Your Fussy Baby: How to Soothe Your Newborn

I read many books on colic and sleep habits when my son was very young. It is so important to respect a baby's need for sleep, early bedtimes, and a schedule. I HIGHLY recommend both this book and "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. We survived colic. Our son has slept in his own crib since he was born, and was sleeping 12 hours a night since he was several months old. I will never forget Weissbluth's motto, "Sleep begets sleep." Do yourself (and your baby) a favor and buy this book. Skim the studies if you need to, but follow his instructions. By the way, he does not advocate "crying it out" all night long or anything. Everyone I know who are against a little harmless crying (as explained in the book) and strict schedules are still weary eyed zombies with problem sleepers at the age of four. Good luck, folks. I am enjoying my sleep-filled nights and my son is a well rested, well adjusted, happy child! I do want to mention that infants with extreme fussiness/colic DO NOT NECESSARILY grow up to be difficult children or poor sleepers. Quite the contrary! I did not agree with that aspect of the book.

If you're looking for a quick fix to soothe your cranky newborn, this is not the book for you. That's because, as Dr. Weissbluth convincingly argues, colic (or extreme fussiness) is still not fully understood. Weissbluth presents the latest research on the problem, including theories on hormonal imbalance and disordered sleep, both of which may be related to "exterogestation," the idea that all human babies continue to develop after birth in a sort of fourth trimester. After dispelling most of the popular myths about the causes of and cures for colic, he concludes that the only thing we know for sure is that most babies outgrow it by 3-4 months. Because simply waiting is not an option for most parents, and because, Weissbluth acknowledges, these babies are hurting and distressed, he also provides a list of methods that might work to soothe your child, including swaddling, rocking, music, encouragement of sucking and massage. This book was written with care and first-hand understanding in order to help worried parents understand and cope with their children's symptoms until they outgrow them, as well as to anticipate and prevent sleeping problems after the fussy months are over. Weissbluth had a colicky baby himself, and it is clear that he respects the toll that it takes on frustrated and sleep-deprived families. Weissbluth does NOT advocate letting babies "cry it out." On the contrary, he urges parents to promptly respond to crying in young infants (as Sears does, Weissbluth acknowledges that you cannot "spoil" a newborn by holding, carrying, or rocking). His concern with older, post-colic babies (babies 4-months-old and older) is that due either to intense personalities (which correlate to a predisposition toward colic) or to the necessary coping strategies of families simply trying to survive the first three months of their child's life (strategies like always holding a child until he or she is in a state of deep sleep), healthy sleep habits may be harder to come by. Here, some crying at night and naptime might be unavoidable as parents let their older children develop self-soothing habits and learn to fall asleep on their own. Healthy sleep is as essential to a child's development as healthy food, and Weissbluth offers concrete advice toward that end. Most importantly, the advice works. My only misgiving about the book is its organization. A section on sleep before and after four months might have been better placed earlier in the book; at least, I found that to be the most informative part of the book and one that logically relates to the section dispelling myths about colic.

After getting tons of advice from different parents, I read this book and began to apply his methods and believe it or not, it really works. People told me not to let my baby sleep alot in the afternoon so she would "sleep good at night" and that could not be further from the truth. I would not say that my baby is "colicky", but she can be very fussy when she is over tired and that can be very trying on a new parent. She is a much happier baby and we're enjoying the heck out of her now thanks to Dr. Weissbluth. I can't wait to read his other books.

At this moment three years ago I was in the middle of a special kind of hell. I had a baby who simply would not stop screaming, who was impossible to get to sleep, and who I spent the entire day rocking, holding, carrying. I had Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits" which is a very good book, but it was hard for me to figure out exactly what to do with my colicky, fussy child. I thought I was either an idiot or completely insane because I could not for the life of me recognize his "drowsy cues" - well, as I have gleaned from this new book, colicky babies often don't exhibit them or they are incredibly difficult to recognize.This book perfectly addresses everything we were going through. If I had had this book, I would have been less worried that things were going to go on this way forever. I also would have had a very clear plan of action for sleeping ("Healthy" does go over these things, but for me it was not clear and simple enough for my sleep-deprived, colic-crazed brain). At the time I had Sears's "Fussy Baby Book" and basically it said, "this is the way your child is, you need to learn to deal with it." Not very comforting, and also not very accurate. Once my child was older, and I understood Weissbluth's sleep concepts better and my kid wasn't chronically overtired (from months of colic) he was no longer a "high-needs child." Some people blast Weissbluth as that cruel "cry it out guy" but please read this book before you jump to that conclusion. He encourages you to respond to your baby, not leave them to scream from day one. He is a huge fan of breastfeeding. His approach is humane and child centered, but unlike Sears, it is also practical and does take into account what a parent needs in order to be an effective parent.

This is a must read for all parents whose babies are colicky or extremely fussy. Dr. Weissbluth offers effective, sound advice that produces results. As a mother of an extremely colicky baby, it was a welcoming relief to find a book that directly addresses my issues, such as ways to soothe the crying, facts and fiction about colic, and how I can start healthy sleep habits even now. Dr. Weissbluth provided encouragement which eased the emotional rollercoaster of having a colicky baby. I pick this book up at least every other day for continuous support. I highly recommend this book. It has helped me, my husband and our baby TREMENDOUSLY.