Sweet Dreams : A Pediatrician's Secrets for Baby's Good Night's Sleep [Paperback]

Frederick M. Hodges (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

Most new parents quickly and sadly discover the difficulty of getting a child first to go to sleep, and then to sleep throughout the night. Dr. Fleiss, a noted family pediatrician for more than 30 years, shares his secrets for discovering a child's natural sleep patterns, developing positive bedtime rituals, nutritional and lifestyle aids to sleep, and how co-sleeping affects normal growth and development.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul M. Fleiss, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine, was the subject of the film The Good Doctor, starring Michael Gross. His private practice boasts a roster of celebrity patients including Madonna's daughter and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0737304944
• ISBN-13: 978-0737304947
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #811,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Basic Info, But No Practical Help, May 25, 2003

By 

Kelly "kelly" (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Sweet Dreams : A Pediatrician's Secrets for Baby's Good Night's Sleep (Paperback)

First I'll say that I am a great respecter of Dr. Fleiss and his work - I've found him incredibly helpful in my career as a mommy. But this book was a big disappointment. I have 2 children [a toddler and a preschooler] who are very poor sleepers. I bought this book hoping for some help in getting them to sleep better. It was useless to me, unfortunately.

This book contains a great explanation of how babies and children [and even grown ups] sleep. It is very supportive of the 'family bed' or 'co-sleeping' and very 'attachment parenting' oriented. This would be a wonderful book for an expecting or brand new mother who doesn't know what to expect concerning how her baby will sleep.

But if you already have a child who has a sleep problem, you will find very little of practical use here. Dr. Fleiss promises to tell you how to get your child to sleep in a healthy way, but what he offers are very simplistic, common sense ideas that any half way intelligent parent would probably be using anyway. [ie: don't give your kid caffeine; dont feed your kid a whole bunch of junk food; don't let your kid watch TV right before bed; have your child sleep in a hygenic, insect free room; make sure your kid gets exercise; dress your child in comfortable clothes - or no clothes - for bedtime; don't give your kid drugs or alchohol to make them sleep!! etc].

For those of us already doing all these common sense things, there is nothing else suggested. Dr. Fleiss assumes that any parent who does these things will have a child who sleeps blissfully all night [or as much as is age appropriate]. This simply isn't true in many cases.

He also includes some more strange things - for example, he tries to build a case that circumcision causing nightwaking. First of all, there is no research that actually supports this. Second of all, my daughter and my intact son are both horrible sleepers. [And I know lots of circumcised boys who sleep great]. Third, if you are reading this book, you have probably *already* made the decision on whether to circ or not - and if you have, there's not anything you can do to undo it. So this really isn't helpful at all. He also maintains that non-flammable polyester causes cancer and so does television. [I haven't seen any research to back these claims...while he may be right, I'm uncomfortable that this is stated as 'fact' and not 'theory'.]

He also seems to go 'off the deep end' a bit in some of his other suggestions. One thing I found particularly odd was the section on co-sleeping where he suggests just explaining sex to your children [because they can handle it at any age, no matter how young] and the kids will probably just leave the room when they see mom and dad start getting 'affectionate'. Hello? Not in my house anyway.... I think I'll allow my babies and preschoolers to hold on to their innocence a bit longer, thanks.

Overall, I did not find this book useful. You might have better luck with _The No Cry Sleep Solution_ by Elizabeth Pantley if you have a frequent night waker of your own. She offers concrete ideas and solutions that are completely lacking here.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best advice ever!, January 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sweet Dreams : A Pediatrician's Secrets for Baby's Good Night's Sleep (Paperback)

This book is fantastic! My little boy has already started sleeping better after I used some of the gentle techniques that Dr. Fleiss recommends. The part about nutrition and exercise was really interesting. The amazing thing is that this book has even helped me get better sleep. My son and I practice the techniques together. I love the togetherness and family spirit that Dr. Fleiss advocates. Thanks Dr. Fleiss! Please write more books.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Book!, December 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sweet Dreams : A Pediatrician's Secrets for Baby's Good Night's Sleep (Paperback)

Wow! What a wonderful book! I was delighted to find this book on amazon.com after reading several of Dr. Fleiss's excellent articles on childcare in parenting magazines. This is just the best book on sleep that I have ever read. I love how Dr. Fleiss beautifully combines compassion and sensitivity for children and solid scientific facts. The step-by-step approach is just great. My child already sleeps well, but after reading the book, I can see how the fascinating information in this book will help me help my child maintain his good sleep patterns. Bravo, Dr. Fleiss!