Baby & Toddler Sleep Program

I found this book a great companion to Dr Ferber's book. This one is very easy to read, well organized, and provides pep talks if you're about to start a difficult transition with your child. However, it lacks the graduated steps of the Ferber program (check on your child after 5 minutes, then 10, etc) that is so useful in the Ferber program. I used this book a pep talk before doing the Ferber program of crying with checking in intervals, and holding the door shut for a minute at a time. It worked! The first night we tried it for my toddler (who just discovered how to climb over her bed rail and wake us up every night for the past 2 months), she cried and jumped out of bed for 2 hours, then slept through the night. The second night she cried for 10 minutes, but stayed in bed and slept through the night. The third night, she let out a cry then went to sleep! If you prefer this type of cold turkey method, use it, but with Ferber. Otherwise, try one of those no-cry solutions which takes much longer, but may suit some parents.

This book does have some concerns to me, but overall it was helpfull. People who left reviews saying they were told that they would sleep fine during some trials did not read this correctly. It clearly states if you cant handle the three day stint, dont do it! "Try what you are more comfortable with" and there were other options than the three day program. It also does not tell you to lock your child in their room and dont check on them. This book helps you understand that you dont need to run to your child the second they start crying, because then they think everything will be solved the minute they start to fuss, which leads to manipulation. I personally would not like the three day program, but this book gives good advice on how to get your child ready for bed without fuss.

I'm a first time parent and I have been having trouble with my eight month old waking up in the middle of the night, and not falling back to sleep on his own. I initially chose this book because it looked easy to read and was relatively short (I don't have alot of extra time for reading). I already had an idea of what my husband and I had done and what we were doing wrong. This book confirmed my thoughts and reinforced my beliefs about how to fix the problem. The book also helped me to convince my husband that waking up in the night is normal for a baby (and everyone else), that it is best not to rush in and pick him up as soon as he cries, and it is o.k. to let him cry for awhile. I know I would have had a hard time getting my husband to read a longer, more complicated and technical book. After only one night of following the advice in the book, my son fell back to sleep on his own and I had the best nights sleep that I've had in eight months! We did not have a major sleep problem, and some of the information is common sense, however, the book let me, a first time parent, know that my problem was not out of the ordinary and that my instincts about babies and sleep were correct. The book also offered additional information about sleep of which I was unaware, that will help with this baby now and in the future, and gave advice that I will definately follow in getting a second child off to the right start sleep-wise.

This book helped me to get my 10 month old to sleep through the night. It's written well, so you don't feel bad about your child not sleeping through the night. I would recommend it for all sleepless parents.