Customer Reviews

Twelve Hours' Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old: A Step-by-Step Plan for Baby Sleep Success

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

I bought this book because my husband and I were up all night with our 7 month old baby who has only slept through the night (7-8
hours at most) a handful of times since he was born.

He also had to be bounced over and over and over to get him to go to sleep or be breastfed. He only took 30 minute naps during the day, and he took 4-5 naps a day!!! I also have a 2 year old to chase around so I have been a walking zombie for the past 7 months!!

I already tried Weisbluth, Pantley and another sleep book and none of them worked. I read your book and thought that I would at least try putting him on the eating every 4 hour schedule and not letting him fall asleep and then slowly try (maybe) to work on naps and then maybe on the letting him put himself to sleep part. I wasn't at all expecting to be sitting here 4 days later at 8:00 pm with my baby sound asleep (who also put himself to sleep ) typing on the computer! I thought that there was no way that my very needy baby would ever be able to put himself to sleep , to tell you the truth I really wasn't even considering trying!

The first day that I put him on the every 4 hour schedule he ate every
4 hours and took 2 naps at about 2 hours each and them slept for 11 hours only waking once but putting himself back to sleep. Every night since I have crossed my fingers and he has slept 11 to 12 hours straight through. My life feels so much different than it did last week!! He is a new baby and I am a new mom! Just wish I would have read this book earlier! It is short and easy to read, unlike the other books I read that go on & on for 300+ pages.

Before we bought this book, we just assumed babies woke up several times per night for months. Wrong. We started the training from this book when our baby was 5 weeks old. We followed the steps rigorously, and by 12 weeks old he was sleeping from 8:30pm to 8am without waking up in between. Another 3 weeks later he was on a daytime nap schedule of 1hr in the morning and 2hrs at night, with feedings like clockwork at 8, 12, 4, and 8. He is now 11 months old and still perfectly on schedule. When we put him down at night, he goes to sleep without crying. On the infrequent occasion that he does wake up and cry, he goes back to sleep by himself in 5-10 minutes without any soothing. I've now bought this book for six friends who have recently had babies. I can't recommend it enough- it's simple, it's straitforward, it's humane (no letting them cry all night), and the toughest part only lasted about 2-3 weeks (spacing out the night feedings by 15 minutes per feed over a couple of weeks). Oh, and unlike some of the other enormous baby manuals, this one can be read completely in about 2 hours. Raise you baby however you want, but if you want to sleep through the night EVERY night, buy this book!

I bought this book when my first child was born, and applied the concepts after she was 8 weeks old. By 14 weeks, she was sleeping 11-12 hours/night with 2 naps during the day. She wasn't miserable, and I certainly did not starve her. My second child was born last year, and I followed the same plan. She was sleeping 12 hours by 13 weeks - also with two naps during the day. For those who suggest this book is inhumane, the author expressly states that you should not begin sleep training your baby until they are 8 weeks old, and at least 10 pounds AND consuming at least 24 ounces of formula or breastmilk in 24 hours. I will admit that I had better success when I bottle fed my children (I used expressed breastmilk) rather than nursed. You can determine how many ounces your baby is consuming more easily when bottle feeding vs. nursing.

You will achieve sleep success more easily if you are fairly regimented about training, and remain regimented until a schedule is well-established.

So for those reviewers who think that you are supposed to starve your baby for 12 hours at night, you are mistaken. The author does not suggest that at all. For the first 8 weeks of life, the author states that you must feed on-demand. Each baby is different, and you'll need to modify the sleep training techniques for your child, but the overall concept does work, and my children are happy, pleasant and well-rested.

I read this book when my son was 7 weeks old. A friend at work suggested it so I figured I'd give it a shot! We were doing well in the sleep department but not sleeping through the night. We started pumping (per the books recommendation [br]) and ensuring that he was getting his total ounces during the day (another br). We were sleeping from 9pm-7am by 9 weeks!! I liked the books other tips for helping the baby fall asleep on his own, etc.

I bought this book when I was pregnant with twins last year, upon a recommendation of a friend who had employed Suzy as a night nurse for her twins a few years ago. I knew we'd need a better system this time around since our first child woke up at night until after she turned one! About 8 weeks after our twins arrived, we were exhausted and delerious (but happy, of course). Lucky for us, Suzy works in our area! We hired Suzy for "Sleep Training" just before they hit 3 months. Employing her Method, our boys went from waking 3-4 times at night to sleeping 12 hours straight. This was in just two weeks!! Also, we were able to move them to a reliable 4 hour schedule (they were bottle fed both formula/breast milk). My husband took the first week of training off of work and that really helped me stretch them during the day when necessary. Having both twins on the same schedule was a sanity saver. I was able to create a schedule that worked around preschool drop-off and pick-up for our older child. When people ask us how we're sleeping, they often don't believe our response. Our twins are 9 months old and they've been sleeping 12 hours at night with two 1.5-2 hour naps per day since they were 3 months old. Sure, we've had the occasional wake-up when a child is sick but that's to be expected and they get right back into the routine when well. This book is fantastic, especially for parents of multiples and parents with other kids to care for. I recommend the book and Suzy to everyone I know!

