Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth
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Book Reviews of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
Book Review: Best of the Books - And I Read Most of Them
Summary: 5 Stars
Our son is not a happy napper. He would much rather look at everything and be a part of the action than nap. Unfortunately, without naps, he turned into a screaming, miserable little man. I read many of the sleep books, including The No-Cry Sleep Solution (too general, not enough about naps), The Happiest Baby on the Block (too self-important, too much about colic), various books by Dr. Sears (not useful for our situation), The Everything Baby Sleep Book (very thin on nap information), and every article on every baby site I could find.
Finally, I read Healthy Sleep Habits. Perfect! Once I began to understand the need to teach babies to sleep, and how much consistency and schedule really are important, we were able to implement the suggestions. In just one week, our son became a much better napper, taking 2 a day without (too much) complaint. He's transitioning from 2 naps to 1 and we're using this book to help us with that. It's truly the best, most informative book about sleep. You won't find much about naps in any of the other books. However, Dr. Weissbluth properly points out the importance of naps. He also tells us that fathers need to be equal partners in helping their babies to sleep. Too many books put pressure on the moms to do it all, but Dr. Weissbluth discusses why this is not a good idea, and why dads need to be on board. I cannot recommend this book enough!
Book Review: Dr. Sears fanatic NEEDED another perspective
Summary: 5 Stars
Hubby and I were enthusiastically practicing attachment-parenting principles: on-cue nursing, sharing sleep, active father role, baby-wearing, etc. Our family was in harmony until around 3 months when night sleep durations went from 3 hours to 2, then 90 minutes, then 1 hour, and down to 45 minutes. Baby woke up to nurse ALL NIGHT LONG. We turned to Dr. Sears Sleep Book, then Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution. We tried these suggestions for NINE WEEKS. Baby was showing signs of chronic sleep deprivation, not to mention parents. It finally occurred to us that we needed another perspective, even if we ultimately decided to reject it. I am NOT saying "Let Cry" approach is for everyone, but it worked for us and taught us a valuable lesson - the guilt that we were experiencing just considering anything but Sears-endorsed techniques was interfering with decision making as new parents. This book will appeal to your rational, "show me the data" side of the brain. Read it first, and THEN DECIDE what you can and can't live with doing. Good luck! BTW - at 6 months old baby coos herself to sleep at naps and through the night, we still nurse on cue, and she showed us that she slept better in a crib in her own room. Mom has returned to work, dad is more involved than ever, and everyone is HAPPY, feeling confident that even if we aren't strict "attachment parents" that we are not failures.Book Review: Good for sleep-deprived parents and babies
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: An invaluable resource
Summary: 5 Stars
I recommend reading this book before your baby is born. With our first daughter, we were only following "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears, and while that's a lovely book, it did not offer sleep solutions that worked for us when the family bed stopped working and everyone was sleep-deprived and miserable. We ended up using 3 nights of cry-it-out in order to remove her from our bed; she's been a brilliant sleeper ever since.
With our second daughter, we resolved to use the family bed in the early days, but to be prepared to transition her out of our bed by 5-6 months, or as soon as it stopped working for all of us. Since we'd done this so successfully and (relatively) easily with our first daughter, we didn't do any reading up on the subject. Daughter #2 was a bit more of a challenge, and a friend loaned us Dr. Weissbluth's book, which has been very helpful.
The book is an excellent resource on infant sleep. As others have commented, it is not light reading, nor is it an easy, step-by-step, one-size-fits-all guide to sleep training. However, it helped us refine our strategy and reconfirm our commitment to getting good sleep for our whole family, even if that entailed a few nights' displeasure for a certain tenacious little one. Wish we'd read it before she was born, because I believe it would have made the process even easier with her.
Book Review: Changed my life! I like being a parent now!
Summary: 5 Stars
with my first child I absolutely didn't believe in sleep training. I co-slept with him, responded to every cry, and believed that I was parenting in the best and natural way. This worked well for the first 6 months, but after that he started to wake up a lot! By 9 months he was waking over 10 times a night. I read 5 "no-cry" style sleep books and followed them carefully to no avail. Finally around 2 I got him sleeping in his own bed at 2 years, but still at 4 years old he doesn't consistently sleep through the night. With my second child I vowed to do things differently seeing as the co-sleeping had not promoted bonding, but only resentment and over-tired grouchiness in both of us. I purchased this book and followed the recommended plan and let my baby cry it out at 6 months using the methods described in this book. I can honestly say I have a happy child with healthy sleep habits thanks to this book! He goes to sleep without a peep and even seems to look forward to his naps and bedtime. He sleeps through the night and wakes up refreshed and ready for play. There are many aspects of the attachment parenting style that worked great for me such as babywearing and extended breastfeeding, but I'm a much happier mom with a much happier family for ditching the co-sleeping and following this book instead. I can't recommend it enough.