I purchased this book with two others and after reviewing not less than four total, I would say Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child would be the best of the lot and if you can only afford one book about this topic, get this one. That said, this book should only be read by people with excellent mental filtering abilities. I ignored much of the dialogue regarding the ADHD implications, etc. Many I have spoken with, including my husband felt the book contradicted itself "never wake a sleeping baby" "wake baby if..." I understood where others felt the author contradicted himself but I think the real issue is the Dr. Wiessbluth isn't very good at describing moderation, presenting both sides of the coin, and then trusting our parental instincts.

All of that sounds sort of negative. Here is what I learned. 1. My baby wasn't getting enough sleep. 2. She wasn't going to sleep early enough and wasn't on a regular or consistent sleep routine. 3. Her sleep environment was too "busy" and needed "quieting". 4. I wasn't allowing her the opportunity to develop self quieting skills nor allowing her to learn how to get to sleep. 5. I wasn't guarding her nap time sacredly enough. And finally, (6) car seat sleep isn't restful sleep.

After reading this book we made changes around the aforementioned are VERY happy with the outcomes. Our baby naps two times per day for about 1.5 - 2 hours with approximately 2.5-3 hours between nap times. She goes to bed about 2.5-3 hours from the time she gets up from her last nap and stays asleep, in her crib for 10-12 hours each night. It isn't always this way (teething, colds, etc.), but it sure is a lot better than waking up every 4 hours to a crying or wide awake and playing infant. She does wake up occassionally very early in the morning but plays by herself in her crib and falls back to sleep on her own without any "help" from us.

Again, prepare yourself for what seems like contradicting information or suggestions, they aren't at all truly contradicting, just trying to infuse moderation, common sense, or freedom to experiment in order to achieve maximum healthy sleep results.

Good luck and happy sleeping.

This is our first baby, so I don't know if we are lucky or if adequate sleep has made him perfect! He is either smiling and laughing, exploring or sitting in quiet contemplation. But, this book is confusing because it was poorly edited. My advice is to stick with it and revisit it frequently until the basic points make an impression. The biggest problem with this book and philosophy is that once you buy into it, it is unbearable to see over tired children in public. Seeing tired babies out with their parents at 8 and 9pm at a weekly outdoor concert in my town was a total buzz kill.

I recommend this book if you are looking for study results on the value of sleep. This book reads more like a textbook than other "getting your baby to sleep" books. I feel better educated on making decisions for my child on sleep matters. I did not necessarily apply techniques as much as I incorporated philosophies. People are always giving advice on what to do and not to do. This book helps you understand the importance of sleep and makes suggestions on how to improve the quality of your child's sleep.

This is good info to know about babies even if you are unable to do everything the doctor wants.

As a happy but sometimes sleep-deprived breastfeeding mother of a typical 7 month old, I have read a wide variety of books on parenting and sleep.

Books that promote strict feeding/sleeping routines, such as BabyWise & Baby Whisperer, provide potentially damaging advice to the mother hoping to successfully breastfeed. The assertion that you must follow some kind of eat-activity-sleep schedule is insensitive to the needs of our babies and can be detrimental to the nursing relationship.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have turned to the No Cry Sleep Solution looking for some instruction on sleep training that preserved the breastfeeding relationship, but was again disappointed with her complicated and sensational advice which amounted to not much more than teaching my baby to fall asleep without nursing.

I guess I want the best of both worlds - I want to nurse my baby to sleep, which I believe is a perfectly natural and enjoyable way to soothe and reconnect with my baby, but then I want to be able to put him down afterwards and allow him to take a good nap or sleep well at night. If he wakes up hungry and wants to nurse a couple of times at night, I consider that perfectly normal (as does Weissbluth!) and am more than happy to oblige, but what I want to avoid is him waking every 2 hours at night wanting to nurse back to sleep!

Weissbluth offers a refreshingly simple, if not necessarily "easy," solution. While he describes multiple different sleep strategies for infants, classified according to their age, the advice I find most helpful is the research-based information about baby's biological rhythms and sleep needs that dictate when they are most apt to take a nap or go to sleep at night, and how much sleep they should get overall.

Moreover, his advice that you can and should soothe your child to sleep by nursing if you desire, but then you should put them down whether they are still awake, asleep, or somewhere in-between, and allow them to fall asleep on their own once put down, is just what this tired nursing mama needed to hear. Yes, there MAY be some crying if your baby is over-tired or if your baby has never been given the opportunity to fall asleep on his own, and this is extremely heart-wrenching for any mother to endure, but this is not the GOAL of this plan, simply a by-product of ALLOWING your baby to learn to fall asleep on his own.

