Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
by Marc Weissbluth
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1095)
I have conflicting opinions of this book, though it is one of my favorites.
Things I like about this book:
It has a great range of information on healthy sleep. From birth through adolescence! I still occasionally reference it for my 4 year old, and I even have had sleep tips that helped me and my husband!!
I liked Dr. Weissbluths clinical background.
Things I didn't like:
It's poorly written-- or rather, POORLY organized. In order for this book to be useful, you've got to r...more
Things I like about this book:
It has a great range of information on healthy sleep. From birth through adolescence! I still occasionally reference it for my 4 year old, and I even have had sleep tips that helped me and my husband!!
I liked Dr. Weissbluths clinical background.
Things I didn't like:
It's poorly written-- or rather, POORLY organized. In order for this book to be useful, you've got to r...more
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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
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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
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
Julie, Kristen, Rachel, and other expectant parents/parents of young kids who aren’t sleeping well
I'm counting this as read, although, in the spirit of full disclosure, I did not read chapter 7 (Months Thirteen to Thirty-six), chapter 8 (Preschool Children), or chapter 9 (Schoolchildren and Adolescence).
Our friend Laurie recommended this book to us, and it's already been very useful. Our son was (still is) sleeping all right during the day, but he was (and still is to some extent) sleeping poorly during the day, despite being obviously tired. Over about the past week, we've started imple...more
Our friend Laurie recommended this book to us, and it's already been very useful. Our son was (still is) sleeping all right during the day, but he was (and still is to some extent) sleeping poorly during the day, despite being obviously tired. Over about the past week, we've started imple...more
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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
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2006
Mixed feeling about this one. On the one hand it really helped me to realize that sleeping is an essential part of a baby's development and that it needs to be up there in my list of priorities for my baby. It also helped me to find the right and natural sleeping schedule for my little one. On the other hand, I really hated the way that this book made me feel regarding missing naps and not sleeping through the night. I felt like every time I made her miss a nap I was dooming my child to a lif...more
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Read in October, 2006
recommends it for:
parents
BEST SLEEP BOOK EVER! I read several books about sleep. Our son was sleeping great at night, and through the night, but he would not nap. We tried everything. Finally, I found this book at our library. Oh how wonderful! Dr. Weissbluth gives concrete suggestions, including sample schedules, so that you can get your baby or child to sleep. Within one week of implementing a proper schedule and using those suggestions, Jack was taking 2 naps a day, of at least 1.5 hours each. It was amazing! I wish ...more
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Read in February, 2008
Caveat: I did not read this whole book, I only read the first couple of chapters and then the section on 5-8 months.
This book is so poorly written that whether or not the information and techniques that it presents are valid (that's a whole other topic, see below) I'd say it's a waste of your time. The last thing new new parents need is to waste any time trying to wrap their sleep-deprived minds around writing that runs in circles.
Without trying to get in a battle about whether or not you sh...more
This book is so poorly written that whether or not the information and techniques that it presents are valid (that's a whole other topic, see below) I'd say it's a waste of your time. The last thing new new parents need is to waste any time trying to wrap their sleep-deprived minds around writing that runs in circles.
Without trying to get in a battle about whether or not you sh...more
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this book really helped me and most importantly my baby. it was recommended to me be a stranger, and i took his advice because he told me it saved his marriage. it's unreal the amount of stress put on a marriage by trying to get some much-needed sleep because your baby won't sleep.
i will say the beginning chapters of the book were nauseatingly uninteresting to me. but it helps you understand the reasons why weissbluth recommends the things he does and why your child acts or reacts to certain ...more
i will say the beginning chapters of the book were nauseatingly uninteresting to me. but it helps you understand the reasons why weissbluth recommends the things he does and why your child acts or reacts to certain ...more
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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
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2 comments
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
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
new parents and pregnant couples
We're just starting to put Dr. Weissbluth's "program" into action, so I'll have to come back to this review in a couple of weeks.
For now, I agree with those who complain about Weissbluth's preachy tone and lack of consistent organization. But the research data are a valuable foundation for his program and something that's lacking in other texts on the subject (that I've read, anyway). When he finally gets around to it, his info on establishing healthy sleep patterns and preventin...more
For now, I agree with those who complain about Weissbluth's preachy tone and lack of consistent organization. But the research data are a valuable foundation for his program and something that's lacking in other texts on the subject (that I've read, anyway). When he finally gets around to it, his info on establishing healthy sleep patterns and preventin...more
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I found this book to be very informative on the importance of sleep. I have followed the rules and my daughter goes to sleep almost instantly when I get her to her crib at that time when she is tired but not yet overly tired. She sleeps for 12 hours at night without any waking. He talks about the importance of naps and how they shouldn't be less than 1 hour long. However, he doesn't give any instruction on how to lengthen these naps. My daughter sleeps only 45 minutes at a time and takes 4 ...more
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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
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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
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Read in January, 2007
When our daugther started sleeping through the night at an early age I thought she would set her own nap schedule as well. I was wrong. Babies need to be taught good sleep habits as well as encouraged to maintain them. A friend recommended this book to me and it has been one of the best tools as a new parent. I found the advice practical and easy to follow and my baby has been on a 2 nap a day schedule + an early bedtime since she was 4-5 months old. It is the best.
I don't think this bo...more
I don't think this bo...more
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Read in May, 2004
recommends it for:
All new mothers
This book changed my life-- taught me to how to teach my babies to sleep. How to recognize their sleep signs and respect their need to sleep. My advice is to ignore the beginning chapters (they all say the same thing-- you could maybe skim one or two) and go straight to the section dealing with your child at the specific age he/she is at the time you're reading it. Don't read it from cover to cover because that's useless. Use the index to look up what information you need. Once you understa...more
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recommended to Ana by:
alanna hector
recommends it for: parents of babies 5 months and older.
recommends it for: parents of babies 5 months and older.
The idea is really simple: put baby back to bed within 2 hours of waking up. Sleep begets sleep, and eventually baby will learn to go to sleep on their own without having to be rocked or coddled into it.
In addition to this radical information, though, the guy spouts off in all manner of ways about negligent selfish parents who won't put their baby to bed early because they themselves have problems sleeping. Possibly true, but he comes off as a real wanker, though quite intelligent and with l...more
In addition to this radical information, though, the guy spouts off in all manner of ways about negligent selfish parents who won't put their baby to bed early because they themselves have problems sleeping. Possibly true, but he comes off as a real wanker, though quite intelligent and with l...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in September, 2004
recommends it for:
anyone who is pregnany or has a child under 20
This book has amazing research and information. It starts with a pretty in depth overview of sleep cycles and how we all use sleep. It even had excellent ideas for adults. It explains how our sleep patterns as children follow us through the rest of our lives. This was my sleep bible. I nannied while I was pregnant and got this book from one of my families, and I used it, both of my sisters used/use it. I dole out information and advice from it every day and I will buy a copy for anyone I k...more
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What I like about this book:
*It gives a lot of good, well-researched information.
*It has charts and graphs that are very useful.
*It did help me as a new parent have a feel for when my newborn should be sleeping, eating, waking, etc.
What I don't like about this book:
*It is NOT well organized and is inconsistent about the information it includes and where the information is found in the book.
*The author will give detailed advice about schedules and such for one baby age and then at o...more
*It gives a lot of good, well-researched information.
*It has charts and graphs that are very useful.
*It did help me as a new parent have a feel for when my newborn should be sleeping, eating, waking, etc.
What I don't like about this book:
*It is NOT well organized and is inconsistent about the information it includes and where the information is found in the book.
*The author will give detailed advice about schedules and such for one baby age and then at o...more
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