https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 25 Sep 2026 16:58:15 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001434 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:33:30 +0000 catlady 2001434@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I read a ton of sleep books and I wanted to like this one but like you, I found it poorly edited and pretty difficult to get through. Ferber's book was better written and I ended up getting more from that one. Many of the ideas are similar, although if you get into the details, they have pretty different ideas about certain things (like when a baby can reasonably go through the night without food, for example). But I think with some of that, you need to just see what you are comfortable with and take cues from your baby.</p> <p>As for actual sleep training, we used Ferber's method, which is basically extinction with checks. I didn't trust everything he said though (we didn't use his method to drop night nursings, only to drop the random wakings due to sleep cycles). So we didn't use it in the way that many people do, which is to get their LOs to STTN. But we were happy with the results we got anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001405 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:08:42 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2001405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>FYI - I skipped all of the case studies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001402 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:07:05 +0000 My Only Sunshine 2001402@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Meridian: I agree with you, so many charts and studies! I did like parts of it. </p> <p>I found Ferber's book "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" much easier to read and I liked the comfort checks/controlled crying approach of sleep training when my daughter was about 5 months old. She's 15 months and we still use that book as a reference for naps and nighttime sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001397 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:03:06 +0000 edelweiss 2001397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i found the book really difficult to read, and nuggets of useful, practical advice were buried in tons of anecdotes and repetitious information. but i know a lot of people really like it. also, i think i had read enough things online that the book wasn't as helpful as it could have been had it been the only or one of the few materials i read on baby sleep.</p> <p>also it created false expectations for me on how my baby would fall asleep if i put him down drowsy but awake. that never fucking worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001396 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:02:26 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2001396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p><a href="http://babymakingmerrygoround.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-healthy-sleep-habits-happy.html?m=0" rel="nofollow">http://babymakingmerrygoround.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-healthy-sleep-habits-happy.html?m=0</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001386 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 15:58:42 +0000 Meridian 2001386@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs Green Grass: can you link your blog?! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001367 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 15:53:20 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2001367@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did a review of it on my blog if you want to read it. I really liked it and kept it in mind with lo's sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001268 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 14:44:11 +0000 Mrs. Confetti 2001268@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Meridian: I've heard the other docs in the practice are good, and clearly the practice drinks the weissbluth kool-aid, so it could still help. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001265 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 14:42:52 +0000 Meridian 2001265@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Confetti: oh NO, I'm so bummed to hear that!! Boo, there goes that idea... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001262 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 14:40:44 +0000 Cherrybee 2001262@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I read it and loved it but he really doesn't give any practical advice for nighttime. "Let the baby cry" seems to be the implication but that just doesn't work for us (she keeps it up until she is sick). There's a lot of talk of how sleep begets sleep - preserve the nap times and environment, early bedtimes - but that's just not practical if you both have to WOH. Consequently, I have read this book cover to cover twice and get my 17 month old still doesn't STTN (in fact, she's an overtired, rampaging mess right now, an hour after we first put her to bed). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001208 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 14:20:57 +0000 Little Misters Mom 2001208@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like others, I didn't find that the book gave concrete advice in terms of how to sleep train (he does mention Ferber and others but says to pick what feels right to you). But it made a compelling case for the importance of sleep which helped me realize how crucial sleep was to DS's health and development and that by being terrified of him ever crying I was harming all of us. That knowledge was really important to me during the hard parts of sleep training. The most helpful part of the book was seeing what was "normal" in terms of hours and sleep cycles, and when I should be looking to see nap consolidation. I've also found his advice on the natural timing of naps to be spot on, as well as the "sleep begets sleep" earlier bedtime. </p> <p>I did skip all of the anecdotes about parents personal stories. They weren't helpful to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001203 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 14:16:18 +0000 Mrs. Confetti 2001203@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Meridian: do NOT see his son! I'm heard that the weisbluth practice threw out the son because he was AWFUL! Honestly, I read a small number of chapters (1 2 and 4 I think), per a friend's rec, because it is a dense and intense book, albeit one filled with gems of great info. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001198 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 14:13:09 +0000 lawbee11 2001198@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I loved the book. And I'm a nerd so I loved all the data and studies in the beginning. I found Ferber's book did a better job of actually laying out a sleep training method. I implemented the early bedtime and having LO sleep in her crib as much as possible (we avoid car and stroller naps as much as we can) after reading Weissbluth, and I think it's been great for her sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001193 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 14:10:23 +0000 meredithNYC 2001193@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I read/skimmed it and just took what was useful. I credit it with helping me sleep train my LO at 3 months. Sleep has, for the most part, been smooth sailing from that point. We may have just been, lucky, of course. We will see when I use the same method for our next child. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001181 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 14:04:52 +0000 Pumpkin Pie 2001181@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't read the whole thing, but I did a good skim of the book and refer to it when I need to. I found it helpful, but the book doesn't really give you a step by step training method. You basically have to piece together all the information and do what works for you.</p> <p>We were having major sleep issues, but now at 3 months, it is so much better. I started implementing some sleep training starting at 9 weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001162 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:58:48 +0000 mrs. wagon 2001162@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know this book isn't for everyone, but it was extremely helpful with my first baby. The way I did it... I kept reading through the first one or two chapters (the areas where he jumps from age group to age group) and then the rest of the book is broken down by age group. So I would keep the age group we were currently in bookmarked, and read through that section whenever we ran into sleep issues, and refer back to the first overall sections. Reading the examples of babies and parents really helped as well. I totally ignored the parts of the book that didn't apply to the age group we were currently in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-read-weissbluths-book-please-weigh-in#post-2001147 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:54:15 +0000 Meridian 2001147@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started reading Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book back in Sept and only got through about 20% of the book before LO arrived 5 weeks earlier than expected. Now with a ton of sleep issues, I've just picked it up again over the weekend and am about 40% through (but didn't start over, because I don't have the time! I don't recall much of the beginning...)</p> <p>Did anyone else find this book hard to read? So much data and studies, anecdotes from parents... He jumps around from age group to age group, and I'm not finding a clear "method" of practical tips to do, or instructions for his actual sleep training process. Does this happen later on in the book??</p> <p>Although I was pleasantly surprised by a few things he talked about:<br /> - "You cannot spoil your baby, so do whatever you can to maximize sleep and minimize fussing and crying." - I expected him to strongly advise against using any sleep crutches from the very beginning! Especially surprised that he advises swinging, long car rides, etc., as good soothing methods!</p> <p>- "Concentrate on caring for your baby, not looking for a cure for extreme fussiness/colic." - This one hit home because I am always looking for a "fix", and HOW can I make this better?!</p> <p>Anyways, just looking for your thoughts on this book, if you found it helpful, or tough to get through as I do... and how did you apply this book to your own LO? And when does he talk about his actual sleep training process?</p> <p>The author, Dr. Weissbluth, is retired, but his son has a pediatric practice in Chicago and also specializes in sleep. I'm starting to regret not choosing his office when I was interviewing pediatricians (I went with an practice that is closer to home). I'm considering looking into sleep consultations with him in the future if sleep doesn't get better, haha! </p>