Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep

When I read Nighttime Parenting I was already co-sleeping with my first baby and was quite familiar with this concept. Although this was the norm for my husband's culture (he's Japanese), for the most part I thought co-sleeping was an obscure sort of out there idea for most parents. I was wrong! In the many years since I initially read this book I have become the mother of three. My husband and I have practiced every variation of the family bed with wonderful results. Our children have grown into loving and affectionate human beings, co-sleeping and having their nighttime needs met is very much a part of that. Yet, I've felt surprise that although many parents react with horror to such an idea as babies and children sleeping with their parents, many, many more have secretly confided that they are doing the same thing! The fact is, that although learning to co-sleep with your baby is initially an adjustment, having a baby PERIOD is an adjustment. You aren't going to get much sleep no matter what you do. But having your baby RIGHT THERE to attend to his needs in the middle of the night is EASIER. You sleep better, they sleep better and it's good for everyone. Dr. William Sears is a well respected pediatrician who is not only extremely knowledgeable from a medical standpoint, but as a father of several children (8 or 9? something like that!) He and his wife are amazing partners who teach by example how to meet everyone's needs, including their own. This book is not only a classic standby, it is continually inspiring to read it and feel good about parenting instead of society shaming you for doing something that has been practiced by healthy families for millions of years. Read his book, embrace your heartfelt desire to cuddle your baby, and feel GOOD about meeting everyone's needs in your family.

Nighttime Parenting is the book that will help you really help your baby to sleep better, not "train" her. It is for parents who are willing to have patience with their babies, and not try to force them into rigid patterns before they are ready. I have an 11-month old baby who wakes up at night. I have read Ferber and Mindell and some of the others who advocate "sleep training." But I just couldn't let my baby cry herself to sleep, as they recommend. That's what it comes down to. Really helping your baby takes time, and effort. It's not easy, but did we really choose to become parents because we thought it would be easy? After using the suggestions in this book, my baby is now sleeping much much longer stretches than she was three months ago, and I am thrilled. I also don't mind getting up once or twice a night to comfort my precious daughter. This book is not for everyone. If you want your baby to sleep 11 hour stretches without bothering you, then you probably want the Ferber book. But, please reconsider, for your baby's sake.

This is a fabulous book for parents who want to treat their children with respect and kindness. The Ferber method of letting your child "cry it out" is disrespectful to the small baby and child - it doesn't allow for the fact that children are biologically designed to sleep with parents. Sleeping with a parent lets infants develop healthy sleeping patterns and actually can lessen the chances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome occuring. This book explains the reasons why small babies are not designed to sleep through the night - they have a biological need for food every few hours, and this is why they don't always sleep in the ways that adults do. If adults understand that babies NEED to wake up, and aren't just being "cranky" or "difficult," they are better able to parent their babies with respect.Sears has excellent ideas for childrearing and has written a book that clearly explains sleep theories. It won't so much teach you how to MAKE your child sleep as it will tell you that it's all right for your child to learn slowly and gradually.

This book provides practical information on finding a solution that will meet the needs of your family (needs of baby AND parent). It advocates responding to your baby's needs in a way that is very natural and loving. Co-sleeping with your baby is not the only solution Dr. Sears suggests. For more information on co-sleeping historically and cross-culturally, I recommend The Family Bed by Tine Thevenin. If you're looking for solutions to your older baby's sleep problems, you may also want to see The Discipline Book by Dr. Sears. I understand the urge of parents who want to have their babies trained to sleep through the night in a nursery room -- some times I wish for the free time I imagine that affords. But we have fewer night problems than people we know who follow other methods. It's easier to make choices as a parent when you sort your wants from your needs. Babies ask for what they need. We have a very peaceful time as a family by following Dr. Sears advice and it really shows in our toddler's daytime and nighttime behavior.

For parents who are looking for an alternative to the "cry-it-out" theory of getting their baby or child to sleep, this is the book for you. William Sears provides practical advice on everything from the causes of night-waking in infants and children to the best furniture to buy for the children to sleep on. He covers important information about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, night terrors, bed-wetting, thumbsucking, nighttime fathering tips, nighttime parenting of high-need babies, and much more. Working moms will particularly like this book because it will give them practical advice on how to ensure their young baby "knows who their mom is!" Sears' advice not only works, but it just plain "feels right". I've raised my two kids (now 2-1/2 and 10 mos) using his advice, and it really works. A "must buy" for every parent's library.