Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
by Marc Weissbluth
List Price:
Our Price: $13.38
You Save: $11.57 (46%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.93 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Marc WeissbluthEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-10-04
ISBN: 0345486455
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780345486455
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
Book Review: Contains a Lot of Useful Information on "Sleep Science" That Can Be Helpful to Any Parent
Summary: 5 Stars
Marc Weissbluth, MD, author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, explains the key role that sleep plays in allowing children to be at their best during the day -- to achieve Weissbluth calls "optimal wakefulness."
Weissbluth demonstrates the link between sleep problems at night and a child's behavior during the day, noting "Sleep problems not only disrupt a child's nights, they disrupt his days, too, by making him less mentally alert, more inattentive, unable to concentrate, and easily distracted. They also make him more physically impulsive, hyperactive, or lazy. But when children sleep well, they are optimally awake and alert, able to learn and grow up with charm and humor."
Weissbluth argues that, at around three to four months of age, all children are ready to begin the process of beginning to learn to sleep well. Parents sometimes get in the way of this natural process of sleep learning, however: "When parents are too irregular, inconsistent, or oversolicitous, or when there are unresolved problems between the parents, the resulting sleep problems converge, producing excessive nighttime wakefulness and crying."
Weissbluth recommends the cry-it-out sleep training method, in which the child's cries are ignored in an effort to "extinguish" night-time crying. He argues that this method is the most effective. "The general reason why a gradual approach tends to be less successful in the long run is that it takes longer and there are always natural disruptions of sleep, such as illnesses or vacations. The subsequent reestablishment of healthy sleep routines using a gradual approach becomes very stressful to the parents. Several days or weeks of a gradual approach often wear down parents, so they give up and revert to their old inconsistencies. Parents who have successfully used extinction know that they might have one, and only one, night of crying after they return home from several days on vacation or from a visit to a relative's house."
Weissbluth explains physiological processes that govern sleep in young children -- specifically how becoming overtired can set off a series of biochemical processes that can make it even more difficult for your child to get to sleep the next time naptime or bedtime rolls around. The underlying theme of this book is "sleep begets sleep," which is why Weissbluth is so insistent that you have to make ensuring that your child gets adequate daytime and night-time sleep a priority for your family.
The key strength of this book is the specific "sleep science" information that it contains. On the downside, as other parents have noted, Weissbluth sometimes has an overly clinical approach to the subject of babies and sleep; and he doesn't make it clear how the theories of sleep science (which he outlines so well) are supposed to mesh with all the latest research about attachment theory and parent-child bonding.
The parents that I interviewed for my recent book on this subject had mixed reactions to the cry-it-out method that Weissbluth advocates in this book:
"I know several moms who have had great success by sticking with routines, and that's great. They seem limited, however, as to when they can do things during the day because they have to be home at certain times for naps."
"I don't think the cry-it-out method is bad for [babies]: it's just very hard to do as a parent. It almost killed me the first few times she cried for more than ten minutes. I didn't go by the book enough to know if I gave it an honest chance for my daughter. 'No cry' doesn't work entirely for us either. Sometimes she cries no matter what if she's tired. Sometimes she'll cry in my arms on her way to her crib for a nap. Sometimes she'll cry harder if she's being soothed when she'd rather be sleeping. Sometimes I swear she is hollering 'Leave me alone. I'm trying to fall asleep.' I think we're going to come to some agreement that is partway between cry and no cry. We're not there yet."
"Our daughter's lack of sleep was affecting our family, our marriage, and her emotional, physical, and social health. We knew that as parents we would often make decisions that were in her best interest, whether those decisions made her happy or not. While I am not a huge fan of crying it out, I have to say it produces results better than any other plan we have tried. Every mother hates to hear her child cry: it is heart-wrenching. I try to remind myself that I am not leaving them to cry themselves to cry themselves to sleep. I am leaving them to learn to sleep by themselves. That distinction can be helpful in the middle of the night."
So is Weissbluth's book for everyone? Absolutely not -- just as Sears' book isn't for everyone, Pantley's books aren't for everyone, Ferber's book isn't for everyone, Mindell's book isn't for everyone, and my book isn't for everyone. The reason is obvious. There's no "one size fits all sleep solution." As parents. we need to come up with our own unique sleep solutions that take into account our baby's age and developmental stage; ttemperament; own parenting style/philosophies; and our family's unique situation/circumstances.
