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Twelve Hours' Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old
Babies need it, parents want it-- the call for a good night's sleep has parents everywhere looking for a solution like this: an easy-to-follow plan from a renowned baby sleep specialist that delivers on the promise of its title.
There is no bigger issue for healthy infants than sleeping through the night. In this simple, straightforward book, Suzy Giordano presents her amazingly effective "Limited- Crying Solution" that will get any baby to sleep for twelve hours at nightand three hours in the dayby the age of twelve weeks old.
There is no bigger issue for healthy infants than sleeping through the night. In this simple, straightforward book, Suzy Giordano presents her amazingly effective "Limited- Crying Solution" that will get any baby to sleep for twelve hours at nightand three hours in the dayby the age of twelve weeks old.
Giordano is the mother of five children and one of the most sought-after baby sleep specialists in the country. The Washington Post calls her a baby sleep "guru" and "an underground legend in the Washington area for her ability to teach newborns how to achieve that parenting nirvana: sleeping through the night." Her sleep plan has been tested with singletons, twins, triplets, babies with special needs, and colicky babiesand it has never failed.
Whether you are pregnant, first-time parents, or parents who seek a different path with your second or third child, anyone can benefit from the Baby Coach's popular system of regular feeding times, twelve hours of sleep at night and three hours of sleep during the day, and the peace of mind that comes with taking the parent and child out of a sleep- deprived world.
Hardcover
First published January 19, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 416 reviews
December 7, 2017
I read this book pretty quickly, while my 4 month old took naps on me throughout the day... clearly I need a sleep training book— however this was not the one. Here are some issues I had with it starting with the worst:
- there is ZERO research cited. The only thing she bases the information of off is her 10 years of experience. While 10 years is a long time, it doesn’t actually mean her methods are correct.
-She does not take AAP recommendations into account and recommends things that directly GO AGAINST AAP recommendations.
- Along the lines of no research, she casually glazed over anything having to do with infant psychology and infants needs for physical closeness— things that have been studied by research.
-she claims that all babies go through colic at 6-8 weeks... WTF!!? Babies go through so many difficult things including growth spurts (she literally makes no mention of cluster feeding) and developmental leaps (Wonder Weeks book is a must read). It’s like she skipped over any and all research and dubbed all the complicated things babies go through Colic.
- This book is not practical for breastfeeding moms who can’t just decrease their baby’s meals by .5 or .25 oz per night. She does mention minutes but I really can’t see myself pulling my baby off of me after x minutes because some random lady told me it’s ok. Sorry I don’t care how many years of experience you’ve had.
Don’t waste your time with this one!
- there is ZERO research cited. The only thing she bases the information of off is her 10 years of experience. While 10 years is a long time, it doesn’t actually mean her methods are correct.
-She does not take AAP recommendations into account and recommends things that directly GO AGAINST AAP recommendations.
- Along the lines of no research, she casually glazed over anything having to do with infant psychology and infants needs for physical closeness— things that have been studied by research.
-she claims that all babies go through colic at 6-8 weeks... WTF!!? Babies go through so many difficult things including growth spurts (she literally makes no mention of cluster feeding) and developmental leaps (Wonder Weeks book is a must read). It’s like she skipped over any and all research and dubbed all the complicated things babies go through Colic.
- This book is not practical for breastfeeding moms who can’t just decrease their baby’s meals by .5 or .25 oz per night. She does mention minutes but I really can’t see myself pulling my baby off of me after x minutes because some random lady told me it’s ok. Sorry I don’t care how many years of experience you’ve had.
Don’t waste your time with this one!
February 1, 2011
EASILY THE BEST ADVICE TO GET YOUR BABY TO SLEEP!!!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!! Our first baby is 4 weeks old, and just barely hit 9 lbs (the minimum to start training). We did as the book instructed and were easily able to spread his day feedings to 4 hours apart (4 times/day). We kept him awake between the third and last feeding and that first night he slept for 7 hours (8pm-3am) then fed, and then slept till 8am!!! (The previous night he fed 3 times.) And he is still eating a TON of breastmilk and gaining weight. He also takes two naps a day and is the happiest baby ever and so playful during the day! Even when following this system he still gets about 15 hours of sleep per day (the recommended amount for his age).
This system works and is very easy to follow. It also doesn't involve doing anything that seems cruel or makes you feel bad for your baby. Most babies take longer to get to the point we are at, but using this system I believe all babies can get to 12 hours sleep at night.
EVERY NEW PARENT SHOULD GET THIS BOOK! I like that it is concise, easy to read and gets straight to the point. Other books have similar information, but take 2-3 times as many pages to give you the same information.