If you truly believe that as a parent your job is to prevent your child from ever crying or otherwise experience any type of frustration in life, then this book is probably not for you. However, if you realize that any sleep-training program may cause some frustration in your child during the learning phase, and if you would like to get some fact-based information on infant/child sleep along with many useful tools to help your little one get the sleep they need, then I would highly recommend this book!

I believe that teaching our children how to sleep well, and making sacrifices in our own lives in order to allow this, is as important as making sure our babies get the best nutrition, and plenty of love! This book is an excellent resource for parents who feel the same way.

I bought this book while I was pregnant because I knew too many parents of babies over 9 months who were still getting up several times a night. I was afraid of the same fate and wanted to have some information on sleep. After reading a lot of reviews I got the impression that the people who dislike this book are fans of "attachment parenting" and no-cry methods. I decided to buy the book for its information on sleep, not for any parenting philosophies.
My daughter is now 9 weeks old (and according to the book is at the 6 week stage based on being 3 weeks early) and sleeps for 6-7 hours at night. I have used the information in the book to ensure that we get her sleeping when she needs it, and in 9 weeks she has never cried about going to sleep. I have found that the information in the book very valuable. Several things that I would never have know without reading this include the fact that babies cannot tolerate more than 2 hours of being awake, recognizing signs of tiredness which are not obvious, and that the overtired state will seem like a baby is not tired at all. The author gives many different options and suggestion for sleep problems, soothing etc, so I never felt like he was pushing a parenting philosophy. The book reassured me that my family is not doomed to constant night waking for the next few years.
Now the major thing that I really disliked about the book was that it is completely and utterly disorganized. It is very difficult to find information that you want, and there are many times when there is a heading, but the following paragraph has nothing to do with the heading. It is hard to search for information, so I had to resort to folding pages and highlighting (I hate to mark up my books). This was pretty annoying, but overall I felt that the information in it was worth hunting through the book. I still refer to it once in a while, especially since I have not yet read much about the age groups past 4 months.

I both loved and hated this book. I loved it because it's full of practical tips, many directed at specific problems your child may be having with sleep. I hated it because it combines useful pieces of information with a healthy dose of the "follow this book or you will damage your child" school of thought. Because the good parts of the book are so useful, it's harder to recognize the hyperbole for what it is. I recommend this book, but read it with a critical frame of mind.

I cannot say enough good things about the author of this book who enabled my daughter to sleep -- and thanks to her now phenomenal sleep, she has developed beautifully and is so, so happy!!!! Dr. Weissbluth is a genius and a God-send. Definitely buy this book. And a sleep consultation with him will change your child and your life!!!!!! 312-642-0521. I am so grateful to this author -- and I hope all families put this brilliant pediatrician's solutions into practice so that you can all thrive.

We started reading this when our daughter was 6 months. It has been very helpful. Now I know what to expect out of her sleeping schedule. I know how much she needs to sleep for her age, when to put her down for naps, and I have confidence when I have to leave her upset about being put down that I'm doing what's best for her. I now know how very important sleep is for a baby and feel better about the sacrifice it takes on my part. It's so much easier now that I'm not constantly questioning whether she's really tired or not. I can read the signs and the clock and I'm confident!

Note: It's pretty redundant when you read it cover to cover - I think you could easily skip around to the chapters you feel apply to your child.

We started reading this when our daughter was 6 months. It has been very helpful. Now I know what to expect out of her sleeping schedule. I know how much she needs to sleep for her age, when to put her down for naps, and I have confidence when I have to leave her upset about being put down that I'm doing what's best for her. I now know how very important sleep is for a baby and feel better about the sacrifice it takes on my part. It's so much easier now that I'm not constantly questioning whether she's really tired or not. I can read the signs and the clock and I'm confident!

Note: It's pretty redundant when you read it cover to cover - I think you could easily skip around to the chapters you feel apply to your child.

Great book for any parent. It helped me get my 8 week old on a schedule in just one week. A must buy!

It horrifies me to think that a new parent would take this Dr.'s advice! Much of what he advocates borders on neglect. I had to study this book as part of a degree program and threw it away as soon as I was finished. I hope that no child has to undergo his methods.

Weisbluth is a little "wordy." However, if you cut through that, the advice is sound and firm...and it works. It just makes sense that as parents we must know what's best for our child. It's up to us to set the schedules and make the decisions. Following old adages like, "he'll let you know what he's tired" is foolish. You wouldn't let your child decide that he didn't need to eat. It's just as dangerous to have inadequate sleep as it is to have improper nourishment. We all should remember that we're the parents, and they're just children. They need us.

These kind of books invariably attract passionate reviews from both ends of the spectrum. Attatchment parenters and readers of Sears and Pantley (I have both authors, more than one book from each in my bookshelf) or those who read Gina Ford (I have hers too) and let them 'cry it out' (oh the shame). Generally crying it out or controlled crying are only resorted to if you start reading any of the books, no matter whose side you're on, too late to learn how to instill good sleep habits to start with.

