Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
Book Review: How your baby can come to "sleep like a baby"
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is wonderful. Our son had trouble taking naps and going to sleep at night until we tried Weissbluth's methods. Readers should note that all negative reviews of this book are based on discredited ideology (e.g., the slanderous suggestion that Dr. Weissbluth must hate children because he counsels firmness) rather than on experience (i.e., the critics don't seem to have actually tried Dr. Weissbluth's methods). Positive reviews are by readers who tried the methods (and had tried others as well) and found them to work. Set aside your ideology and try it, for your child's, and your family's, sake.Book Review: Good info, method not for me
Summary: 3 Stars
I would recommend this book for the information on children's sleep cycles (how much, how many naps, when naps should be taken, etc.) but found the "cry for hours" approach unecessarily harsh. I would recommend Ferber's book for a gentler approach.Book Review: Not for every family . . .
Summary: 1 Stars
I feel compelled to write because this book has gotten such rave reviews here. I have to say that this book really irritated me. I read it with high hopes of help with my daughter's sleep problems and came away very disappointed. First of all, Dr. Weissbluth seems like he really dislikes kids. There are some statements about "fussy, bratty" toddlers who don't sleep well who may grow up to be "fat kids" that are incredibly mean coming from a pediatrician. The author implies that his method will work with every child and if it doesn't, it's the parents' fault. Actually, it's the mother's fault because she has deep seated psychological problems that prevent her from appropriately separating from her baby or she hates her husband. Seriously, I felt guilty for about two seconds after I read it (an uncharacteristic lapse that was probably due to severe sleep deprivation) and then I laughed. This just doesn't work for my daughter and it isn't my fault or my husband's fault. All of the examples in this book are of children that responded to the "technique" within a day or two. He says that you may have to let your child cry as long as three or four hours (!!) before they get learn that it's "sleep time" but he never gives an example of a family that was able to withstand that kind of torture. All his examples are of families where the child cried for 30 minutes the first night but went right to sleep the next. It's totally unrealistic. I think the worst thing about this book is that he says in several places that you have to put your child down, close the door and not come back until morning (no matter how much your child protests) and you can't be inconsistent on that point. In other places he says that it's perfectly normal for some children to wake up once a night for a feeding but he doesn't tell you how to go to your child to feed her without being "inconsistent" about responding to her cries. He also implies a causal relationship between ADD in children and poor infant sleep habits but never shows how his methods have helped children "prone" to ADD at all. All that being said, he does make some good points about the importance of good sleep for people of all ages and the scientific studies are interesting. I know that for some children, his techniques work - I have a couple of friends who swear by it. For other children, like my daughter, who are strong-willed and refuse to be "trained," it just doesn't work. Read it if you must but do not let Dr. Weissbluth make you feel guilty if it doesn't work for your family. The scary thing is that we almost used Dr. Weissbluth as our pediatrician - I should give thanks that he doesn't take HMO patients!Book Review: We couldn't have done it without Dr. Weissbluth!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
As first time parents, we wanted to give our baby a healthy start. Other mother's in my Chicago friendship network recommended Dr. Weissbluth's book and we read it from cover to cover in one night. Our son was born 21 months ago and has followed Dr. Weissbluth's sleep schedule from day one. He slept through the night completely by three months and has been a textbook baby ever since. The key to healthy sleeping success is putting the needs of your baby first. My husband and I worked our outings and errands around our baby's needs. We were not "chained to the crib" as a few friends commented. Rather, we respected the changing needs of our son and planned accordingly. Our social life didn't suffer, and when we met other friends with babies, our son tended to be the most pleasant of the group. The book works if you follow the plan. Our toddler can tell you. We say the magic words, "what time is it?" and he climbs up the stairs saying "night night."Book Review: Most Helpful
Summary: 5 Stars
I stumbled on this informative book quite by accident while looking for books on how to deal with colic. Not only were there comforting words about colicky behavior (yes, it did pass), but after she outgrew that, I was able to recognize signs of tiredness, and most importantly, how critically important adequate sleep is for a child. my daughte is now 18 months, and anytime I have a question or concern, I refer to this book. It has been one of the best buys I ever made. Most importantly, Dr. Weissbluth emphasizes the need for parents to recognize their own child's individual sleep needs and how they work into a particular family. Opinions certainly vary about this, but my husband and I feel that when both we and our child are well-rested, that we are better parents. The book is a most useful guideline of children's sleep habits. Children are individuals, but they all have a need for rest and sleep in order to learn and grow. I recommend this book if you do not want to do the family bed, or nightime wakenings in a child past 6-8 months old are becoming intolerable.