Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep (LA Leche League International Book)

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Summary: Not for parents of older infants
Review: This book strongly pushes the "family bed" technique of child rearing. If you're interested in that, this book is for you. If, however, you have an older infant who has suddenly decided she doesn't want to sleep, you're not going to get a lot of help from this book. There are a few suggestions and comments that might help you, but the book is really written for the new parent - to start your baby sleeping in your bed from the very beginning. Very well written with an obvious abundance of knowledge about babies, but not the book for everyone; and not the answer to questions about a baby sleeping in her own bed.

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Summary: A good, not great book on nighttime baby issues
Review: While William Sears is probably one of the best authorities on modern parenting, this book skims the surface of nighttime sleep issues. The problems are addressed too broadly and hence the book is only useful as a general guide with no specific courses of action or recommendations. The definitive book on nighttime sleep issues has yet to be written, and until it is, this will have to do

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Summary: Parents, READ THIS BOOK
Review: In fact, read anything by the Sears. They write with true compassion and respect for children. Their books make every other "parenting" guide seem deficient. I can't recommend highly enough this book as well as their other classics on "attachment parenting": "The Baby Book," "The Discipline Book," and "The Birth Book."

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Summary: Happy parents, happy children!
Review: Finally- RESPECTFUL advice for parents and children. Unlike books that recommend "training", crying it out, and putting children to sleep with an object for comfort, this book respects parents' empathy for their children. Real-world advice that works with no tears or timers

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Summary: An alternative to "cry-it-out" that really works!
Review: For parents who are looking for an alternative to the "cry-it-out" theory of getting their baby or child to sleep, this is the book for you. William Sears provides practical advice on everything from the causes of night-waking in infants and children to the best furniture to buy for the children to sleep on. He covers important information about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, night terrors, bed-wetting, thumbsucking, nighttime fathering tips, nighttime parenting of high-need babies, and much more. Working moms will particularly like this book because it will give them practical advice on how to ensure their young baby "knows who their mom is!" Sears' advice not only works, but it just plain "feels right". I've raised my two kids (now 2-1/2 and 10 mos) using his advice, and it really works. A "must buy" for every parent's library.

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Summary: Alternative to "Crying it Out"
Review: This book is pro family bed and is mainly for the breastfeeding mother. Dr. Sears does not advocate "crying it out." If you are not breastfeeding, do not buy this book. Dr. Sears believes that babies do not have the same sleep cycle as adults; therefore, parents of babies who sleep through the night should consider it a luxury. I found this book to be helpful, only because a lactation consultant recommended co-sleeping. I refused to use the "crying out" method and this book makes me feel good about choosing the family bed. This arrangement has worked for the past 7 months. Regarding the other reviewers who say that co-sleeping is not practical for the working mother, this is not true for everyone. I know plenty of people who co-sleep and work full-time. They say this is their way of being close to their child while they are away from them during the day. He explains this in the book also. Dr. Sears comes across as very caring and loving. I trust a man who has reared 8 children! He also explains why babies wake during the night, how to eventually wean your toddler from your bed, and how to get your toddler to take naps, etc.

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Summary: If all else fails, DRUG your baby!!!
Review: My gosh! ANY Dr. that tells his readers to drug their baby if all "natural methods of nighttime parenting" fails is a complete QUACK. I know some drs suggest the use of Benadryl, an over-the-counter drug. What does Dr. Sears suggest? The strong hypnotic prescription drug chloral hydrate to knock your child out!! Since he repeatedly states that CIO is not an option, I am under the assumption that he considers that unnatural. Why would a dr recommend drugging your child over trying other methods?
As for the family bed, most cultures do practice this, but did you know that studies in the US suggest that the family bed may encourage a variety of emotional stresses within a child? I suppose with anything, you find what works for you and you choose to believe the studies that support what you are doing. Sad that parents need this sort of information in order to "feel good" about how they parent. I just hope no one takes the extreme and drugs their child in order to get some sleep.

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Summary: Thank you, Dr. Sears
Review: The second night after my baby was born, the nurses in the hospital brought him to me sometime after midnight because "they couldn't make him stop crying." They lay him next to me and he nursed and promptly fell sound asleep. The first night I got home, baby did the same thing -- he would scream if left in his basinet -- but would snuggle down and sleep quietly if lying next to me. Lying next to him and nursing him to sleep thus seemed the natural thing to do -- and it helped all of us get as much sleep as possible -- but I felt guilty and uncertain aoubt it until I read Dr. Sears' advice. Thank you, Dr. Sears, for recommending this approach to "nighttime parenting," and letting me know that this is how mothers around the world care for their babies during the night. I'm pleased to report that after three months, I naturally began transitioning baby to his basinet for longer and longer stretches. Now, he sleeps there all night, and joins my husband and me in bed in the morning when we wake up and it's time to nurse.

Rating:
Summary: too many parents missing the point
Review: have you ever thought of the fact that after the first few weeks or months, babies NEED a good nights sleep as much as their parents? children dont like to go to bed, but they need to anyway. Anything a mom can do to incourage a good nights sleep in the longrun is not a "selfish mom" but an effective one.

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Summary: Good Advice for "Easy" Babies Only
Review: I own eight books by Sears and this is the only one I would not highly recommend. There isn't much in here that isn't in The Baby Book, though it goes into slightly greater detail in some areas. It is lacking in good techniques that work for babies age 9 months to 18 months unless they are very "easy" children. If you have an easy or average baby it is a quick read and might be worth the time if you know little or nothing about normal infant sleep. If you have a child with a challenging temperment don't even bother.