book data
1239 ratings, 4.14 average rating, 505 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
October 4th 2005
by Ballantine Books
binding
Hardcover, 544 pages
isbn
0345486455
(isbn13: 9780345486455)
description
One of the country's leading researchers updates his revolutionary approach to solving--and preventing--your children's sleep problems
Here D...more
Here D...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
| topics | replies | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| healthy sleep habits | 2 | 22 | 09/05/2007 05:40PM |
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1473)
Read in February, 2007
This book was recommended to me by a good friend who had literally poured over every book she could find on the topic of sleep. She sees it as the sleep bible.
Unfortunately, I had a hard time with the book for several reasons.
1) It's very dense with a small typeface - note easy to read when you're exhausted and looking for a solution.
2) It's totally unclear where in the book there's actual practical information on how to help your child sleep.
3) The author is strongly opini...more
Unfortunately, I had a hard time with the book for several reasons.
1) It's very dense with a small typeface - note easy to read when you're exhausted and looking for a solution.
2) It's totally unclear where in the book there's actual practical information on how to help your child sleep.
3) The author is strongly opini...more
Like this review?
yes
(3 people liked it)
add a comment
This is the most amazing sleep book ever written. I read it with my first and it is a miracle! It totally teaches you how to train your kids to sleep. I refreshed my memory and re-read parts of it with our second and it still worked wonders. Every parent of a newborn should read this. You'll never regret that you did!
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
2 comments
I feel like all the books say the same thing in different ways and then sell it as the ONLY thing that works. The funniest thing is that they also seem to say that if you pay attention to your child you will notice patterns and respond according to your best instincts. DUH!! Pay attention to what your child needs. I never thought of that! I feel like most of these books are written to make mothers/parents feel bad, especially if you are breastfeeding. God forbid you don't like to hear your...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
4 comments
I really love this book – though I notice I almost always hear negative reviews and comments about him which is a huge shame. People think of him as having a "cry it out" stance and of being anti-"attachment parenting" but this couldn't be further from the truth. What is great is that he doesn't have one philosophy or think there is one method of doing things. He gives many different sleep strategies that include no crying, some crying, and "cry it out" and he t...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
I obviously did not sit down with this book with the intention of escaping to another time and place. This book was read for more practical reasons...getting Gwen (age 2.5)to be a well rested child (especially with trips planned in the near future and a baby on the way). Her naps and bedtime had recently taken a turn that resulted in loss of sleep for Jerry and me. I would strongly suggest this book to anyone in a similiar situation. Written by a pediatrician who has studied sleep and raised 4 c...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
2 comments
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
parents
Decent.
This book is really not great for babies under 4 months of age, although it did introduce me to an important concept (don't keep a very young baby awake for more than 2 hours!). It is geared more to babies 5+ months and toddlers, preschoolers, children. For the first four months, definitely go to Dr. Harvey Karp's "The Happiest Baby on the Block," which is astoundingly good--and I recommend the DVD more than the book.
Dr. W is extremely knowledgeable about sleep patt...more
This book is really not great for babies under 4 months of age, although it did introduce me to an important concept (don't keep a very young baby awake for more than 2 hours!). It is geared more to babies 5+ months and toddlers, preschoolers, children. For the first four months, definitely go to Dr. Harvey Karp's "The Happiest Baby on the Block," which is astoundingly good--and I recommend the DVD more than the book.
Dr. W is extremely knowledgeable about sleep patt...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
sleep obssessed parents
*sigh* i am obssessed with sleep. and it's not something i'm proud of. my first child was a crappy sleeper and i was set on making sure that the second one would be better rested. well, here i am, with baby #2, and though she definitely sleeps better, she's still, you know...a baby. and she has her good days and her bad days. that said, weissbluth's book is really good about explaining the science behind infant sleep and stresses the importance behind having a well-rested child in a culture wher...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
This book makes me feel like a failure as a parent when my child has sleep issues. I hate his preachy tone and militant approach. I have literally thrown it across the room in frustration. Several times when we have encountered a new sleep issue with Nora, I go back to this book, hoping that he'll have some good advice. We are currently trying his "sleep rules" approach to deal with her getting out of bed a thousand times a night, with some success, but I think it has more to do wi...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Although the writing feels confused and hodgepodge-y throughout, Weissbluth provides concrete information and advice on how to help your child sleep well, especially for first-time parents. I followed the author's suggestion of reading certain chapters while pregnant and felt like I had a good handle on what to expect and how to help with regards to sleeping when my daughter was born. Now, I often refer to the book's month by month guide on how parents can help their children establish healthy...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comment
The sleep bible! I swear this is the book that saved my life and now has me pregnant for the third time. Sleeping babies are the best babies ever, and this book teaches parents how to make sure their kids get all the sleep they need, how to get them to sleep, details on how much, napping, falling asleep in cars, etc - I still read it for my 3 year old and review it for my 1yr old...plus it has tips all the way to to the teen years. I have not met anyone yet who has religiously followed it say it...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
3 comments
recommends it for:
parents
The book is a little hard to navigate, but there is some really helpful information in here. I like how he divides the book into age-specific chapters. It's nice to go straight to the chapter relevant to your child to get a sense of what sleep patterns are healthy for that age. His suggestion to always soothe a newborn to sleep within one to two hours of wakefulness was so helpful - it really cut down on cranky periods. The idea that more sleep = more sleep was counterintuitive at first, but...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in October, 2008
recommends it for:
parents to be, parents
I loved this book so much that after returning it to the library, I bought a copy of my own!