Many of us are attachment parenters who have found that their child needs a little more routine and a lot of help with their sleep than having a strict attachment parenting style can offer. Sometimes hard decisions need to be made for the wellbeing of the whole household not just the child. Yes, parenting is an all-day and all-night job, however if both baby and you are exhausted and cranky then maybe you need some help.

I found that Dr W (I am typing this with baby no 3 napping in my arms) 'appears' to support co-sleeping but on reading the book feel he perhaps doesn't; but this doesn't bother me as I got a lot out of the book anyway. I have 3 children who have been 'guided' by this book, the oldest being 3.5 years the youngest being 3 months (and she still sleeps with me, yes in my bed, at night) and they all sleep (bar one feed from my youngest) from 6/6:30pm to 6:30/7am sometimes even 7:30 if all the stars are in alignment ;).

So take the reviews with a grain of salt, and read the book for what it is - a guide, not an instruction manual on the 'correct' style of parenting. You'll get a lot out of it.

This book offers some good facts about baby sleeping, but as a new parent with limited time, I wish I could have a firm plan that I can try it out. I found this book difficult to follow and confusing for the most part. I wish I had enough time to sit down and read it all and then digest it for another month, and then make out a plan for my baby. In this book, there is no plan or whatsoever, just basic facts and endless warnings. This is not a step by step program to me, this is a pediatrician's notebook on baby sleep. If you do some research or have to take part in a test on baby sleep, this is the right book.

I am a pediatrician who just had my first child. I did not know about this book until friends suggested it when my child was about 3months old and wouldn't nap well in his crib. I found the book to be extremely helpful and useful. It totally changed our lives, and we have an extremely good sleeper now. Our child loves his crib and was sleeping through the night with good daytime naps by 4 months. We have since given this book as gifts to all our friends having babies, and everyone says the book it is great. It is a must have for new parents. Very easy to read as well.

As my daughter passed the three-month mark, her fall-asleep-nursing, nap-in-the-carrier/stroller/lap sleep habits fell apart. She was just so interested in the world that she began to resist sleep, especially during the day. On the recommendation of a friend, I consulted this book. The most helpful thing about Dr. Weissbluth's book is that it explains the biology of children's developing sleep needs and abilities. He is very clear about what the sleep goal -- timing, duration, etc. -- should be for each stage of development, but not too dogmatic or judgmental about what method we the parents use to get to the goal. With the information I learned, I was able to figure out a training method that worked for us. (It involved some crying, but never for extended periods of time.)

The content is so useful that I decided to return the library copy I had been using and buy my own. The presentation, however, sometimes annoys me. The organization is perplexing at times. Dr. Weissbluth occasionally lapses into a tone of, "Gee willikers, I sure know more about this than almost anyone else." The many real-life stories that are included are intended, I'm sure, to illustrate how varied families' experiences are, but since they all follow the same plot, which goes, "We were exhausted and miserable, we followed the good doctor's advice, now everything is hunky-dory," it starts to sound like a cult.

My recommendation, then, is to read it for the information, which is tremendously valuable, but don't rely on it to make you feel reassured and comforted!

I'm a dedicated follower of this book's principles. I'm also a fan of Dr. Weissbluth's style and approach, which seem sensible and moderate to me. His methods and advice worked very well for our family and we continue to consult the book as different situations arise (a baby's sleep keeps changing as he/she gets older!).

I have a fussy two month old and a friend recommended this book so I bought it. I found that the techniques and information is the same as anything you can find online for free. The only reason I would purchase this is if I didn't have regular internet access. Otherwise don't waste your money.

This book has one basic message that is found all over the internet and in other books. Yet most of the book is a bunch of stories written by other parents and their experiences with their kids. Personally, I dont care what other parents are doing. Its not a one size fits all approach. I am also sick of these authors acting as if they invented this concept of nap time. Argh. It sort of demeans us as parents as if we are ignorant to our babys needs. He also employs the cry it out method.
Go with your intuition.

What critics fail to understand (or fail to read in the book), is that Dr. Weissbluth reveres the bond between children and parents, and teaches you to be in tune with your baby's needs, not to ignore them. If you follow his techniques from the beginning, you may never have any crying at all. Crying is what happens when parents miss their babies' sleep cues and let them become overtired.

We follow Dr. Weissbluth's advice about naps and bedtimes religiously, and our daughter is the happiest, most well rested baby around. She co-slept with us for 11 months (something Dr. Weissbluth addresses and supports), but she moved to her crib when it began interfering with her ability to fall, and stay, asleep. There was a lot of crying, from her and us, but after 4 nights, she was sleeping a solid 12 hours in her crib, with at most a few minutes of fussing (not crying).

