Rating: 
Summary: Sleep problems? Don't get this book.
Review: First let me say that I am a HUGE fan of Dr. Sears and attachment parenting, but this book was a waste of money. Nothing in here helped to resolve my 18 month old's sleep difficulties. Nearly half of this book is spent convincing you of the benefits of attachment parenting and keeping a family bed. We were already doing this, yet she would sleep only for a few hours and then wake up to play. It had been over a year and a half since I had slept more than 3 hours at a time! The section on causes of nightwaking in a toddler includes common sense causes that you already know: noise, hunger, temperature, stuffy nose. The extensive list of food that helps sleep? Well, this section is primarly about night nursing which does not always help with family spacing and can cause "baby bottle mouth" tooth decay despite Dr. Sear's claims to the contrary. The actual list of suggested food include a general statement of foods containing tryptophan and a suggestion of several others. To be a good parent you need sleep! So I bought Dr. Ferber's book Solving your Child's Sleep Problems after a friend explained to me that it's not just about "crying it out." In this book, I really learned about children's sleep patterns, and how many things contribute to their sleep habits. I tried giving my daughter more structure - waking her and feeeding her at the same time every day (schedules are a big no-no in attachment parenting) - instituted a bedtime routine, and weaned her from her middle of the night snacking. She never once cried it out or was left alone in a crib and she now sleeps in 8 hour stretches! Now, if I could just stop waking up to check on her...
Rating: 
Summary: Dr. Sears does it again!
Review: Once again, Dr. Sears is supportive of children and their parents. Parenting does NOT end at bedtime, nor should it! Babies and toddlers sleep differently from adults and we should respect that. Dr. Sears explains to us, in simple terms, how to parent at night: with respect and love. It's as easy as that. Who needs to sleep-train their baby? That's cruel. Babies need to know that they are loved and cherished 24 hours a day. Thank you, Dr. Sears!
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Summary: WARNING: you must co-sleep to understand this book
Review: I bought this book with the intention of getting my daughter to sleep better with gentler methods. Well, my idea of gentler methods is to apply pressure but slowly and gradually and with as little crying as possible. The Sears solution to sleep problems is for the parents to basically throw up their hands, stop doing all the necessary things in life and either carry your child around all day and/or sleep with him or her at all times. Both my husband and I both work, how is this possible. We have been raising children for 1000's of years and why all of a sudden do we have to apply ancient principles to a society that is totally different from what it was then. Our daily habits and child rearing practices are determined by our social structure. You can't apply practices from another culture when in fact your societal structure is totally different. These people make our children look like non-surviors and truly if everyone raised there children this way in the society we created, we wouldn't survive. These children are trained to believe that they have no independence outside their parents. This is why these children have trouble adapting to new situations and have that clingy tendency. If we want to do what's best for our child a balance of giving and receiving is needed. We owe it to our children to help them adapt to the world and integrate them into the world not shelter them and avoid what they will have to face later on. At that point it's too late. A truly inspiring and a book that is geared more towards the society we live in would be, Dr. Marc Weissbluth's, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". It is much more practical and you can apply the principles to your own unique situation. I do co-sleep with my child and this book doesn't judge you by where you sleep but how much you respect your child's needs with regards to sleep. All principles to this book can be applied to all situations, not just separate sleeping. It's a gentle book if the reader has a true understanding of how sleep works. This is why the parents must educate themselves. Last but not least, look at the ratings of this book compared to Dr. Marc Weissbluth's books. I think this says enough. The lower the ranking the better.
Rating:
Summary: Attachment Parenting leads to gentle sleep guidelines!
Review: This is a fabulous book for parents who want to treat their children with respect and kindness. The Ferber method of letting your child "cry it out" is disrespectful to the small baby and child - it doesn't allow for the fact that children are biologically designed to sleep with parents. Sleeping with a parent lets infants develop healthy sleeping patterns and actually can lessen the chances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome occuring. This book explains the reasons why small babies are not designed to sleep through the night - they have a biological need for food every few hours, and this is why they don't always sleep in the ways that adults do. If adults understand that babies NEED to wake up, and aren't just being "cranky" or "difficult," they are better able to parent their babies with respect. Sears has excellent ideas for childrearing and has written a book that clearly explains sleep theories. It won't so much teach you how to MAKE your child sleep as it will tell you that it's all right for your child to learn slowly and gradually.
