Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth (Paperback)

I have used this book since baby #1, and I now have 4 children. I tried Baby Wise (with baby #1), and it went against every motherly instinct I had (like "don't rock your baby to sleep", and "wake him up to feed him"). Healthy Sleep Habits is logical, common sense stuff that supports what decisions you choose to make with regard to raising your child. This is a very easy read, and also in sections by age and sections that discuss sleep problems or situations that come up that can affect sleep (like teething). I LOVE this book, and keep several copies on hand to give away as gifts for a new mom. I refer to it over and over again, when my babies reach a new stage of their sleep habits. To this day, my first child is my worst sleeper, and the following 3 have been very easy to train since going along with the advice and tips in this book.

Great book for first time moms, I always give this as a baby shower gift that is practical!

This book completely changed my 8 month old son. He was a somber, straight-faced little guy until I started implementing these ideas. He soon became a great sleeper, which completely changed his attitude as well. I'm now using it to prevent sleep problems in my newborn. It is not a book that straight out tells you what to do. The author is a sleep researcher so he explains the anatomy of sleep to help you better understand your own child's needs. He offers strategies for different types of children and problems. I recommend this book to all my friends that are having babies.

I like to describe myself as being a mommy with a balance of both "attachment parenting" and "routine" approach. When my daughter was born, I knew that I wanted to be her constant comfort, to keep her close to me often, but I also wanted to make sure that I didn't go to the extreme and ignore the needs of her body in the process! This book does an EXCELLENT job of teaching about the neurological development process of children, and how to discern their sleep needs from birth through adolescence. The approach is very common sense and reasonable, without the author trying to force a "one-size-fits-all", rigid format onto every child!