There is a lot to learn, but Dr. Weissbluth explains everything very well, and answers many common questions. For people who think this book just advocates dumping your child in the crib and closing the door: It took us 3-4 months to learn to pick up on our daughter's sleep cues. Now, we are so in tune with her sleep needs, we can predict what time she will need to sleep, and for how long, by observing her for 30 seconds. Thanks to this book, we have become more effective parents, and our daughter has learned how to get the sleep she needs to get the most enjoyment out of every day. How is that lazy or cruel parenting?

This book was really helpful in learning to recognize when my baby is ready for sleep. It also explained the vitality of sleep for infants very thoroughly, however I was very turned off with the section that talks about letting the baby cry-it-out. Particularly the part where the author says to let the baby scream as long as needed and even if he/she vomits on themselves, don't pick them up, just clean up the vomit and leave the room. A little too heartless and cruel for my taste.

This book provides a scientific guide to helping your child sleeps. I like it because if offers guidelines, solutions, and a practical outline of what the average child needs.
I have read some books that make you feel terrible if your child cries at all. This book says you need to do whatever you feel is best for both the parent and child.
1st this book helped me when my daughter was 5 months old and wouldn't sleep while on vacation. Now, 9 mo. old, it is helping me determine the amount of sleep she needs at night and during naps. Since we let her cry through a night feeding, she is sleeping though the night again, taking good daytime naps again, and much happier all around.

The bottom line of the book is that your child needs sleep. This book helped me and my daughter become happy and well rested again.

PS. The no cry sleep solution made me cry instead of helping me.

This book brought us hours of sleep with both our children. Weissbluth is a genius. His monthly guides that help you as a parent understand your child's sleep patterns are essential. When I was ready to have my children learn to sleep on their own, his book was filled with anecdotes that I could use to guide me. Both of my children (3 and 4) sleep 10-12 hrs at night and 1-3 hrs in the afternoon thanks to his book. They were sleeping through the night at 3 mths (even while nursing), and they had daily nap schedules as little as 3 mths too. This book is by far the best investment we made as a family!

Out of all the books I read for learning about child care this was one of the most helpful. It has a lot of science behind it which I liked ( I am a medical professional) and I think many books out there are just someone elses opinion. I would include it with my top 3 favorite books, the others were the "Baby Whisperer Solves all your Problems" and "12 Hours Sleep in 12 weeks".

I started reading this book near the end of my pregnancy and continued after I was discharged from the hospital but baby had to stay there in the NICU. I wanted to start off with some great sleep habits from the moment baby arrived home.

I initially was very fascinated by the foundations the book set forth in regards to how important sleep is to an infant/child's development, and feel that Weissbluth definitely knows his stuff when it comes to sleep's affect on a child's development. These first few chapters provided great foundational concepts -- that sleep, like food, is essential to healthy growth and has different qualities (not all types of sleep are created equal).

BUT... as the book moved on, I found the practical application sections extremely confusing, complicated, and sometimes contradictory, sometimes redundant. Maybe it was just that I was reading this half sleep-deprived myself (although when else are parents likely to be reading this?), but I found it very poorly organized and confusing. I was pretty much left confused as to how to simply begin a good sleep program--what were my first steps?

Along these lines, there are also so many "warnings" along the way (scattered about in a haphazard manner) that you end up feeling paranoid that whatever you do is going to mess up your baby's sleep schedule.

Although I very much appreciated the first few chapters for their foundational concepts (and I will always take these with me -- thus the 3 stars), I found this book pretty unhelpful for practical application. For practical application, I will use the No Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley, which is much more clear and concise.

This book saved my life, and I love it. The background info about sleep is interesting. It gives good tips for getting your baby to sleep and it really works. Not for the "no-cry" crowd, he advocates cry it out, of ferber method.

This book is very confusing (and I have been a book editor in the past)! The chapters for say months 1-4 include discussion about 8 month olds and jump around from age to age. Also there is no "strategy" page for each age group so a parent can turn to the book quickly to learn what to do. I hate reading this and i know of several others who agree, claiming it is about as understandable as reading a instruction manual for a stereo translated from japanese to english. the tenets of the book are spot on of you have the power to get through it, but because it is so all over the place i would not recommend this book. ferber's book is more concise and more understandable

Rocking and nursing, says the author, are detrimental to the child. Checking on the child during the night and offering sympathy and comfort are taboo as well. By doing those things, parents are spoiling their children and setting up bad habits that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. By avoiding them, even at the expense of screaming until hoarse and vomiting - and beyond! - we are creating autonomous, well-behaved members of society.

