Get BEFORE baby comes -- great ideas

I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant w/my first child and trying to absorb as many tips/tricks as I can before the delivery to help ensure a happy baby and parents.

Was skeptical about this book at first, especially given all the "Attached Parenting" recommendations on the first few pages and seemingly unsound clinical trails other than 60 people this gal recruited -- was this going to be a big co-sleeping recommendation book based on hippie mom thoughts not an MD??? Was this the run to the child at every cry and not let them sleep through it every now and then approach? Not my style at all.

Turned out to have a GREAT list of many ideas that you can pick and choose from based on your personal preferences that MAKE SENSE even if the author isn't an MD or put the test through more extensive clinical trials. Premise is helping the child learn to fall asleep on their own when they essentially don't have the capacity to do so as an infant -- great premise.

I won't ever use her "family bed" tip, but I will use many such as the "stop feeding just before they get sleepy not after" one so the child won't only fall asleep after a feeding for example. Approach isn't babying/spoiling your baby, either and running in at every cry.

Although I haven't personally used the tips yet, I recommend getting this book BEFORE your baby comes though, because many of the tips seem to need to be started as a newborn, or you'll pretty much have to "unbreak" old established habits (yours and the baby's) afterwards. I also recommend "The Happiest Baby on the Block" for more tips, and look forward to putting both books' tips in action in a few weeks!

Buy this book now!

Before I had a baby, I did not realize that there were two schools of thought regarding how to get babies to sleep through the night. If you are like me, the thought of letting your child "cry it out," like some doctors will advocate, sounded incredibly harsh. There had to be a better way of teaching your baby to sleep.

Elizabeth Pantley does just that in her book. Her research includes real mothers, real experiences, and their stories of successful sleeping.

My son had acid reflux for six long months and did not sleep through the night. When the acid reflux was no longer an issue, his sleeping patterns continued to be interrupted. Our pediatrician even told us that we had the right to "shut the door and let him cry." He had never been in his crib to sleep--instead, only in a bouncy seat to keep him upright because of the reflux. Why now, were we supposed to punish him for having had the reflux and having his sleep interrupted by putting him in his crib and letting him "cry it out?" I did not agree with this method. A friend having the same problem sent me this life-saver-of-a-book.

I soon realized that there was another VALID option to letting babies "cry it out." If you are looking for a loving, peaceful option, this is your book. It is not an overnight solution, but neither is "crying it out," contrary to popular belief. However, it does work and it has worked beautifully for me. My son is now sleeping through the night and I have Elizabeth Pantley and her well-written book to thank. Do yourself and your precious child a favor and buy this book.

A true miracle

My baby was waking up 8 to 10 times a night to breastfeed. I was so sleep deprived I could not function. I don't believe in letting a baby cry himself to sleep so I was living with a situation that was taking a toll on my life and my marriage.

After a month of following the ideas in this book my baby sleeps 8 or 9 hours, wakes up once to breastfeed and then sleeps 4 more hours. I am a new woman, my baby even appears happier, and my darling baby never had to cry it out. I'm quite proud that we took the high road.

I did not do the logs at all (not my thing) but I have several friends in my support group who did and found them quite helpful.

In our group this book has become the only one for sleep issues. I'm amazed that so many people with so many different kinds of problems have found answers here, but it seems to work for everyone. All of us have been able to get our babies sleeping without any crying. We praise this book all the time and so I recommend it to you!