Amazon.com Review When your child isn't sleeping, chances are that you aren't either. Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems--a tired parent's essential for more than 10 years--offers valuable advice and concrete help when lullabies aren't enough to lull your child into dreamland. Based on Ferber's research as the director of Boston's Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children's Hospital, the book is a practical, easy-to-understand guide to common sleeping problems for children ages one to six. Detailed case histories on night waking, difficulty sleeping, and more serious disorders such as sleep apnea and sleepwalking help illustrate a wide variety of problems and their solutions. New parents will benefit from Ferber's proactive advice on developing good sleeping patterns and daily schedules to ensure that sleeping problems don't develop in the first place. You'll also find a bibliography of children's books on bedtime, sleep, and dreaming, as well as a list of helpful organizations. Here's a book that is sure to put you and your whole family to sleep--in this case, that's a good thing.
Product Description Does your child
Have difficulty falling asleep?
Wake in the middle of the night?
Suffer sleep terrors, sleepwalking, or nighttime fears?
Have difficulty waking for school or staying awake in class?
Snore, wet the bed, or head bang?
In the first major revision of his bestselling, groundbreaking classic since it was published twenty years ago, Dr. Richard Ferber, the nation's foremost authority on children's sleep problems, delivers safe, sound ideas for helping your child fall and stay asleep at night and perform well during the day.
Incorporating new research, Dr. Ferber provides important basic information that all parents should know regarding the nature of sleep and the development of normal sleep and body rhythms throughout childhood. He discusses the causes of most sleep problems from birth to adolescence and recommends an array of proven solutions for each so that parents can choose the strategy that works best for them. Topics covered in detail include:
Bedtime difficulties and nighttime wakings
Effective strategies for naps
Sleep schedule abnormalities
A balanced look at co-sleeping
New insights into the nature of sleep terrors and sleepwalking
Problems in setting limits
Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, bed-wetting, and head banging
Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems offers priceless advice and concrete help for a whole new generation of anxious, frustrated, and overtired parents.
True "attachment" parentingDecember 11, 2006 J & A 282 out of 290 found this review helpful
My wife and I tried for a while the ideas presented in the "no-cry sleep solution" without success. After months of lots of cry and no-sleep problems (both for our son and for ourselves), I decided to read Ferber's book. Because we were concerned about the "cry-it-out" method, I also did some research on what is known in the scientific literature. Here is a summary of my findings:
1- there are several published studies showing that cry-it-out (extinction) and graduated extinction methods are effective in solving sleep problems. Almost no controlled and detailed scientific studies support the "no-cry sleep solution" methods.
2- there is no hard evidence that letting your child cry-it-out causes long-term problems (unless you're ignoring real medical problems).
3- there is evidence that a child's sleep deprivation leads to impaired cognitive development.
4- cold-turkey cry-it-out (extinction) requires more maintenance than graduated extinction, the method proposed by Ferber.
5- Parents using graduated extinction to solve their child's sleep problems bond with their child more than parents whose child does not sleep through the night (true attachment parenting).
The above considerations led my wife and I to try Ferber, since it is in our son's best interest that he sleeps well. I should emphasize that Ferber does not support the "cold turkey" cry-it-out method, where you just let the child to cry to sleep. Instead, he supports the periodic check and reassurance of the child, to let him/her know that you're there for them (graduated extinction).
Ferber's book was very easy to read, even for a tired parent. I followed his recommendation, and read the whole book before attempting any treatment. This was very important to us, as we found out that our 9-month old son was eating too much at night, causing his sleep problems. After keeping a log of our sons sleep, we followed Ferber's treatment for night eating, and then we changed his sleep associations. Now, for the first time, our baby slept almost 10 hours in a row.
Here is how I would summarized the pros and cons of Ferber's book:
Pros: easy to read; works; not judgmental on parents expectations and capabilities; supported by scientific research; not a cold-turkey cry-it-out method.
Cons: Not for everybody (some parents are unable to let their child cry, even for a minute, without consoling them);
Bottom line: Solving your child's sleep problem is in your child's best interest. You need to make sure that your child does not have any medical problems (our son had reflux, and we had to solve it before we approached his sleeping problems). You also need to make sure you have the right diagnosis of the sleep problem before attempting a treatment, and this requires reading most of the book.
Update: Since we starting using Ferber's two months ago, our son sleeps for about 10 hours in a row, and he is clearly a happier child. When we put him to sleep, most of the time he doesn't cry at all, and when he does, he usually cries for less than a minute.
REDISCOVER YOUR SANITYOctober 1, 1998 42 out of 43 found this review helpful
As a parent and an educator I never dreamed I'd reach the point of "Ferberizing" my baby. After all, wasn't this the toxic method that forced you to let your baby cry all night alone in a cold, dark prison-like bed? As a new Mom I was committed to the theoretical viewpoints of Dr. Sears and his colleagues, and was determined to make the family bed work for us. After 10 months of perseverence with little to no sleep at night I knew I had to make a drastic change for my own sanity. That is when I bought the Ferber book in an attempt to find a solution to our nighttime woes. As it turned out, I read the book in one night and was completely wrong about the process Dr. Ferber advocates. His logical, developmentally sound and behavioristic approach helped me to understand the improper sleep associations I was developing in my young one. After one week we were well on the road to recovery. I can now be a better parent to my child during the day since I am getting adequate sleep at night. This book has changed our lives! To all those who cringe at my words, I should add that I am still a staunch advocate of the family bed...if it works for you. I would never change the bonding my baby and I experienced sleeping together the first few months. However, there comes a time when you need to assess the health and happiness of the family unit. If you have reached the end of your rope at night, this book is the right one for you.