Heaven forfend that parents might actually consider being PARENTS to their CHILDREN. After all, we wouldn't want to miss out on a little sleep just so we can reassure our children that parents will always be there for them no matter what.

If you bought this pile of tripe, I urge you to return it and find something else.

I actually borrowed this from the library and read it before deciding to buy, so I knew what I was buying. Still, it's just okay. It has some really good information, but I didn't feel it really said step-by-step what you should do. I also felt that the author repeated himself a lot and that the information wasn't very well organized (basically he could have used a better editor who was willing to reorganize it).

For example, he talks about how babies will most likely be able to start a sleep schedule when they're 3 to 4 months old, but then has a story about an 8 week old who he helped the parents put on a sleep schedule, but didn't really explain how or whether this was a good idea (it sounded like the parents had to just because the mom went back to work. Could I, should I, try to put my 2 month old on a sleep schedule, too, even though I'm not going back to work, just because I want more sleep? What is the likelihood he'll be able to be put on a sleep schedule early? These questions aren't answered).

But I figured for the $10, it was worth buying the book for reference. I think that "The Sleepeasy Solution" is better in that it goes through step by step what you should do and at what age. If you only buy one book I'd try that one (or borrow from the local library). For children before 3 months, I'd try "The Happiest Baby on the Block." It's a great book for how to soothe newborns and help them sleep.

You must buy this book to help with your child's sleeping! Buy it as soon as the baby is born so you understand your child's sleep habits. The earlier you understand the way your child's mind and body works, the easier it will be for them to sleep!

I bought this book on a recommendation because I was having trouble getting my child to sleep. As I was reading the book I found myself appalled by the practices this author was suggesting. If you are all for the cry it out method in any shape or form this is by all means the way to go. I wouldn't recommend this book.

This book is empowering. Finally, not just a Dr. but a sleep expert explains how and why to get my children in bed.
Also he seems have not political or social agenda. It's just the facts. I love it and I already feel better knowing I have a plan.

We had some serious sleep issues with our 3.5 year old daughter, that seemed to have started when she was about 2 years. After trying everything I read this book and it brought a health issue to my attention: tonsils and Sleep Apnea. Turns out that was her problem, and this book confirmed my suspicions. WE had surgery and things have turned around. I also feel that the Dr. makes very sound and logical arguments about sleep for children and most kids dont get enough. Best book I have read on the issues so far.

Two friends gave me this book before I had my baby, and it was immensely helpful! I didn't read it ahead of time, but it is broken down into quick and easily readable parts - going by how old your baby is by weeks or months. It was right on in my experience. Succinct and very realistic. Offers more than one way to deal with/approach sleep issues too, so you can try which ever method seems most appealing to you.

PLEASE, if you have a child who doesn't sleep or EAT well, get this book and try it. My 6 1/2 month old has never eaten well (formula allergy as a newborn, became a snacker later on). She rarely ever finished a 4 ounce bottle even though I knew at this age she needed more; she just didn't act interested. She was hyper and couldn't settle and really eat until she was half asleep; so we ended up doing night feedings more than we should have at this age. Six nights ago we decided to let her cry it out. That first night she cried for only 45 minutes at bedtime. She woke at 10 and 3 and cried again for about 45 minutes. It was tough but the next night she only cried a little and it was more of a sleepy/fussy cry, not so angry as the night before. After two nights of me not disturbing her with patting and replacing the pacifier and unneccessary feedings, she ate 5 ounces of formula every four hours on the dot during the day. I couldn't believe it. She was overtired and that was why she was hyper and not eating well. She has been eating like a little piggy all week long. Now she sees her bottle and yells for it. She doesn't fight with it or slap it out her mouth after only an ounce or two. I'm amazed. Please don't just resign youself to believing that your child is a bad sleeper or a bad eater. I had almost convinced myself that she just didn't have a great appetite and she was just a restless sleeper. How wrong I've been! My sweet baby is even sweeter. Now for nap and nighttime, we snuggle for a few minutes and I lay her down awake. She snuggles down and goes to sleep. She occasionally fusses a little at naps, but nothing at night. She's down at 6:30 or 7:00 and up around 7:00 the next morning. I do a sleep feed at 11:00pm and nothing else until she gets up for the day. She actually had the early bedtime before and would be "down" for 12 hours, but with all the waking and restlessness off and on all night. Obviously that was not quality sleep because it did not produce the results this has. Don't believe those books that say pat and shush your baby all night long and if they cry, they'll be warped(see Baby Whisperer book). They desperately need deep sound sleep and it is your job to make sure that they get it. I feel terrible for not sleep training my baby sooner. She could have been eating and sleeping so much better for the past two months (Dr. Weissbluth says you can't start true sleep training until 4 months of age). All in all, this book is a fabulous science based take on the importance of healthy sleep and how vigilant parents need to be to make sure their children get it. I would recommend this to anyone needing help with sleeping through the night or naps.

