Customer Reviews

The Lull-A-Baby Sleep Plan: The Soothing, Superfast Way to Help Your New Baby Sleep Through the Night...and Prevent Sleep Problems Before They Develop

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a professional nanny/ newborn specialist of nearly 12 years I have to say that this is one of the best baby sleep books on the market. There are so many things that I have learned from spending so much time with babies and I have long wished that parents could know those things ahead of time before bringing home the little ones. I often feel like parents either start to address sleep issues too early or too late and this book really helps you to find the right time for your child, a time that will make it as easy and gentle as possible to encourage your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep. It is a great book for all types of parents, including those who follow attachment parenting. The Author does not try to tell you where your baby should sleep but rather respects the choice that your family makes. The whole basis of the book is that there is a very particular window of opportunity in which your child can very easily be taught how to fall asleep unassisted and stay asleep longer. She never recommends withholding food and says often that a hungry baby should be fed. Nor does she recommend allowing your baby to cry alone in his/her bed. All in all, it is just so much more gentle than many of the "cry it out" options but at the same time, better sleep will be gained MUCH faster than with the books at the other end of the spectrum, namely books by Dr. Sears, which are wonderful but certainly do not help all families in addressing sleep issues. If you are in the market for better sleep, I am certain that this book will be of some help.

This book is SO well written and very well-intentioned. My 5 month old is a terrible sleeper and, being opposed to CIO, we were looking for an gentler alternative method. While this probably works for most babies, it did not even come close for our baby. The book states that the WOO (Window Of Opportunity) is closed by 7 months. So, while we were pushing it, we were still within the time frame. The problem is that the first 2 steps of the 3 part plan didn't apply to us. The 1st part was the swaddle, which my daughter is too big for. The 2nd is the pacifer, which she never took to. The third part, verbally charming her to sleep, infuriated my daughter to no end. She couldn't understand why I was talking to her but NOT picking her up! Unfortunately, she is not automatically soothed by my voice.

I think this book is GREAT if you have an easy-going baby that needs a liitle help. But if your little peanut is H-M, like mine, stick with Elizabeth Pantley (No-Cry Sleep Solution). You'll break those sleep associations eventually!!!

I received this book the day my child turned 6 weeks old-the time Dr. Tobin suugests the WOO opens. I was looking for a way to have my baby sleep without me before I tried the controlled crying thing. This book is brilliant. It gave me the know how to help my baby learn to fall asleep and stay asleep on her own. We are on day three and I am seeing nothing bu positive results. I am going to share this book with everyone I know!

I would have bet you $100 bucks this wouldn't work. I went through sleep torture with baby # 1 so this time around I am determined to do it differently. This technique is shockingly simple - here's the summary - ONLY put baby in their bed awake. Sleepy, but awake. Then use your voice to soothe them to sleep. The catch is that there is a time frame, starting at 8 weeks (although she does offer advice for older babies too, I didn't read that section). Our 8 week old cried a tiny bit and fussed a bit but it actually works!! The great part is that when they get really upset she says to go ahead and pick them up and offer comfort - rock them, bounce them, nurse them etc, - then put them back down AWAKE. And guess what? After less than a week our 9 week old can do it! We put her down awake but sleepy and sing to her and she falls asleep! This has totally changed our lives and I am optimistic about her sleep future (and ours)!! The great thing is that this approach is not a cry it out thing which feels really inappropriate for such a young baby but it is also not a "no cry sleep solution" approach which essentially amounts to "hope your baby will sleep better someday."
I totally disagree with comments that say it makes the baby dependent on you in yet another way (similar to rocking, bouncing, nursing etc) because I can see that our daughter is actually gaining a skill! She needs far less singing already in one week, and at night after she eats I can usually just lay her back down and she falls asleep whereas before it was a big ordeal to get her back to sleep each time.
A week ago the book was $14 but now it's so cheap! totally worth a shot.

The first night we tried this system, our daughter slept through the night (10 hours!), even though she was a bit older than the author's ideal starting point. It's now been a month, and she's still sleeping 10 hours or more 6 days out of the week, and her naps are much more restful.

The only slightly negative comment I have is that there is a lot of theory in this book and not quite enough practical suggestions; we ended up changing the system a bit to suit our needs.

I have read several sleep books and have had limited success with each one. My son is the classic poor sleeper and I am still struggling with his sleep. However, this book is a really great "middle of the road" approach. So many other books are just a little too extreme or rigid in their own ways. The information is very easy to digest and well organized. It's also very good information regarding sleep and baby sleep. I don't think it's a total cure for all baby sleep problems, but as a single book and plan it has been the most helpful over all. I highly recommend this book and think it can really improve or solve your baby's sleep problems. Just beware, it's not a cure! I was hoping it would solve all my problems, but it has only helped to improve them.

The best ideas in this book (in my opinion) seemed to be a rehash of "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" (published in 2002), and I think the plan in Baby Whisperer is easier to follow. I didn't find much else useful in this book, unfortunately.

Are you pregnant and dreading the sleepless nights to come? Do you have a newborn and you have forgotten what a good night's sleep felt like? Or is your six-month-old driving you bonkers at night (or maybe that's your best friend who brags that her children sleep through the night from day one)? The Lull-A-Baby Sleep Plan is written for you.

Layered throughout with tips and tidbits, Lull-A-Baby gently shows parents what mistakes they are making and suggests a better, no-cry method to get back to sleep. Dr. Tobin focuses on targeting the WOO (window of opportunity) where babies are most likely to learn sleep habits, whether they be good or bad. If parents can hit the WOO, and train their babies to self soothe, within days they will have peaceful nights.

I can't say that this method "worked for me" since my children are toddlers now, but I can say that there is much truth to what she teaches. With my first child, I made all the new parent mistakes that she highlighted. And I missed the WOO. Nights were sleepless for many months. When child number two came along, I hit the WOO quite by accident, but, thank goodness, saw an opportunity worth trying.

The methods I happened upon accidentally are exactly the methods Dr. Tobin suggests. And they really do work.

I promise my copy will be dog eared from all the hands I intend to pass it through and new copies will be at the top of my shower gift-giving list.

Armchair Interviews says: A must read for all new parents.

This book is easy to read and very reassuring but basically it's the same information you will find in other books that claim to help babies learn to sleep without crying. If you are looking for the long road to sleep training your baby...then this book has some good ideas/info. We were already using most of these techniques before I bought the book. Our little one does respond to some of the soothing techniques but it requires lots of time and persistence. We finally gave in and let her cry it out...she is sleeping much better now!

I thought the concept of this book was really great...lay your baby down drowsy but awake...seems easy enough, right? Wrong. I started this when my daughter was 11 weeks old, in the peek of the "window of opportunity", it was incredibly difficult! It is basically standing over her while she cries it out. Maybe it works with some babies, but not with mine.