Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Very informative book. As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Fleiss and this book are a godsend. It taught me a lot about my baby's needs. This book is wonderful. It first explains a child's sleep pattern and why some children don't sleep through the night then gives you ways to help your child learn to put himself back to sleep. It worked wonders for us. I am finally getting some sleep after only 1 week of using these techniques. Our son was waking three to four times a night, although, nursing him when he woke in the middle of the night did not work for us. My baby has slept through the night 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.

My husband and I are committed Christians and we really appreciated the conservative, family-oriented approach that Dr. Fleiss takes. We also like that the book is packed full of information on sleep at all ages. He even provides helpful information on helping older children and teenagers to sleep! We really recommend this book to any parent who would like more sleep. It's a easy to follow program with a lot of information so you understand why it's so important for your child to sleep through the night.

SWEET DREAMS is very helpful! I really like that it is filled with practical tips and easily understandable guidelines. We had been having problems getting our 2 year old to sleep. Dr. Fleiss's suggestions on positive bedtime rituals has already solved that problem. His words about the importance of parents involving themselves in their child's life really made me think. I suppose most parents think that they are involved, but SWEET DREAMS showed me what real involvement is. I am so grateful to Dr. Fleiss! I am giving this book to my best friend, who is expecting in a few weeks!

My 4-month-old baby's pediatrician recommended this book and it was wonderful! This is a man that we trust with our child's life and he is the father of three. He recommended getting Dr. Fleiss's book and following the steps that he outlines. Fleiss was very clear and thorough and the book was a quick and easy read. And the best part is that it worked! I thought for sure my baby would be slow to adapt, but by the 3rd day, he was doing much better. Dr. Fleiss is a very compassionate man. The method you use depends on the age of your child. I really liked how he emphasizes that all babies are unique. There are lots of different scenarios in the book so you can pinpoint exactly why your child is having sleep problems, assuming that he really is having problems, and what to do about it. I feel like I am in heaven now and he is a perfectly happy and healthy baby, too. Make sure you read the book and be consistent and do what Fleiss says, and it will work. We are sleeping through the night and our baby has happy, alert parents who look forward to bedtime. We're better parents now and our son is happier than ever because we ALL have energy at this very special time in his life! Happy reading and sleeping! Good luck!

This book was packed full of very useful information. The discussion about the right sleepware was really intriguing. I had never considered this aspect of sleep before. I had no idea that this was such a big topic! I am making some changes to my son's sleepware right now. I also appreciated Dr. Fleiss's fair treatment of both sides of the co-sleeping controversy. He should be applauded for his supportive stance on breastfeeding! It is about time that a sleep book pointed out that there are a lot of medical studies supporting breastfeeding as a gentle and effective way of helping babies sleep properly.

I love this book! I wish my parents had this book when I was growing up. What I really love is that Dr. Fleiss's advice and helpful hints are based on solid research rather than opinion or dogma. He makes it easy to understand, and I really appreciate being treated like an intelligent person. I am already applying many of the great suggestions in this book to help my daughter look forward to bedtime. It works! I am recommending this book to all my friends with kids of all ages.

I was looking for a book that would help me cope with my 2-year-old's difficulty falling asleep at night. Unlike most people, I just wasn't comfortable with the "cry-it-out" methods that are so popular now and that method was completely ineffective with my daughter. This book was a lifesaver for me because Dr. Fleiss is the first author who writes about sleep issues with a gentle loving approach that was right for us. After only one night, my daughter's bedtime is MUCH better for us all. This was a great book!

This book is terrific! I highly recommend it to anyone with a child of any age. We bought it because of our 8-year-old son's recent sleep problems. It worked like a charm. The information on nutrition was very useful. Who would'a thunk? Do yourself a favour and buy this book! It worked for us, it will work for you!