This book is wonderful and saved my life more than once. If you have trouble getting your baby to sleep - read this book! The first half is a little tedious, but there is a lot of great info there. The second part tells specifically what to do for each age range. READ IT!

Many good friends and professionals referred this book to us. Not just the friends that have no babies ;) but Mom and Dads that have had sleep concerns.

In response to the review by By Maria C. Bernhardt, I think the story she mentions IS a success story because it allowed for the child in question to develop better sleep habits and the parents to finally get some well deserved rest. There is nothing wrong with letting your child cry a little...or a lot if need be. In the story she refers to, the child had a history of terrible sleep habits and his parents were suffering. Yes, as a parent you need to put your child and his needs first. Sacrifice is not simply an added boon...it is a requirement of this role. At the same time, you as a parent have biological needs for sleep. And allowing your child to act as family tyrant simply because s/he has not developed healthy sleep habits is not playing the role of loving parent...it is allowing your child to become sleep deprived (leading to all the short and long-term problems that the author mentions in his book) and yourself to step down from the role as parent and become a spineless bystander. Does this mean that all parents must cruelly leave their children unattended, crying and alone to fend for themselves? Certainly not. What it does mean is that parents shouldn't be afraid to allow their children to cry if that crying will lead to a lifelong pattern of healthy sleep and a happy child. Not all children will or need to "cry it out" (a point which the author reiterates again and again throughout his work), but some will. And there's nothing wrong with that. If you can't allow your child to learn to soothe himself to sleep at this point, I firmly believe that you need to examine yourself and why you have so many issues with this. The issues and problems involving babies never disappear...they simply morph into more complex and difficult issues like peer pressure, what college your child will attend (if at all), sex, drugs, schoolwork...the list goes on and on. If you can't say no now for his or her present and future benefit, will you be able to later on when your child has a stronger will and the mobility and freedom to defy you if s/he truly wants to?

We followed this book's advice and used the graduated extinction method, and he started sleeping through the night. Now he's 5 1/2 months old and wakes up once at 5 a.m. to eat--no big deal for me considering what could have happened when I read about other parents' ordeals on blogs, in books, and from what other parents tell me. He is happy, I always get comments on how much he smiles--he's a very smiley baby--and he loves to look around and observe and analyze things. This book is awesome--thank you Dr. Weissbluth!!!

After our 4 month well check with our baby girl. WE were told to read the book by our pediatrician. Our child did not nap routinely and was still sleeping in our room (in a bassinet). I was waking constantly through the night and every rustle. I purchased the book and did some serious speed reading. Within a week of implementing the methods, our daughter was sleeping in her room, taking 2-3 naps (the book recommends 3-4 for her age) and only waking once at night for a feeding.

We have now had the methods in place for 2 months, and I am more in tune with her sleepy cues. We still need to implement a earlier bedtime, but everyone is getting more rest. I have known a few people that hhave read and used the methods. Everyone interprets them differently and may use other method in conjunction (EASY by the Baby Whisperer, Ferber etc...) depending on their comfort level. But the methods work and give you insight on the baby's sleep needs. The great thing re: the book is that it has sections for sleep problems and also is split into section re: age up until children are teens.

A friend purchased this book for us before our son was born, and we read it cover-to-cover. When our little guy entered the world, it didn't take long to discover that he had horrid colic, acid reflux to boot, and wouldn't even sleep lying down. We used his swing at firt, and as a breastfeeding mom, he often landed in bed somewhere in the middle of the night. I was determined, however, to have him in his crib before I went back to work at 3 months and this book helped me accomplish that... until he was about 6 months.

Once he was old enough to "decide" what he liked and didn't like, and probably due to seperation anxiety- he wouldn't go to sleep easy (cried every night) and began to wake a lot at night, crying for HOURS. After two weeks of the "ignore him" method, and then going "this isn't working at alL!", we tried another 3-4 weeks using the Ferber method (go in every few minutes). We were pulling our hair out. He was SOOOOO unhappy all day after a night of crying, and it got to the point where when you went to put him in his crib for a nap, he would arch his back and just sob... and scream at night. NO ONE was sleeping. Once he could stand (at 7 mos), he would cling to the bars of his crib crying and if he fell asleep, it was curled in the corner with his face against the bars... and we'd be off to a bad start from the moment he woke in the morning.

I started to give up.

