Healthy Sleep Healthy Baby....

[NatashaB]

I'm wondering if anyone out there has tried the Healthy Sleep Healthy Baby method.  My girlfriend felt it worked wonderfully for her son and is starting it again with her daughter as she found the naps at 9am and 1pm from 3 months - 18 months was more consistant and less change on routine than EASY.

EASY worked wonderfully for us with our first, we are now on our second in a month and I'm wondering how easy EASY will be with 2.  I do remember that our first's awake times continuously extended as she grew older and that is why I wonder how the 9am and 1pm nap could work?? 

Just thought I would see if anyone has attempted both methods and found one to work better,
Regards
Natasha

[Canwi]

Are you referring to the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weisbluth?

[NatashaB]

That's the one...messed up the title.  Thanks

[~*Nicole*~]

I've browsed it at the library. A co-worker of mine said it worked great with her son. When I read it I was intrigued by the sleep info BUT upset that he completely and totally advocates CIO. He says to lie your baby down at the set nap times you determine and let them cry for up to an hour. If they don't sleep he says to take them out and continue your day and then repeat at the second nap time. Says they will learn to nap at those times. For bedtime he says there is no length of time to worry about as far as the crying is concerned. As long as they are not sick, wet/poopy, etc. he says to leave them and they will learn to go to bed.

He did mention other possibilities being out there and was more worried about getting your kids to sleep and wasn't as concerned with HOW you did it. But he claimed there was no point and that they all took too long and that there wasn't a problem with them crying.

So I didn't like the book...but understood and agreed with the importance of sleep.

I think some other moms have read other methods and liked that b/c it used set nap times but then used BWer methods to get there. So not sure if you can use his method for timing naps and apply BWer methods and be more gradual and comforting about it.

Oh, he also advocated a REALLY early bedtime to compensate for any lack of sleep and an early bedtime in general.

HTH.

[Love, laughter, & PJs]

Agree with PP.  This book definitely advocates for good sleep (which we all understand is essential for a happy LO!) but was way too supportive of CIO for me. 

Also (and I admit I was severly sleep deprived and emotional when I read it!  ) I felt like he was very judgmental and accusatory and made me feel even more guilty that DS wasn't sleeping well.  Like I was doing him an eternal wrong and I was a terrible mother.

Needless to say, didn't try it.  But we've loved BW! 

[Brodster'sMommy]

Same here. I also agree with both pp. I was on bedrest for 6 weeks with DS and had a lot of time. I read just about every book out there. What I loved about BW is that it was the only book that really advocated learning about your own baby and making it ok if your LO didn't fit the mold of every other one out there. Bc of BW I feel like I understand and communicate with my LO so well. I feel bad for some of my friends who still struggle to understand why their LO sleeps or behaves a certain way.  BW has made my life so much easier! And I also wasn't keen on the CIO approach.

[NatashaB]

Thank you all for the very informative replies.  I completely agree that the CIO method doesn't fit my motherly instincts either.
I was wondering what the theory behind his book was.  His concern is sleep.  The beautiful thing about EASY is it covers all aspects of a baby's needs...eating and interaction as well.  The BW worked for me and I will hopefully find the same success and be able to manage it with our second.

Warm Regards
Natasha

[Peek-a-boo]

The beautiful thing about EASY is it covers all aspects of a baby's needs...eating and interaction as well.

I love this too.

Check out this board for some stickies with ideas about how to make BW work with two:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=20.0

[NatashaB]

Thanks

Have been browsing them and am sure I will be even more so once LO arrives!
Natasha

[Canwi]

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that I liked some of what this book said. 
BUT I do not agree with CIO.  So did not follow the recommendations about that nor the info about timelines.

What I did like was the graphs of average sleep times, amounts of naps etc which gave me some piece of mind that I had "normal" kids who weren't freaks for sleeping as much as they did.  I had a number of people who were saying things like "gosh they sleep alot!' etc and as a new mother and then a mother of a child with reflux & a toddler I needed to have 'black & white' evidence that they were normal and I was doing the right thing.

[skatty]

I loved this book whilst ignoring the CIO and CC stuff, it really made me get on board with sorting Leorah's sleep out once and for all after learning about the science of sleep and it's importance, I definitely think it has it's place on the bookshelf, this book educated me that dd's sleep has to be a priority all the way to adulthood, I am so pleased I discovered it whilst she was so young though as the others have said you cannot beat BW for sleep training methods 

[~*Nicole*~]

I definitely think it has it's place on the bookshelf, this book educated me that dd's sleep has to be a priority all the way to adulthood, I am so pleased I discovered it whilst she was so young though as the others have said you cannot beat BW for sleep training methods

Very nicely put.

[Canwi]

I definitely think it has it's place on the bookshelf, this book educated me that dd's sleep has to be a priority all the way to adulthood, I am so pleased I discovered it whilst she was so young though as the others have said you cannot beat BW for sleep training methods

Very nicely put.

Ditto.

[NatashaB]

Great input...thanks ladies! )
Natasha

[becky1969]

Absolutely agree! Definitely has a place on your bookshelf for explaining *why* good sleep is important to the health of your child.  Also, has nice breakdown of the typical sleep issues that accompany each age.

But absolutely do not agree with CC or CIO methods.  BW is by far the best method I've come across!