healthy sleep habits, happy child anyone read?

[horseymum]

this book by dr weisbluth - seems to make quite a bit of sense
earlier to bed seems to have helped my son 4 months old
my question is now he has a longer morning nap - c1.5 hrs, his lunchtime one is only 45 and cant seem to extend it? is that long enough if he gets a 3rd one later?

[LindseysMom]

I have it and I think it is a great book.  Like the author says, if you think he is still tired then try extending his nap.  If you think he is ok then I would let him get up and definitley try for a 3rd nap later.   

[cwolff]

I have the book too, but what I can't understand is that his solution says put the baby in the crib at 7pm or whenever, and don't go back in no matter what until 6am.  I cannot believe that anyone could do this.  If my DD cries, I have to find out what's up.  She's always either wet or hungry.  But I agree about the earlier bedtime.  It's very interesting how this whole sleep thing works.

[LindseysMom]

Not trying to start a debate or anything but I did not get that from the book.  He actually recommends four sleep training strategies.  One is Let cry ignoring or extinction, Two is controlled crying, partial ignoring graduated extinction, Three is Check and Console, and the fourth is scheduled awakenings which is very similar to Tracy's wake to sleep method.  He leaves it up to you, the reader as to which form of sleep training to use.  I personally got a lot of helpful info from his book and would never just "not go" to Lindsey if she really needed me in the night.  I think the key with any sleep training method is knowing when to go in and when to hang back and see if they will settle on their own.  Surely I am sure no one would leave a screaming, crying baby who wakes up in the middle of the night.  Now if they wake up and only make a few noises then yes , i say leave them but if they are crying and really sound like they need you then go to them.    Again, not trying to start any debate but just wanted to say that is not how I took his book.

[cwolff]

Well I admit to not having fully read the book.  I don't have much time to read, so I read in snatches here and there.  I haven't explored each of those methods.  Just got as far as the scenarios where he tells the parents to put the baby in bed and not go to them till morning.  I agree that he doesn't mean leave them to scream or otherwise be hurting or whatever.  If you don't mind giving a brief explanation of each method, it would save me the month it will probably take me to read the whole book.  LOL.  And I totally want to hear your opinions on them.  Did you use any of his methods, which ones, and did it work?

[horseymum]

his main premise is that sleep begets sleep and that many children are overtired, making them unable to sleep. he suggests that protecting your baby's sleep is so important, it is worth forgoing other activities for the time being to get it established.  He also believes the ability to sleep through is not related to solids, it is a brain thing!  My son seems to bear this out as has just started to sleep through 11-7, then we stopped waking him at 11 and he is now going 7-5, feed and back to sleep when we wake him at 7.  All this as he is 4.5 months old and everyone said he should be on solids now to help him sleep!  The reason seems to be increased nap time, which we are really working on this week. He mostly seems to describe methods rather than specifically recommend them, although our bedtime battles have all but disappeared these last few days as he is not so over tired at bedtime, we don't really need a 'method' for him to go to sleep , it is just cuddle, song into cot with muslin cloth (have been encouraging this) and he cries for about 3-5mins then starts getting himself to sleep and out for the count 10mins later!