My daughter had gotten to a point where she would not fall asleep unless it was or or next to me. I couldn't put her down in her crib without her waking up and screaming. I read a few books - all that I could find time for with a fairly cranky daughter around - but nothing was really working. Everything else that I read seemed kind of theoretical. This book was full of science (not too much as to be ...more
My daughter had gotten to a point where she would not fall asleep unless it was or or next to me. I couldn't put her down in her crib without her waking up and screaming. I read a few books - all that I could find time for with a fairly cranky daughter around - but nothing was really working. Everything else that I read seemed kind of theoretical. This book was full of science (not too much as to be ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2008
I am currently re-reading this book since I have a newborn again. With my first baby, I didn't find out about this book until she was 8 months old, and it was a life saver! But the sleep training was brutal, though absolutely worth it! She started going to bed at 6p and sleeping through the night! Now she's 3 and still goes to bed by 7:30p without any trouble. I am hoping that starting out from the begining with my newborn will be a little easier.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in August, 2007
This is by far the best parenting book I've ever read. It is a little long and repetitive, but the information within are invaluable. It's basically this: A child with healthy sleep habits is a happy child. And the book will help you know how to do it! Recommend highly to any new parent.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in November, 2008
I didn't like the first few chapters...it seemed like the author was trying to scare me by saying that a sleep-deprived baby was sure to get brain damage! I also felt the book used way too many words to convey simple concepts and ideas. However, a couple chapters were really interesting, it is definitely based in research and vast experience, and I've successfully used a number of ideas from the book to help my baby sleep better! Bottom line: if you can't find a similar book you like more, I'd r...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2008
I found the information in this book valuable and following the schedules and approaches to nap-training have helped my daughter learn to put herself to sleep (and back to sleep) and have helped me learn to look for signs of tiredness other than a pitched, screaming fit by watching my child and the clock together.
Although the author does acknowledge that there are other ways to help your child learn to fall asleep unassisted other than extinction, or 'crying it out,' I totally agree with his...more
Although the author does acknowledge that there are other ways to help your child learn to fall asleep unassisted other than extinction, or 'crying it out,' I totally agree with his...more
Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone with an open mind about nighttime parenting
First off, let me say that I didn't actually "read" this book cover to cover. I skimmed it. A LOT of people recommend this book, and I can see why. But it bugs me. In my opinion, the author has a "do or die" approach, like if you don't help your child sleep better NOW and in his (the author's) way, he/she is going to suffer for it for the rest of their lives. It made me feel guilty as a parent for not doing everything he says, like I'm harming my child, which I know I'm not. ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I am reading this for the third time right now because both of my sons are transitioning with their sleep habits, as we all are all the time. That is why I think everyone should read this book whether you have kids or not. Of course I didn't read it until I had children, but then it opened my eyes and made me think of my whole lifetime as a sleeper, the sleep relationships my siblings share with their spouses, my neices and nephews over the years, the way I slept in college or the all nighters...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
My cousin introduced me to this book and I think that it's a Godsend.
As a person who lives by a schedule, it made sense to have my daughter on somewhat of a schedule too. That way I could decipher between her hungry times and sleepy times. In addition, I had listened to WAY TOO many parents tell me about their 18 month old staying up until 1:30 in the morning or the "going to bed" process taking 2 hours. There was no way that I could do that and survive being a working parent. ...more
As a person who lives by a schedule, it made sense to have my daughter on somewhat of a schedule too. That way I could decipher between her hungry times and sleepy times. In addition, I had listened to WAY TOO many parents tell me about their 18 month old staying up until 1:30 in the morning or the "going to bed" process taking 2 hours. There was no way that I could do that and survive being a working parent. ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
currently-reading
(on 134 people's shelves)
to-read (on 100 people's shelves)
parenting (on 67 people's shelves)
non-fiction (on 21 people's shelves)
baby (on 6 people's shelves)
self-help (on 6 people's shelves)
nonfiction (on 5 people's shelves)
own (on 3 people's shelves)
motherhood (on 2 people's shelves)
baby-books (on 2 people's shelves)
More shelves...
to-read (on 100 people's shelves)
parenting (on 67 people's shelves)
non-fiction (on 21 people's shelves)
baby (on 6 people's shelves)
self-help (on 6 people's shelves)
nonfiction (on 5 people's shelves)
own (on 3 people's shelves)
motherhood (on 2 people's shelves)
baby-books (on 2 people's shelves)
More shelves...
quotes from this book
"...please remember that leaving your baby alone protesting for more fun with you while you get dressed is not the same things as abandonment. Similarly, leaving your baby alone protesting for more fun when she needs to sleep is not neglect. "
More quotes...
