My son is a high-need child (at 5 months) and this book provided us a wealth of handy information. Not that a book can change a child's disposition but it can do wonders for the parent's perception as this did.Written with a child's best intentions in mind, Dr. Sears demonstates his usual high level of sensitivity in this work. As a new father I especially enjoyed the chapter for men -- it reminded me what my wife was going through (which is hard to truly appreciate when you are both woken up repeatedly throughout the night). It is a quick read but leaves the reader with lasting pieces of exquisite guidance. For these reasons I highly recommend it to new parents who want a excellent perspective on parenting a needy newborn (and after all, what newborn is not needy). Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Nighttime Parenting Creates Sleep for this Working Mom
Review: Forced to work, but totally committed to breastfeeding because I knew 1) the million and one medical benefits and 2) it would help "make up", in some small way, for the mothering my daughter was unable to receive during the day, I was about to kill myself each night when I had to sit up for half an hour at a time, several times a night, to nurse. I refused to give up, and finally realized that letting her sleep with me (no comforters, pillows far away, all other SIDS preventions, etc.) gave me the sleep I needed and the mother's milk she needed. This book gives the practical aspects of this and helps confirm that I wasn't crazy or worse, negligent, in making this choice. In fact, this is what ALL moms did until recent history. I thank God for the Sears!
Rating:
Summary: If you can't breastfeed, you are doomed
Review: I read this book before it had the LLL tag added, I guess it is now obvious that this is for breastfeeding mothers. I bought and read this book when my first child was 4 weeks old and still feel guilty 3 years later. I fully intended to breastfeed my son but couldn't. If you are unable to (or choose not to) breastfeed, don't even touch this book. Sears made me feel like I would never ever be a good parent because I wasn't able to breastfeed my baby. I also don't see how his suggestions work if you have more than one child and need to get your sleep at night. I hope that others can be spared the pain of being chastised for not breastfeeding -- especially when not being able to breastfeed was painful enough on its own. Thank goodness they added the part about LLL so that people like me would know not to buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: an indispensible resource for the right parents
Review: I really treasure Dr. Sears' work--Neither of my daughters consistently slept through the night until they were almost a year old, and I needed to read this book! He spoke to my heart and he made sense to my mind--I wish he was our family physician! If you are into quick fixes, this book is not for you. If you don't mind letting your child cry in the dark for up to 30 minutes at a time, this book is not for you. This is not the easy way, but in the long run, it is the best way, and I cannot reccommed it highly enough. By following the advice in this book about breast feeding and partial co-sleeping, I have opened myself and my husband up to so many special, quiet moments that we were able to share with each of our children. These are the irreplaceable memories of their infancies that I truly cherish. I hope this book can touch the lives of you and your family the way it did ours. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because I think the advice in the book would be very hard to implement without a spouse or partner who is equally committed to Dr Sears' ideas. (or who at least is willing to humor you)--It may also be difficult for single working moms (or working moms in general) to get around the idea that sometimes, you just don't get to sleep at night, but it will be worth it, I promise!
Rating: 
Summary: Not a book for working moms
Review: This is a great book for those seeking support and affirmation for longer term breastfeeding and for sharing a family bed. I appreciate those aspects of the book. However, I am no closer to a decent night of sleep than before I read it. Dr. Sears assumes that mother is home with baby which makes this book only marginally useful for working moms. (Yes, I know every mom is a working mom, but you know what I mean!). I think it is also directed primarily at younger babies. Essentially, it advocates letting baby nurse all night long, in your bed, as the appropriate solution for most nighttime waking issues. How ironic. That's exactly what I do with my 12 month old second child, and that's my problem, because I can't sleep! The book does acknowledge, in passing, that some women can't sleep while baby snacks all night, but basically encourages mom to endure for baby's sake suggesting that mother take naps while baby naps. Not an option when you have to work all day. Working mothers are accorded approximately 1.5 pages in a chapter addressing "other situations" - such as sick or hospitalized kids. The book suggests that nightwaking in babies whose mothers work outside the home is probably because the mother is working. Now if that were true, there wouldn't be a need for the other 180 some pages of the book, would there?
Rating:
Summary: Good Resource for tired parents
Review: Nighttime Parenting is the book that will help you really help your baby to sleep better, not "train" her. It is for parents who are willing to have patience with their babies, and not try to force them into rigid patterns before they are ready. I have an 11-month old baby who wakes up at night. I have read Ferber and Mindell and some of the others who advocate "sleep training." But I just couldn't let my baby cry herself to sleep, as they recommend. That's what it comes down to. Really helping your baby takes time, and effort. It's not easy, but did we really choose to become parents because we thought it would be easy? After using the suggestions in this book, my baby is now sleeping much much longer stretches than she was three months ago, and I am thrilled. I also don't mind getting up once or twice a night to comfort my precious daughter. This book is not for everyone. If you want your baby to sleep 11 hour stretches without bothering you, then you probably want the Ferber book. But, please reconsider, for your baby's sake.
Rating:
Summary: Good book for breastfeeding Moms
Review: This is a good book, but is written mainly for breastfeeding Mom's. If you're not breastfeeding, there is still some good information, but you'll have to wade through each chapter. If you are breastfeeding and you are condsidering having your child sleep in your room or in your bed, this book is excellent. Dr. Sears is kind, condsiderate and humorous at times. If however, you would prefer that your child sleep in their own room, you will probably get more out of Dr. Ferber's book - Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems. I bought both to compare approachs. You might benefit from the same strategy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book On Infant Sleep Paterns
Review: This is a very informative book - it really helped me to understand the physiology of infants and why they sleep and wake in the manner that they do. This book was also very encouraging and supportive of Co-sleeping, which is how our family sleeps. This would make a great starting point for anyone considering Co-sleeping, or anyone frustrated with their child's sleep problems after using some of the more common "sleep training" methods popular in the USA today. I got a lot from this book. My one complaint, however, is that there really needs to be more practical information on making Co-sleeping work. I'd like to see a book with more information on the daily ins and outs of co-sleeping and especially dealing with special situations. We've been extremely happy with our sleep arrangement and with the way our daughter is turning out, but I would love to see something offering us more "hands on" support and advice for our Co-sleeping arrangement. [For example, what can we do to ease things when a sibling comes along?]
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