Sleeping Through the Night, Revised Edition: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep [Paperback]

Jodi A. Mindell (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 15, 2005

Right after "Is it a boy or a girl?" and "What's his/her name?," the next question people invariably ask new parents is "Are you getting any sleep?" Unfortunately, the answer is usually "Not much." In fact, studies show that approximately 25% of young children experience some type of sleep problem and, as any bleary-eyed parent will attest, it is one of the most difficult challenges of parenting.

Drawing on her ten years of experience in the assessment and treatment of common sleep problems in children, Dr. Jodi A. Mindell now provides tips and techniques, the answers to commonly asked questions, and case studies and quotes from parents who have successfully solved their children's sleep problems.

Unlike other books on the subject, Dr. Mindell also offers practical tips on bedtime, rather than middle-of-the-night-sleep training, and shows how all members of the family can cope with the stresses associated with teaching a child to sleep.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Revised edition (March 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060742569
• ISBN-13: 978-0060742560
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.9 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (221 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Sleep Disorders
  • #16 in Books > Medical Books > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Pediatrics
  • #30 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Child Psychology

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jodi A. Mindell, Ph.D., is associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, is professor of psychology at Saint Joseph's University, and is the author of numerous publications on pediatric sleep disorders. She lives with her family in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Revised edition (March 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060742569
• ISBN-13: 978-0060742560
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.9 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (221 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Sleep Disorders
  • #16 in Books > Medical Books > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Pediatrics
  • #30 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Child Psychology

More About the Author

Jodi A. Mindell, Ph.D., is associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, is professor of psychology at Saint Joseph's University, and is the author of numerous publications on pediatric sleep disorders. She lives with her family in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 119 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! Finally an end to my sleepless nights March 13, 2000

By Kim Dean

Format:Paperback

As far as I'm concerned, Jodi A. Mindell and this book are a godsend. I have been co-sleeping with my baby since he was born, just to get two or three hours of sleep at a time. I was told that a breast-fed baby would most likely not sleep through the night untill 12 months! I never though it would work, but the methods suggested in this book worked almost immediately. After a couple of tearfull bedtimes and naps, my 7 month old baby boy sleeps like a champ! I swear to God, if you can put up with the heart-wrenching first few times, you are in for a whole lifestyle change. After four days of using these methods, my baby has slept through the night in his own crib for the first time ever! He can put himself to sleep without my assistance in less than ten minutes, and takes the longest naps he ever has (an hour or more each)! I've told everyone of my friends about this book...I couldn't reccomend it with more enthusiasm. It has changed our lives forever. I have one happy, well-rested baby.

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Baby Gift Ever June 6, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book changed our lives. It is so amazing that I now give it to every one of my friends as a baby shower gift. Our 7 month old daughter was still breastfeeding every 2 hours day and night. I almost had a nervous breakdown I was so exhausted. Our pediatrician told us that there was no physical reason that she should be waking and eating that much. I found this book (I truly believe that God sent it to me) and finally knew that it was time to help our baby learn sleep habits. I could never bring myself to use all of the BabyWise book methods; they just seemed so harsh and cruel. However, this book lays it all out with the reasonings behind all of the suggestions, and lets you know that if you can't let your baby cry for 5 full minutes, it's OKAY to go check on her after only 2 minutes. The main thing is to just make sure you keep lengthening the time intervals. The very first night we tried the methods in this book, our daughter cried a total of 55 minutes (which was extremely heartbreaking). However, she SLEPT THE REST OF THE NIGHT and woke up HAPPY -- something she had never done! The next night I thought would be worse, but she only cried 30 minutes before putting herself to sleep. By the third night, it was less than 10 minutes. Her naps also increased and she became a much happier baby. She is now 2 and a half years old and still sleeps better than most of her friends. This book is a miracle and a must have for all parents!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably helpful July 10, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