Plain and simple. I couldn't do it. My husband and I had not slept in the same bed for more than a month at this point since we "alternated" whose turn it would be to listen to our son cry or try to sooth him in his crib. One of us would sleep seperate in the guest bedroom so at least the other could sleep(we are both attorneys, so our jobs require some level of executive functioning during the day). So one night, I broke down and put him in my bed around 3, and walla, he slept. The next night he was up five or six times between bedtime and again at about 3 my husband gave in. A few days later I got sick... with pneumonia that landed me in the hospital for 5 days (I do not smoke). The doctors kept asking how long I had been so sick and frankly, I hadn't noticed- because I was SO totally exhausted all the time and at wits end... I just thought I was a mom who was tired!

While I was away, my husband let our son sleep with him. And for the first time in almost two months, they both actually slept. I remember when I came home, I was annoyed, but what could I say to a man whose wife was in the hospital and who had been trying to take care of his son when he was totally exhausted? I was too tired to care, but as I watched him laying between us in bed the first night I came home, I couldn't help but feel this sense of guilt as I thought: "I swore I would never be one of those kid-in-my-bed people".

I'm one of them now. At 8 months, I've had the best three weeks of sleep since he was born. He doesn't "cuddle" or disturb us, he just sleeps better for some reason. And he wakes up happy, takes naps (IN HIS CRIB!) readily, and I don't know what else to say, other then, "it doesn't always work for everyone." I regret that I went through more than a month of that crying before letting go of the notion that what works for some kid because I read it in a book, will work for my kid. If being a parent were that easy, we'd all buy a manual and raise little drones.

So... Did I like the book? Yes. I think he's right that kids NEED sleep. Do I think that if you just hang in there- the crying will stop eventually? I don't know... more than a month was too long and I'd never do it again. Our pediatrician told us he believes a child at 7 months should never cry more than an hour. He also told us that he grew up in Bombay, slept in his parent's bed 'till he was 8, and turned out perfectly normal (and sleeps fine, without some weird attachment problem today) (that was in response to our very embarrased "well, he's been sleeping with us...") So maybe he's biased because in other countries they would never do the "put your kid in a crib and let them cry" method. Or MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, there is no perfect sleep solution that works for every kid. Maybe you can be coddled and turn out normal, or cry it out and have sleep problems later. I know plenty of people who slept all night like perfec babies in cribs who are on Lunestra and Ambien today...

Point is... read them all, or read none. At the end of the day, try different methods and don't beat yourself up when you choose something different than you read from one doctor last week. There's a book for everything and every kind of parenting, and 1000 parents who will march to the beat of that drum (or drink the cool-aid, depending on how you look at it!).

Be a parent, be flexible, and if you don't want to let your kid cry for a few weeks, put this one back on the shelf.

Despite the fact that the author made me feel like I was doing permanent damage to my child when she was not sleeping well, I found the book helpful. The author is straight-forward and no nonsense in his approach. The sleep-help suggestions are backed by research and are fairly easy to implement. Our 9 month old is now going down for naps and at night easier and sleeps for longer period of time. We have been pleased with the results we've had from using the advice in the book.

Great book for anyone whose child is not naturally a great sleeper. After months of doing whatever we needed to for a colicky baby, we needed to establish some good sleep routines and habits. While letting a child cry it out is never anyone's first choice, it might be the best. Over a year later, I still refer to the book to check what is normal for our son's age. With a new baby on the way (hopefully not a colicky one!) we will have this as a reference and maybe have a more rested home a little sooner this time.

I read the 1 star reviews and I think those parents are missing the point. I knew we had a problem when our daughter would cry as soon as you put her down and then as soon as you walked in the room to check on her she would laugh and smile. That told me that nothing was wrong with crying at night, she was fed, changed and warm. She just did not want to go to sleep. I will tell you trying to achieve the 15 hours of sleep a day for our daughter is very difficult-she doesn't nap well. But the doctor is right sleep begets sleep! When she sleeps well at night she naps better. When she naps well she sleeps better at night.

A dear friend gave me this book while I was pregnant with my son and preparing my daughter, who was 2, to share her room with her new baby brother.
Being a little apprehensive because there was so much information in the book, I first scanned through to her age group and began reading.
I applied the principles, beginning with "the rules."
1. Stay in Bed
2. Go to sleep
3. Be quiet
or Mommy will put up the gate (of course it was before she could climb it)
I swear it took 4 nights to acheive, but she began staying in her bed and going to sleep without fussing.
To this day, nearly 5 years later, she goes to sleep extremely well.

I truly believe the main key to any method is consistency.
As long as Mom or Dad can stay CONSISTENT nearly any method will acheive the desired result.

I still have the book and because of moving into a new area we are going to end up breaking it out to refresh our memories and applying the principles to our son... again, we need consistency!