Ferber vs. SearsOctober 11, 2005 Rebeca(Upstate, NY) 45 out of 47 found this review helpful
I have read all the reviews published up to date and need to clarify several things from the previous comments of other readers. I love Dr. Sears and practiced attachement parenting for the first 6 months. Our son slept with us in our bed for 6 months. At the end of the 6 months we had to go to bed with him at 7pm since this he could not sleep in his crib. We had practiced attachment parenting (Sears) and this is what he had learned to expect. He could only sleep in bed with us next to him. Add to this that my baby could only sleep with us and ate 80% of his milk during night time. So not only were we in bed with him by 7pm, but also feeding him all night long. When the morning rolled in, my husband and I felt like zombies. We were exhausted and fighting with each other all the time due to the stress and exhaustion.
I was then recommended Ferber. I was terrified as I had heard horrible things and I do not believe in Crying it out. Howeverm I had already tried the No cry sleep solution and this did not work for us. So I gave Ferber the benefit of the doubt and decided to read his book. I focused on chptrs 5 and 6.
First, you do NOT need to let your baby cry it out. Ferber explains it very clearly in his book. He suggests a timetable, but leaves it up to the parents to change the suggested minutes on the table to meet the baby and parents' needs. For example, he suggest to let the baby cry for 5 min and increase gradually, but that the parent can change this to any minute they wish. I would only let my baby cry 1 min at a time and would them run into his room and confort him for 3 min. I am not sure how the previous readers would be considered detachment parenting!!!!
I did this for 2 nights. After two nights my baby was sleeping through the night.
In order to correct his night feeding, we gradually reduced his night intake. Ferber suggests doing this over a week. Since I did not want my baby crying, I implemented his program over a 4 week period. During these 28 days, my baby cried once!!! I know can sleept through the night and so can my family. We all wake up rested and ready for another day. My husband and I are no longer exhausted nor fighting due to exhaustion.
In conclusion, give this book an opportunity. Remember, you can tailor his program so it is as gentle as you wish. I believe that the people that are giving this book a bad review is because they chose to let their baby cry all night long, did not modify the program/timetable and truly this is unacceptable!
Rest for the weary!February 7, 2000 60 out of 65 found this review helpful
I am the mother of a 5 month old and was searching for information to help him to sleep through the night. This book was recommended by a number of moms so I bought it, even though the work involved letting my baby cry, which I really wasn't sure I could handle. After reading the applicable chapters, my husband and I implemented Dr. Ferber's ideas and my son went from sleeping 5 hours before waking in the night to 8 hours - in 2 days! We have had consistent progress in improving his sleeping and napping habits and he is resting better each night. Last night he slept 11 hours straight and woke happy and well rested.
The main thing this book taught me was the importance of being consistent - sending a consistent message to your child and doing so with love and caring. It also helped me to analyze my son's sleeping habits and look at what was behind his waking up to determine what should be done about it.
I would highly recommend this book to parents who are looking to establish good sleeping habits or correct problems that have arisen.
I got this book because I COULDN'T let my child "Cry it out"March 24, 2000 30 out of 31 found this review helpful
At 2 years old, my daughter wouldn't sleep on her own. We would have to lie down in bed with her until she was asleep, then get up and go to our own bed. She would then wake up in the night crying, and wouldn't go back to sleep until one of us laid down with her again. Most of the time, one of us just slept in her bed with her (a twin size-not very comfortable). We were miserable, and asked everyone we knew for advice. Everyone, including her pediatrician, told us to just let her cry it out, but we just couldn't do that. We tried, but it just seemed to cruel. Then her pediatrician recommended this book. I read the whole book the afternoon that I got it, and tried the method that fit her problem that night. I was able to get her to sleep on her own without crying, at first by sitting outside her room while she fell asleep, then gradually moving further away. Now she goes to sleep without any fuss, without me staying nearby, and sleeps through the night. And she actually asks to go to bed at night. She knows that if she needs me, I will come immediately. This book truly changed our lives, and for the better. Anyone who says this is a "cry it out" method is wrong. Every baby is different, and some will go through some crying, but the parent is constantly going in and reassuring the child, so that the child knows he/she has not been abandoned. Real "crying it out" is just leaving the child to cry and scream until they tire themselves out. This book is totally different, and offers parents alternatives. You can modify the methods to suit your individual child. Your child CAN sleep through the night, and so can you! I just wish I had had this book from the very beginning. I highly recommend it to all parents of young children or babies, whether they have a sleep problem or not, because it also teaches you how to develop good sleep patterns and habits.
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