My partner and I agonized over using this method, which is really a more gentle version of Ferber's method. Our twins were so different, our baby girl sleeping 10 hrs at night by 5 months old, while our little boy struggled, waking up 4x/night at this age, requiring 20-30 minutes of walking/jiggling to get back to sleep. We finally reached a point where we could no longer do this and continue to work. After using this method, in 3 nights he was putting himself to sleep and a much happier baby. unfortunately, he was also a child who kept up with night waking and a month later we finally did the 'cry it out' method for night wakings as well....whichi'm happy to report only took 1 night of painful short (10-20 min) episodes of crying. Now he sleeps routinely 7 pm- 4 am, i give him 1 feeding, and he sleeps til 6-7 (now 8 mo. old). We did not agree with the idea of no nursing before bedtime, i still do that, but the difference is that i don't nurse them til they're asleep....instead i let them nurse 5 min or so til drowsy and then put them down.

we have been so happy with this book and the 'healthy sleep habits' book, used together, that i recommend them to all my friends. just know you have to believe 100% that this is the right thing for your child because it is incredibly painful to go through. we were rewarded by seeing such a change in his demeanor once he got better quality sleep that i know it was the right thing for him.

45 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a turning point! August 19, 2005

By HokieBear

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was really skeptical about this method at first since I knew I just couldn't stomach the Ferber method (basically abandon the baby in the crib, let him cry himself to sleep) & it seemed way too harsh for me so this was an ok compromise I agreed to try.

Basically the theory seemed sound: A baby should learn to fall asleep on his own and not need rocking or eating to fall asleep. Everyone wakes up on their own in the middle of the night and when the baby does this, you want him to put himself back to sleep instead of screaming.

Quick background: We had a preemie born 2 months early and for the last 6 months we've been getting up 3-4 times a night to feed him. This was necessary at first but now that he is 17lbs, 25 inches long & has caught up physically, I suspected he really didn't need to eat every 2-3 hours. (The hope was to get him to sleep maybe 5-6 hours by using this book.) I have not slept more than 2 consective hours in 6 months due to this, because even when we would get 3 or so hours of him sleeping, I could never go right back to sleep that fast and by the time I did, he was screaming again. He is also still colicky during the day, meaning anytime he is awake and isn't eating he is screaming his head off. Also, this whole time he needed to be in the baby bjorn and me walking to fall asleep or be in the car or he would fall asleep while eating. He never just went to sleep on his own in his bed, we let him fall asleep wherever he could and then we sneak him into bed after he fell asleep.

Basically I was hoping to get 5-6 consecutive hours of sleep for him from this book, that was my goal. 6 hours was being very optimistic.

So... night # 1 we established a routine: Read a book, gave him a little bear to hold and put him in bed.... He screamed and screamed and screamed non-stop while I bawled outside the bedroom door. We started with a 30 sec. interval and went gradually up to 7 min intervals & he fell asleep after 35 min, the longest 35 min of my life. He then got up for all of his usual intervals during the night. At this point I bitterly complained that this wasn't working, it was a lot of pain for nothing etc. but my husband convinced me to give it a week.

Night #2 the book said would probably be worse than night #1 and to expect him to cry longer. The first thing we noticed was that he didn't cry immediately after we left the room he waited about 2 min. And he was asleep after 25 min! AND HE SLEPT FOR 7 CONSECUTIVE HOURS!Of course, I thought he was dead of SIDS the whole night and was up every hour listening for breathing & finally slept in his room starting around 4AM.

Night #3: He started crying 5 min after we left the room & then only cried for a total of 2 min before he was asleep and then slept for 9 hours straight!!!! 9 HOURS! O.M.G. (I was still conditioned to wake up every 2-3 hours, so I got no sleep still, but the potential is there- there is hope!) I just cannot believe that this is the same child who woke us up screaming to be fed (or so I thought) several times a night just 3 days ago!!! Why oh why didn't I start this earlier, I could have has so much more sleep and a baby who was getting enough sleep too!

This worked SO well for us, even though the 1st night was pure hell, I feel like it was worth it & I've given my child the skills to fall asleep on his own - this is a BIG deal especially if we have another child because I wouldn't be able to cope with 2 like this, both needing rocking, eating etc. to fall asleep. An added benefit is that he is much less crabby (colicky) during the day and also doesn't immediately melt down if he loses sight of me for even 2 seconds anymore. (Don't even ask how many times I had to bring the bouncy seat into the bathroom with me in sheer desperation!)

Everyone is MUCH happier in our house, the baby isn't nearly as cranky during the day and neither am I- I can't recommend this book strongly enough, even though the first few nights are definitely difficult. Read more ›