If you're like the parents that I interviewed for my book, you'll probably find that your ideal sleep solution consists of a blend of the good/sensible ideas from all the sleep books and articles you read on this topic AND the best/most "in synch" wisdom from the parents you talked to -- and that you run through your own, unique parenting filter.
I wish you all the best in finding the sleep solution that's right for you and your child.
Note: I am giving this book five-stars because, whether or not you agree with its specific philosophy and/or sleep training method or not, it has contributed a lot of valuable information to the subject of sleep science and continues to be a useful sleep reference book.
Summary of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
One of the country's leading researchers updates his revolutionary approach to solving--and preventing--your children's sleep problemsHere Dr. Marc Weissbluth, a distinguished pediatrician and father of four, offers his groundbreaking program to ensure the best sleep for your child. In Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, he explains with authority and reassurance his step-by-step regime for instituting beneficial habits within the framework of your child's natural sleep cycles. This valuable sourcebook contains brand new research that
- Pinpoints the way daytime sleep differs from night sleep and why both are important to your child
- Helps you cope with and stop the crybaby syndrome, nightmares, bedwetting, and more
- Analyzes ways to get your baby to fall asleep according to his internal clock--naturally
- Reveals the common mistakes parents make to get their children to sleep--including the inclination to rock and feed
- Explores the different sleep cycle needs for different temperaments--from quiet babies to hyperactive toddlers
- Emphasizes the significance of a nap schedule
-
Rest is vital to your child's health growth and development. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child outlines proven strategies that ensure good, healthy sleep for every age. Advises parents dealing with teenagers and their unique sleep problems
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Sleep Disorders Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Sleep Disorders Books
Handbook of Sleep Medicine (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Handbook Series)Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Published: 2011-07-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $37.03
Price in other shops:
Melatonin: Natures Sleeping Pillby Ray Sahelian
Books & Tapes; Be Happier Pr; Published: 1995-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.89
Price in other shops:
The Sandmanby Keith Floyd
Ten Speed Press; Published: 1997-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $1.99
Price in other shops:
Hypersomnia with periodic apneas (Advances in sleep research)by Elio Lugaresi
SP Medical & Scientific Books; Published: 1978; Hardcover; Book
Understanding Sleeplessness: Perspectives on Insomniaby David N. Neubauer
The Johns Hopkins University Press; Published: 2003-09-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.85
Price in other shops:
Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine, 4th Edition (Principles & Practice of Sleep Medicine)by Meir H. Kryger, Thomas Roth, William Dement
Saunders; Published: 2005-03-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $157.46
Price in other shops:
Snoring - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet Referencesby ICON Health Publications
ICON Health Publications; Published: 2004-03-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.94
Price in other shops:
Sleep Deprivation - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet Referencesby ICON Health Publications
ICON Health Publications; Published: 2004-03-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.94
Price in other shops:
Sleep Apnea - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet Referencesby ICON Health Publications
ICON Health Publications; Published: 2004-03-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.95
Insomnia: Principles and ManagementCambridge University Press; Published: 2003-08-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $46.40
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent's Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep from Birth to Age 5by Jennifer Waldburger, Jill Spivack
HCI; Published: 2007-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.98
Price in other shops:
Super Baby Foodby Ruth Yaron
F J Roberts Pub; Published: 1998-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleepby Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam
Parent-Wise Solutions; Published: 2006-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Baby 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice For Your Baby's First Yearby Denise Fields, Ari Brown M.D.
Denise Fields, Ari Brown; Windsor Peak Press; Published: 2011-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, 5th Edition: Birth to Age 5 (Shelov, Caring for your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5)by American Academy Of Pediatrics
Random House; Bantam; Published: 2009-10-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep LongerTrinity Home Entertainment; Release date: 2003-03-18; DVD
Best price: $9.41
Price in other shops:
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Babyby Tracy Hogg, Melinda Blau
Ballantine Books; Published: 2005-07-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.06
Price in other shops:
Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems: New, Revised, and Expanded Editionby Richard Ferber
Touchstone; Published: 2006-05-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.82
Price in other shops:
The Happiest Baby on the Blockby Harvey Karp
Random House; Bantam; Published: 2003-05-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.24
Price in other shops:
The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Nightby Elizabeth Pantley
The McGraw-Hill Companies; McGraw-Hill; Published: 2002-03-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops: