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: great book. helps you make some difficult choices.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great resource for learning about sleeping patterns in children and what you can do to develop them. It's also good for giving you the courage to do what you know is best, even when your child is crying nonstop for hours at bedtime, for days in a row. We are fortunate to have Dr. Weisbluth as our pediatrician and I thank him everytime I see him for helping us help our child sleep (and for saving our marriage).Book Review: Great resource and information when used appropriately.
Summary: 4 Stars
We used the family bed and other very soft methods of getting our daughter to sleep (Sears) until she started to wake much more frequently to nurse (every 1-2 hours at 8-10months). I knew this was too often. When I read the data in the book about total numbers of sleep hours required (she had also had many colds in a row), I knew we had to try something. At 11 months we set up a night vision video camera in her room and did what the book said.
It was a tough several days, and it probably took another month or two to get the nap routine really down (inconsistent caregiver techniques), but almost immediately she was sleeping from 8-6. It's been 5 months, and except for minor teething and illness waking, its been great. I don't regret the family bed. It was a special time for us. But when things didn't work, this book really helped us out. She's been well rested and healthy for months now.
If it's time for a change from the family bed, I reccomend this technique. Our night vision camera (and the older age of our daughter) made it obvious to us what was going on in her mind. She did learn to sleep and now will often smile at me and even kiss me through the bars of the crib before I leave the room. She's happy and she knows I will see her in the morning.
Good luck!
Book Review: Change YOUR behavior: let the baby cope. NO EXCUSES!
Summary: 3 Stars
"Just Do It." This book is for parents finding confusing, competing messages on sleep habits from various news sources or the parent who wonders where sleep fits in with today's multiple priorities pulling the family in too many directions."Just Do It" - organize your life around the baby's sleep schedule, put him/her to sleep on time all the time, trust your baby's ability to adapt and DO NOT reinforce any negative sleep behaviors are the messages you get. For the parent who puts his/her priorities first, read this: the Doc says YOU need to adjust YOUR life to the baby's sleep rhythm. YOU need to put the baby to sleep on time all the time and stick with it. YOU need to stop reinforcing the bad time standoffs. YOU need to make things SIMPLER. Just put that baby to bed often. If you can't you are your child's worst enemy because you can't set priorities, you are encouraging many indirectly related behavioral problems and stunting his IQ. Sleep is prerequesite for a smart, bubbly child.
Why is the book 200+ pages? Because Dr. Weissbluth has to break down the competing messages and through our stubborness. We parents hear only what we want to hear, rationalize away our own responsibility and ignore simple clear messages from medical science. Dr. Weissbluth's book is the bullhorn and loudspeaker through the fog of mini-articles in your newspaper and home magazines. "Put that baby to bed and let that baby learn how to put him/herself to sleep! NOW!" he bellows in a soft, scientific and articulate way. The book's structure of winding three themes running together is not the best. But the three themes work together: 1. research backing up the "put her to bed and walk away" method, 2. blowing out some of the common nonsense floating about and 3. touchy feely anecdotal stories proving he has seen it all and the prescpription is the same: put that baby to sleep now trust your baby's ability to cope. STOP encouraging bad behavior using non-emotional and non-confrontative responses. For those who don't believe numbers, the anecdotal stories from patients who become converts strike home. Each stories is backed by research to strike home with his hammer: you are the parent, you are responsible to make sure the baby way too much sleep ON TIME every time. Excuses like Dads working late, family visitors and other "important" events are shot dead with his silver bullet: research showing your baby can and will sleep if YOU can just get your behavior in order. Goodnight, sleep tight.
Book Review: You have to read this if you're not sleeping at night!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a "must-read" for anyone having problems with their child's sleeping. I never knew that my baby was so overtired that it was keeping him awake at night until I read Dr. Weissbluth's book. I found the book to be clearly written and gave me enough explanation to get me started on finding a "cure" for the sleeplessness my son had. I will be forever grateful that my doctor recommended it!!Book Review: This book changed my life as a parent!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I highly recommend this book for parents who are exhausted from trying to get their kids to sleep! I have used Dr. Weissbluth's method with my 3-month old son, and he goes to sleep SO much easier than my first child ever did. The book also helped me to reverse the bad sleep habits that my 2 1/2 year old had gotten into. I now can put my two children to bed early and enjoy a relaxing evening, knowing that they are getting the rest they need. If you're afraid or feel terrible letting your child cry (as I did), please read this book. It's not all about crying. This book is so helpful. It has changed my entire thinking about sleep, and my children's needs regarding sleep. We're all much happier and well-rested thanks to Dr. Weissbluth!