Rating: 
Summary: Read only if you plan to co-sleep with your baby
Review: I am a tremendous fan of Dr. Sears and own several of his books, but this one is completely off-base. His best (and only) advice is to share the family bed, which is not an option for us since we own a waterbed. I had hoped to find some helpful information to apply to crib sleeping, especially since our baby had colic for four months. Unfortunately, Dr. Sears' only recommendation was to share the bed. Again, his other books are fine, but this one has only one advice line.
Rating: 
Summary: Another MUST READ from Dr. Bill and Martha Sears
Review: I don't know what I would have done without the great books from Dr. Bill and Martha Sears. I knew what I felt was the right way to parent by listening to my "mother's intuition", but I was also hearing a lot of conflicting advice. I was constantly being told not to nurse my 6-month old daughter to sleep, not to let her sleep in our bedroom, and not to feed her at night. After reading this book from Dr. Bill, I not only let my daughter sleep in my room, she is now in the bed with me. We both sleep so much better, since she can nurse without either of us waking up. It is a perfect scenario for today's busy lifestyle. Even as a stay-at-home mom, sometimes I don't get the private bonding time that I would like, so night time is our special time to cuddle together. She knows that her father and I are always there for her - not just when it is convenient for us. I have also started finding MANY people who share sleep with their children, and I feel much more confident about my mothering skills. I can't imagine my daughter being stuck in a room by herself alone, and Iam so thankful that I read this book from Dr. Sears. What a gift to bond with your child at night.
Rating:
Summary: Essential for new parents - as are any other of their books
Review: Nighttime Parenting is an invaluable guide for new parents. (This edition has outdated sleep positions in reference to SIDS, imagine the newest edition corrects it.) Yes, it does center around breastfeeding and the family bed. This should not alienate those who don't breastfeed or family bed - you still get valuable information and tips.BUT the best thing about the book was the attitude and (nicely worded) reminder of three things: (1) parenting does not stop at bedtime, (2) being a doctor or even a pediatrician does not mean one is an expert on PARENTING, and (3) many of the popular cure-all books on the market treat children's nighttime needs as problems. Certainly there are sleep disorders, but many doctors and books ignore that fact that infants are designed to awaken frequently. We've all heard it but new parents need to be reminded: this has been built into us for centuries as a survival mechanism. Until very recently in human existance, all babies slept next to their parents. If the babies awoke and were alone, they were at danger from predators and needed to cry and be found, to survive. Further, babies have tiny stomachs and breastmilk is designed to be easily digested. Babies wake up at night to eat - a very natural and essential fact. Manipulating or forcing your baby to adhere to rigid sleeping schedules may get you 6 to 8 hours of sleep, but there are more natural techniques to ensure that ALL family members have a more enjoyable sleep. My daughters have both slept through the night from 4 weeks. We do the family bed, and I still nurse my 9 month old. She surfaces to nurse but we both sleep through it, so she truly does sleep through the night. We had the same anxieties that other new parents do, and this book helped us use our own common sense with confidence.
Rating: 
Summary: Good AND Bad
Review: I bought this book because we were having problems getting our 8wk old to sleep in her crib. I read the suggestion of moving the crib next to the parent's bed with the rail off, and we tried it. She went to sleep BY HERSELF--IN BED and slept all night. I do not breastfeed any longer, but I wasn't upset about all the breastfeeding discussion in this book--if I disagreed, I just didn't read it! All in all, this book helped us out alot! and I highly recommend it!!!
Rating:
Summary: If you do not breastfeed your infant do not buy this book!
Review: One section of the book contained valuable information on sleeping patterns of infants, children, and adults. This does help shed some light on way infants and children sleep differently than adults. However, I found the rest of the book very disturbing. Almost every sentence in the book made reference to breastfeeding or sharing your bed with your infant or child. I am very much in favor of breastfeeding and sharing your bed if it works for your family. But, parents should not be put down or made to feel that they are not good parents if they do not breastfeed or share their bed. I intended to breastfeed my child. He was unable to breastfeed. This does not mean I care less about my child than a breastfeeding mother does. The book actually says that a breastfeeding mother will respond more quickly to her crying infant than a mother who feeds her infant a bottle. If you do not breastfeed do not buy this book. Almost all the advice about helping your infant sleep is specific to breastfeeding and/or sharing your bed with your infant. I was disappointed that I spent some of our money on a book that did absolutely nothing to help us to get our infant to sleep.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent teaching on how to enjoy your child.
Review: After applying the priciples in this book, nighttimes at our home with our 6-month-old are no longer angry and stressful. Dr. Sears gave me the confidence to parent instinctively and learn to enjoy my son more. The techniques illustrated in this book are gentle, kind and correct. This book is an excellent resource for parents.
Rating:
Summary: Dispelling out-dated myths
Review: I'm so glad I found this book. It makes you feel right about doing the right thing. I was someone who guiltily brought the baby into bed, worried that he wouldn't learn to be "independant", and that I was increasing his risks of SIDS. Thank you, Dr. Bill, for giving me the information to do what is right for me and my baby, and to not feel guilty about it. I just wish I'd had this book when my first was a baby.
Rating:
Summary: Love this book!
Review: This book really emphasizes how beneficial the family bed is. I only wish I had read it before I had my son. By the time I read the book, my son was so used to sleeping in his crib and having his own space, moving him into our bed didn't work out. Dr. Sears is compassionate, loving and has wonderful adivce for new mothers and fathers. The book has a chapter just for new Dads too, which I liked. If you're not into unrestricted breastfeeding and the family bed, you won't get as much out of the book as you are meant to. This is defintely the kind of book you should read BEFORE YOU HAVE YOUR BABY. I would have done things so differently had I read this book while I was pregnant.
Rating:
Summary: Supportive, constructive, refreshing!
Review: Definitely the book I was looking for to reasuure me that my natural parenting instincts weren't warping the development of my very gifted, wonderful toddler. On the downside, as a book published over a decade ago, Nighttime Parenting is in serious need of updating on the important topic of sleep positions and SIDS prevention. It also suffers from several organization problems (napping is at the very back of the book, as is a wonderful "letter" from a baby who co-sleeps--which would have been more accessible if placed closer to the front). While NP could stand a revision and update for 1998 parents, overall a worthwhile book for anyone interested in attachment parenting.
Rating:
Summary: Finding the information you need isn't easy.
Review: This book provides practical information on finding a solution that will meet the needs of your family (needs of baby AND parent). It advocates responding to your baby's needs in a way that is very natural and loving. Co-sleeping with your baby is not the only solution Dr. Sears suggests. For more information on co-sleeping historically and cross-culturally, I recommend The Family Bed by Tine Thevenin. If you're looking for solutions to your older baby's sleep problems, you may also want to see The Discipline Book by Dr. Sears. I understand the urge of parents who want to have their babies trained to sleep through the night in a nursery room -- some times I wish for the free time I imagine that affords. But we have fewer night problems than people we know who follow other methods. It's easier to make choices as a parent when you sort your wants from your needs. Babies ask for what they need. We have a very peaceful time as a family by following Dr. Sears advice and it really shows in our toddler's daytime and nighttime behavior.
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