Customer Reviews

Helping Your Child Sleep Through the Night

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this book based on the other customer comments. It is not the book for me and my four month old. This book has not been updated since 1985 and recommends that the safest position for baby to sleep is on their stomachs! It also discourages co-sleeping or baby sleeping in the same room with you. The authors start "the program" at about 5 -7 weeks; which in my short experience is too early to get your little angel on any kind of "stretching" schedule. If you read Dr. Sears or Penelope Leach, you probably won't like this book either.

We bought this book to help us with a three month old who's got some bad sleeping habits (probably because of us!) I was expecting some solid answers to our baby's sleeping problems and was instead presented with a book full of wordy rhetoric and philosphophies, and NO hard answers or tips for babies who are MORE than a few days/weeks old.

The book categorizes by age group "birth to 4 months", etc. making it difficult for us to follow guidelines that according to the book should have been established from day one. If first time parents KNEW they were going to have sleep problems with their newborns that would continue for months, they would find this book useful. For those of us without that foresight, this book leaves you cold.

I bought this book based on my pediatriton's reccommendation. First I used it to get my 2 yr old to put himself to sleep, and then I followed the simple instructions to get my baby sleeping through the night by 10 weeks. I have already reccommended it to three of my friends. This book is the only one you'll need for kids from birth through five!

If you can't handle your child crying alone for more than a few minutes, this book is not for you. However, if you are willing to give it a try your efforts will pay off ten-fold. We are now parents of a 3 year old and a 1 year old, both of which have been sleeping on their own and through the night since they were 2 months old. At the first sign of a yawn and eye-rub, we're off to bed... no fuss...no muss. They grab their 'big bear' or 'blankie', roll-over and put themselves to sleep. Meanwhile, my husband and I are well rested, happier and less-stressed out parents. It takes about a week, and the schedule was all set. In will admit, the suggestions in this book are not very 'in'...it seems more old-school, which I like. The book addresses sleeping problems which might crop up as they grow - I use it as a reference guide when we are approaching a new phase in their development - the move to a big boy bed, arrival of a new baby, etc. Give it a try...it worked for us.

We have a 12 week old, and with method outlined in this book, he has been sleeping through the night for 4 weeks with only 2 minor disturbances. This book gave practical advice, without the cruelty I've seen in other books. It took only 3 days for the method to work for us. 8 week old babies should not cry it out alone. "Stretch" your baby and sleep for 8 hours straight like we are!

I bought this book when my first child was 2 and firmly entrenched in her own bad sleep patterns. I started in the infant section and implemented all the suggestions that I could; bedtime routine, focal feeding (bedtime snack), etc and moved on from there. It took longer than the book suggested, but it worked. I have since used it from day one on my second child and have reapplied the priciples when the older child began waking in the night and wanting to crawl into bed with us. It DOES NOT involve "crying it out", but if you're a whimp you'll never see it through.

we are all sleeping through the night because of this very helpful and very practical book. Our baby was sleeping all night after two nights of "stretching" his schedule. I am a nursing mom and I had reservations at first. However, I am a believer and now I have recommended this book to many friends who love it,too. the method works without being rigid or cruel. The idea of the "Focal Feeding" makes so much sense!! I did not feel guilty when trying this method and I appreciate the authors sharing the information with young momand dads. I also like the option of having dad or another caregiver involved with the process. overall, I couldn't have survived without it. thank you !

This book is for anyone with a new baby who wishes to remain sane. The first few chapters of this book are the ones we used to get our baby into a habit of sleeping through the night - and it worked. It gives specific tips and ideas that explain how to do as the title suggests and the theory behind why it works. An associate of my wife's did her dissertation on this concept and stood firmly behind it. But none of that matters. The only thing that matters is that it worked for us. And if you've had children yourself, you'll know that a good working model to help your baby sleep through the night in weeks vs. years can only be heaven sent.

This book looks so helpful. It's got a lovely title and a nice picture on the front. I hated this book. I am not COMPLETELY against letting a child cry. But forcing them to get attached to a blanket or toy instead of a parent sounded a bit harsh to me. Who doesn't want their child to need them a little? Plus it advocates if nothing they advise in the book works then go ahead and let them cry for HOURS. This does not sound healthy to me. But i'm just a mom, not an expert. It took us a few days to get our son out of our bed and into his own crib. We did it. It took patience and we did not get a lot of sleep. I tried to let him cry himself to sleep and it seemed to do more harm then good. (not to mention how it made us as parents feel) We went back to the pick him up when he cried approach. Held him and put him back to bed...and after 4 nights he started to sleep 7 hours straight on his own. Oh and we put him to bed when he's asleep and he's just fine. NO MATTER who's house he sleeps at. Just my opinion. If you don't want to let your child scream skip this book.....if you do want to try the cry it out method (it works for many parents, just not us) then just do it and save yourself the money. It does have a few good hints in it......but i think you could get that information from other moms or your pediatrician.

We have five children; the oldest is 20 and the youngest is 11. We used the techniques in this book for all of them and can attest without qualification that they work. Quickly, effectively, and perhaps most importantly, without long-term adverse effects. The proof: all of our children are well-adjusted and have outstanding loving relationships with us, their parents.

Over time, we have purchased at least 10 copies of this book to give as gifts to new parents.