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Summary: A Must-Read for Parents!
Review: This is book is excellent in helping parents understand the sleep process and their baby! Dr. Sears beautifully explains what are realistic and unrealistic sleep expectations of your infant. Instead of making sleeptime a struggle, Dr. Sears shows you how it can be one of the sweetest and most beautiful experiences parents and child can have. He lets you see that your child is not trying to manipulate or exert power over you. Your child is just doing what she is supposed to do - be a baby! I believe this book is a must for every parent! It will help you truly understand what sleep is all about and that it should be a warm, loving and happy time for the whole family.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing and not helpful
Review: Dr. Sears seems to espouse one solution to nightime problems, which is sleep with your child and breastfeed them constantly. Nowhere does he deal with the attendant problems of the family bed. Once my child grew used to my physical presence to fall asleep she was unable to fall asleep without me! This has gone on for years, while my friends who sleep separately from their children are all able to put their child to sleep with a happy 15 to 30 minute nightly routine of stories and songs. I also spend 15 minutes on stories, but then the hard part begins. As I wait for my daughter to fall asleep (sometimes a one hour wait) I fall asleep myself! When I wake up there is lots to do and I am sluggish and groggy. If family bed proponents were honest they would discuss this problem, but it is never mentioned.
Rating: 
Summary: Controversial--worth reading but a false rosy picture
Review: I'll avoid getting into the debate about whether co-sleeping is better or worse than cribbing it--I suggest parents make up their own minds and not feel defensive about it--but as someone who co-slept with baby for seven months I can tell you Dr. Sears is off his rocker when he says Mom sleeps better when baby's in the bed. No, Mom sleeps better when baby sleeps for a nice long stretch. In the bed, baby knows that Mom's All Night Snack Bar is open and will wake you every hour or two, which turned me into a cranky zombie. Thank goodness my son's transition to crib hasn't been too much of a battle (a couple weeks of him crying for 10 minutes and us caving in before he started sleeping through), but this cozy, everybody's-happy picture of co-sleeping is definitely not true for some of us.
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Summary: Even family bedders can have sleep problems
Review: Another reviewer mentioned that this book might be best for parents of newborns, not older infants. I have to agree. I picked it up when we started having lots of night time problems with our daughter, who slept in our bed. It outlines various problems, and the answer to each problem is: let your kid sleep in bed with you. Well, what if you are doing that, and you still have problems, like a child who wakes up several times crying, or who moans all night in her sleep, or who kicks and pushes mom all night long? I like the idea of family bedding, but it is NOT the cure-all that this book would have you believe. My child does not wake up happy just because she is in our bed, in fact, she often still wakes up crying. But there do not seem to be any books out there that actually address sleep problems for family bedders. Ferber's book was revolting; Sears' was a disappointment, with no real answers to sleep problems.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ FOR ALL EXPECTANT PARENTS!!
Review: All parents (mothers and fathers) should read this book before their baby is born. Had we read this while I was still pregnant it would have saved us 3 months of frustration and A LOT of money!!
Rating:
Summary: Read before you have your baby
Review: If I'd read this, I'd have gotten rid of my waterbed before ourbaby was born, instead of spending nights on the couch until we could take it down and put a safe bed up. The family bed has become one of the best parts about having children. Nothing beats waking up to happy babies instead of hearing crying through the monitor. Or noticing your child has a fever, because the feel of her hot skin wakes you up, and you are able to take care of her before she wakens and becomes upset. Or, sensing your child's unrest and waking up and fetching a bucket/bin *before* she throws up. In three years and two children, I've never had to change soiled sheets, I've never had a rough morning awakening. Perhaps the best is hearing your child say, in the middle of the night, "Mommy? I love you mommy" and feeling an arm flung over your shoulders as your child falls back asleep. Or laying between the people you love most in the world, listening to the precious child breaths. This book taught me how to be patient and trusting of my instincts in the face of noneducated but well-meaning relatives and friends. My children are wonderful sleepers and we are all well-rested, but more importantly, we parents are more patient and educated about nighttime parenting needs.
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