I cannot praise this book enough. I started to use the methodology when my daughter was 4 months old and it took 2 weeks flat to get her to sleep through the night. The book explains everything very logically, but doesn't go into unnecessary detail, which is critical since which sleep-deprived parent has the time to read tomes? The method the author suggests is not unsafe as one reviewer was concerned about, ie the extending feedings 4 hrs apart, particularly by the time the baby is 3 months old. I double-checked it w/our pediatrician & he said it is perfectly fine, because a baby's stomach is big enough by that stage that they can drink more during each feeding. The author also recommends increasing the time between feedings in very small increments, ie can be as little as 10 min a day, so it's extremely gradual. You also don't HAVE to let the baby sleep the whole 12 hrs. I actually used the method to get her to sleep just 8hrs in a row, which still gets you a full night sleep. It's very easy to modify Giordano's suggestions to suit what you feel comfortable with. I know several moms in my playgroup who used this book & found it to be very effective.

My wife and I have Triplets. When they were about 9 weeks old and we were incredibly sleep deprived, we ran across this book and bought it out of desperation. However I have come to suspect devine intervention because it has been one the BEST resources we have ever had. By 12-weeks ALL THREE of our babies were sleeping through the night, and except for when they are sick, we all enjoy a full-nights sleep every single night. They are now 11-months old and it's awesome! Most parents we speak with are amazed at how we pulled it off, and we give Suzy all the credit. I can't recommend this more! I only wish I made a commission because not only do we recommend this to everyone we can, we have bought several of them as baby shower gifts too.

I understand that there are different views on attachment versus a more scheduled approach to parenting. For those who want to explore a more scheduled approach, I strongly encourage it. I have 2 children, each has been on a schedule. It makes them feel secure, they know what to expect and when, it helps regulate their digestive systems, and they don't "snack" all day long. Of course, with an infant you feed on demand, as the book says-- but as they progress, so too can they progress into a schedule. My baby was in the NICU born as a preemie and at one of the best NICUs in the world she was on a 3 hour feeding schedule-- this was what the best NICU doctors did. . not me. And this is a baby not even near a 40 week old delivered baby. . .so something to think about (and I did breast feed her for 8 months). Lack of sleep for parents causes serious issues and can lead to depression, abuse, etc. It's not for convenience sake-- it is for the sake of the health of the family. I don't want to criticize attachment parenting beliefs, but my observation has been that these children and their families tend to really suffer from lack of sleep, lack of organization and structure in the long run. It (attachment parenting) has an appealing approach on the surface, but my experience has been that for many families a baby/child who sleeps regularly on a schedule benefits everyone emotionally, physically, and intellectually. But as always, do what feels best for you and your family.

This book has worked beautifully for my infant. By two months of age, she was sleeping 11 hours, and currently, at six months, she sleeps 12 hours through the night, and it is uninterrupted.

When we saw my infant's pediatrician on Monday of this week for her six-month checkup, she thanked me for introducing her to the book too. At seven months age, her son was only sleeping for 8 hours during the night, and after only a few weeks of following the book's strategies, her son began to sleep 12 hours and has been doing so since; he is currently 10 months old.

My daughter's pediatrician also mentioned that she has been recommending the book to all of her parents when they bring in their babies for their 1- month checkup, and when they return for their next checkup, they all report a "Success Story".

The book is also written for babies up to 18 month of age so if your baby is older than 6 months, don't worry - it is still worth trying the sleep training. Since my pediatrician liked it too I thought I would leave a review.

Good luck! The sleep becomes really important once you are back at work.

This book was recommended to my husband by a coworker. I read it in less than an hour and began implementing the techniques right away, my son was 7 weeks old at the time. By the time he was 9 weeks old he was sleeping through the night for 12 hours and not getting up for any feedings. We had to travel out of town for a wedding at around 9 weeks and the change in setting did not alter his great sleeping or feeding schedule. The author makes it very straightforward and understandable without a lot of the science of sleep babble. It was wonderful for us to be on a schedule so we could plan our days (and nights). My son is now almost 14 months old and still sleeps through the night for 12 hours and takes 2 long regular naps during the day. He goes right down, no crying or fussing and he goes down perfectly regardless of if I put him down, a sitter or grandparents.
People have complimented us on how easy going and happy our son is and I certainly believe a lot of it has to do with the fact that he got enough sleep & food right from the get go and still has good sleeping habits.