I highly recommend this book if you are not sure whether or not you need to make a change to your child's sleep habits. Dr. Weissbluth makes a convincing argument (backed by data) for taking your child's sleep habits as seriously as you would take their eating habits.
However, if you already know you want to make a change then it is difficult to come up with an action plan from this book. In that case, I highly recommend "The Sleepeasy Solution"The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent's Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep from Birth to Age 5 book or dvd The Sleepeasy Solution: The Complete Guide to Getting Your Baby or Toddler to Sleep. The Sleepeasy Solution is MUCH easier to use.
So, get this book if you need help understanding the effects of poor sleep habits on your child and get the sleepeasy solution if you need to make a change to their habits.

I have read numerous books, articles and blogs on how to help a baby sleep better and this book provides the best constructive advice - bar none. Our daughter is 7 mths old and I only wish I had read this book months ago.

Although there is some controversy surrounding letting babies cry themselves to sleep, sometimes it's the best and kindest way to teach your baby to sleep the night. By that I mean rather than having night after night after night of little to no sleep because of frequent wakings, it's better to have one or two rough nights that will allow for peaceful sleep for days, weeks, months to come.

My older daughter didn't have trouble learning to sleep on her own and we didn't need to employ any "methods" with her, but my youngest daughter needed an extra boost.

I really liked the fact that this book was written by a pediatrician and not just a "sleep expert". The doctor uses medical backing to explain the baby's sleep cycle and reasons that babies wake up and cry out to help parents get their little ones (and them) the sleep they need. I also like how it's not just about the baby, but rather the family as a whole when it comes to getting needed sleep.

There are numerous personal accounts in the book, which makes it easy to find a scenario to relate to your own situation. I also like how the book gives a step-by-step program to get a good night's sleep.

I highly recommend this book to parents who feel like there is no other option when it comes to getting a good night's sleep - you will be glad you read the book.

You nourish your baby's body with food, and your baby's emotional development with affection and attention. These principles are accepted by most parents without question. Dr. Weissbluth explains, with scientific evidence and common sense, the less-accepted principle that you nourish your baby's brain with adequate sleep. Once you realize how important adequate and quality sleep is for your baby (contrary to critics, it's not just something that selfish parents seek so that THEY can get some free time or sleep), it makes sense for a loving parent to pursue this with fervor.

Dr. Weissbluth gives biologically sound advice on how you can best go about helping your baby get good sleep, using your baby's own biochemical development (by things like observing signs of alertness and drowsiness to start soothing your baby to sleep before they get over-tired; timing naps for times of the day when baby's bodies are biologically designed to sleep best; putting your baby to bed early--the earlier the better and longer they sleep). Dr. Weissbluth believes that a lot of colicky and fussy behavior (and later even things like ADHD) are due to sleep deprivation, and that once children are sleeping better they are genuinely happier kids!

I've read some of the reviews criticizing this book as "just another cry-it-out" method, but I would generally have to disagree with this. Dr. Weissbluth's main goal is for parents to advocate for their children's sleep. He does not eschew a particular method for how to obtain this, except for the principles I described above. He does mention various views out there (such as cry-it-out, controlled crying/check and console, as well as soothing your child to sleep until they are deep in sleep) and is a proponent of using more gentle techniques to obtain sleep, if they do in fact work for a particular set of parents/babies. He does acknowledge that for severely colicky babies, those techniques may not be as effective and that the extinction method may be the only thing that works.

Other helpful ideas he illuminates include: 1)Sleep is controlled by the brain, not the stomach; focusing on cluster feedings, etc don't make sense. (2)The awake brain and the sleep brain are biologically completely different; when a baby is crying in his biologically asleep rhythm (which a parent may mistake as his being biologically awake), it doesn't make sense to worry about the baby feeling abandoned while crying; he cannot neurologically make such a connection. (3)Sleep begets sleep; the more sleep you are able to help your baby get, the more sleep they will in turn get (4)Sleep needs to be stationary, motion sleep in swings, strollers, slings, arms, etc is not deep quality sleep.

Since reading Dr. Weissbluth's book, I am a major supporter of my baby's sleep. By following his principles, my 4 1/2 month old daughter is now taking naps for 5+ hours a day total and is sleeping 12-13 hours a night (with one VERY brief night wakening for a feed). She really is less fussy and happier, and I can see now how a lot of her behavior before was driven by her being over-tired and not rested enough. I used to think she "HAD" to cry herself to sleep (which she did regardless of anything I tried to do to soothe her). She now goes to bed each and every time (sometimes in a drowsy state, sometimes even while still awake) with no more crying. I realize now that her fussiness around sleeptime was due to her being desperately over-tired. I have had to adjust my life to help her get her sleep; yes we are on a schedule, but contrary to critics, this is not for MY convenience, but for her benefit; in fact, I am more inconvenienced as I don't go out when she should be sleeping or napping, but I am convinced that the benefit of sleep to my daughter's physical and mental development is more than worth it.