Right after "Is it a boy or a girl?" and "What's his/her name?," the next question people invariably ask new parents is "Are you getting any sleep?" Unfortunately, the answer is usually "Not much." In fact, studies show that approximately 25% of young children experience some type of sleep problem and, as any bleary-eyed parent will attest, it is one of the most difficult challenges of parenting.

Drawing on her ten years of experience in the assessment and treatment of common sleep problems in children, Dr. Jodi A. Mindell now provides tips and techniques, the answers to commonly asked questions, and case studies and quotes from parents who have successfully solved their children's sleep problems.

Unlike other books on the subject, Dr. Mindell also offers practical tips on bedtime, rather than middle-of-the-night-sleep training, and shows how all members of the family can cope with the stresses associated with teaching a child to sleep.

We are all much happier and more rested. Our son is napping better and less crabby now that he's sleeping better. He really does well on his evening schedule. He even crawled into the bathroom at bathtime and was waiting for me!

We really recommend this book to any parent who would like more sleep. It's a easy to follow program with a lot of information so you understand why it's so important for your child to sleep through the night.


Amazing! Finally an end to my sleepless nights   March 14, 2000
 70 out of 78 found this review helpful

As far as I'm concerned, Jodi A. Mindell and this book are a godsend. I have been co-sleeping with my baby since he was born, just to get two or three hours of sleep at a time. I was told that a breast-fed baby would most likely not sleep through the night untill 12 months! I never though it would work, but the methods suggested in this book worked almost immediately. After a couple of tearfull bedtimes and naps, my 7 month old baby boy sleeps like a champ! I swear to God, if you can put up with the heart-wrenching first few times, you are in for a whole lifestyle change. After four days of using these methods, my baby has slept through the night in his own crib for the first time ever! He can put himself to sleep without my assistance in less than ten minutes, and takes the longest naps he ever has (an hour or more each)! I've told everyone of my friends about this book...I couldn't reccomend it with more enthusiasm. It has changed our lives forever. I have one happy, well-rested baby.


Not baby friendly advice!   August 1, 1999
 57 out of 70 found this review helpful

I was so offended when I read this book. The author kept referring to infants who don't sleep through the night as having "sleep problems", and to eliminate night-time nursings at 3 months! She also advocates letting your child cry, even if they vomit from being so upset, and even then she says you should refrain from picking them up or comforting them. How can that be considered baby-friendly advice? I thought it was disgusting and appalling. She referrs to infants as being pathetic and using it to their advantage to get what they want. There are so many other great books out there if you are frustrated about night waking. "Nighttime Parenting" by Dr. William Sears is a much better book that not only helps you find solutions, but has much more accurate information about the needs of infants, toddlers and older children.


Appalling, abusive and unbelievable method.   May 24, 2003
 44 out of 93 found this review helpful

I was horrified to find out that letting your baby cry out till s/he vomits is an acceptable method of parenting in this day and age. How can this be considered a gentle and compassionate way?
Even pet-owners are prosecuted for this type of stuff, so how can a supposedly liberal culture accept such an atrocious method! All the people who rave this book must be selfish, and totally cold people that they can think that a it is ok to do this to a child.

Here are some basics that are universally accepted, EXCEPT it seems in the America that accepts Ferber/Mindell CRAP:

a. Parenting comes with sacrifices; it is not easy, but most of us think that the rewards are worth it. A good choice to not being completely fatigued is to have the baby's crib in your bedroom or have the baby sleep in bed with you. That is a natural and healthy thing to do. Just because we are living in a modern technological world does not mean that our bodies have evolved to match this. We are still (biologically) the same pre-historic creatures that need comfort, warmth, soothing and mothers milk when we are vulnurable little babies. So whats a temporary sacrifice!

2. Babies DO NOT know manipulation. They want soothing and comfort from you because they TRUST you and see you as their main source of security. PLEASE pick up that crying child and wipe its tears.

3. Letting a baby cry till is vomits and falls asleep defeated and exhausted is akin to whipping a baby animal to train it for a circus -- no difference. So those of us who think it is OK to torture animals for a 15 minutes of human jolly will obviously think it is "normal" to let baby cry that long. After all once babies will is broken, it has GIVEN UP on trusting you (with the deep sub-conscious sense of security) as its main source of nurture.

I just do not understand how a culture can produce emotionally well adjusted and happy adults when they are tortured as children. Maybe that is why violence is such a wide-spread occurence in this country! Maybe that is why the divorce rate is so high and so many people need to see psychiatrists.

The Mindell/Ferber methods are great to keep psychiatrists in business!!!!