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.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 161 reviews)

The only sleep book you need

Why is this the only sleep book you need? Because it is concise, to-the-point, has specific practical tips, and is BASED ON RESEARCH.

The author is active in both clinical practice and research through a Sleep Disorders Center at a Children's Hospital. This is not her personal opinion or general observations, this is based on research and experience specifically with kids having sleep problems.

We used this book to sleep train our twins at 8 months of age, after rocking them to sleep before that. It worked in 3 days. We have gone back to this book again and again as their naps and schedules have changed over time. The book is always helpful.
October 08, 2008

Sound advice from a true sleep specialist!

My son didn't start sleeping through the night until he was 19 months old. That was when we started seeing Dr. Mindell. She and her book were wonderful for our family. She is compassionate and offers no-nonsense advice for helping your entire family get to sleep!
September 28, 2008

Gentle CIO, for an anti-CIO mom

Our 15 month old has never slept well, ever. He was colicky and had severe reflux (still does). I have read just about every possible sleep book out there, from Dr. Sears "Baby Sleep Book" to Dr. Weissbluth "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" to "The No Cry Sleep Solution". None of the non-CIO methods were working on our willful child, and my life (read marriage, health, work, etc) were beginning to show the effects.

After reading up on Jodi Mindell's qualifications on another website, I realized that this might work. Her book is not the all-or-nothing CIO book. She does it in such slow gentle ways, that you don't feel forced into cold-turkey anxiety. We're on night 5 of the first "phase", and things are going amazingly well. There is some crying involved, and it is really hard, but coming from the perspective of nursing and co-sleeping, I think this is the best book out there if the non-CIO methods don't work for you. She only has you tackle one section at a time (i.e. bedtime, nights and naps), rather than all at once. She also flat out tells you to check on your child as often as you'd like (not in 5, 10, 15 minute blocks), that if you can only wait 30 seconds - that's okay. I loved that. It's a no-pressure approach for the weak hearted.

Dr. Weissbluth's book was way too cold-turkey for me, and I never could have done that. By night 4, my son had gone to sleep after 3 minutes of crying and 10 minutes of sitting in his crib. The first two nights took 2 and 3 hours respectively, but the actually crying involved during those nights was surprisingly little (just took the little guy forever to realize that he needed to SIT DOWN and not hover on the edge of the railing).

Good luck on your sleep problems. There are more of us out there than you realize that have been there too!
September 18, 2008

Pediatrician: I recommend it to all

I recommend this book to all my parents starting at 1mo. Since doing this routinely I have noticed many more sleeping babies and parents with much less intervention from me. I talk about sleep a lot, but now I dont have to as much! Teaching a baby sleep independence is a vital developmental task (most parents dont realize this), most new parents wait WAY too long, and somehow expect the baby to "do it when they are ready." Waiting until 12mo old is a guarantee of having to "cry it out", and that is OK if necessary, but starting younger will avoid this. I have scores and scores of happy parents from all walks of life who are thrilled with their 6mo old, and the baby is MUCH happier too. You are doing this for your baby, not so much for yourself, children need to sleep longer to function during the day. A 10 mo old who is getting up every 2-3 hours is barely able to function during the day (let alone the mom, especially behind the wheel). Get this book early and think about it and discuss with your partner, you wont be disappointed. BTW, it is much easier to read than the popular "Healthy Sleep Habits" book, which could use a good editor.
September 03, 2008

This book is a lifesaver!!

I had been struggling with my (now) 13-month-old daughter for months - trying to get her to sleep through the night. Up until last week, she was waking up no less than 20 times a night and would only go to sleep with a bottle. If she didn't have her bottle, she would scream and scream (and I would feel guilty).

I bought this book a few days ago. I followed the advice given and within 2 days she was falling asleep on her own - no screaming. It's great!

It was also interesting to read about the stages of sleep, positive and negative sleep associations, and to hear other parents' stories. The part of the book on guilt was helpful as well.

I would highly recommend this book to other parents of children with sleep problems.
September 01, 2008

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