This system works and is very easy to follow. It also doesn't involve doing anything that seems cruel or makes you feel bad for your baby. Most babies take longer to get to the point we are at, but using this system I believe all babies can get to 12 hours sleep at night.
EVERY NEW PARENT SHOULD GET THIS BOOK! I like that it is concise, easy to read and gets straight to the point. Other books have similar information, but take 2-3 times as many pages to give you the same information.
March 11, 2021
Don’t really know what to rate this one, since I haven’t tried to implement the suggestions yet, and because it’s not at all tailored to breastfeeding or AAP guidelines.
I loved the short, concise style of this book; the information was easy to digest, straightforward, and quick to take notes on. The schedule was presented in such a simple yet detailed way that you’re given enough information to be able to implement the steps yourself without questioning what you’re supposed to do. I would have preferred if some research was cited rather than solely relying on the author’s anecdotal experience, but since this wasn’t presented as a research-driven book, it didn’t bother me too much.
However, I’m not sure how practical it would be to implement the “12 hours by 12 weeks” plan in practice. Trying to stretch my baby’s meals to every 4 hours at this young of an age seems practically impossible right now (and I’m not a big fan of purposely not feeding my son when he’s clearly hungry), and it seems I’ll need a bit more time to work up to this milestone, rather than proceeding as quickly as the author recommends. In addition, the direction to feed a certain amount of ounces at night isn’t helpful if you’re breastfeeding. Yes, she gave brief directions on how to apply this method when breastfeeding (by cutting them off sooner...at least for me at this stage, if my son doesn’t eat until he’s full, he’ll just wake up sooner for his next feeding), but quickly circled back to encouraging you to feed the baby expressed breast milk from a bottle instead (which is a perfectly fine suggestion, but it felt like she wasn’t giving exclusively breastfeeding mothers adequate attention and solutions; not everyone wants to bottle feed for one reason or another). I’m willing to give it a shot, but will likely end up adjusting it to what works best for our family (especially in terms of the time periods it takes to eliminate a night feeding) rather than following the author’s suggestions to a T.
This book also goes against AAP guidelines by recommending that the baby sleep in their own room once you start sleep training (instead of sharing a room for at least the first 6 months), placing a toy, blanket, etc. that smells like mom in the crib for the baby to self soothe with (which is not recommended as safe until after the 12 weeks specified by this sleep training program), and one bizarre “success story” of a pair of twins who slept in bouncers placed in their cribs because they had severe reflux. Only some of these deviations were acknowledged, so I would have preferred if she noted what the AAP recommends but explained her reasoning behind her alternate perspective (preferably backed up with research) so you could make a fully informed decision rather than just ignoring these disconnects in guidance.
I loved the short, concise style of this book; the information was easy to digest, straightforward, and quick to take notes on. The schedule was presented in such a simple yet detailed way that you’re given enough information to be able to implement the steps yourself without questioning what you’re supposed to do. I would have preferred if some research was cited rather than solely relying on the author’s anecdotal experience, but since this wasn’t presented as a research-driven book, it didn’t bother me too much.
However, I’m not sure how practical it would be to implement the “12 hours by 12 weeks” plan in practice. Trying to stretch my baby’s meals to every 4 hours at this young of an age seems practically impossible right now (and I’m not a big fan of purposely not feeding my son when he’s clearly hungry), and it seems I’ll need a bit more time to work up to this milestone, rather than proceeding as quickly as the author recommends. In addition, the direction to feed a certain amount of ounces at night isn’t helpful if you’re breastfeeding. Yes, she gave brief directions on how to apply this method when breastfeeding (by cutting them off sooner...at least for me at this stage, if my son doesn’t eat until he’s full, he’ll just wake up sooner for his next feeding), but quickly circled back to encouraging you to feed the baby expressed breast milk from a bottle instead (which is a perfectly fine suggestion, but it felt like she wasn’t giving exclusively breastfeeding mothers adequate attention and solutions; not everyone wants to bottle feed for one reason or another). I’m willing to give it a shot, but will likely end up adjusting it to what works best for our family (especially in terms of the time periods it takes to eliminate a night feeding) rather than following the author’s suggestions to a T.
This book also goes against AAP guidelines by recommending that the baby sleep in their own room once you start sleep training (instead of sharing a room for at least the first 6 months), placing a toy, blanket, etc. that smells like mom in the crib for the baby to self soothe with (which is not recommended as safe until after the 12 weeks specified by this sleep training program), and one bizarre “success story” of a pair of twins who slept in bouncers placed in their cribs because they had severe reflux. Only some of these deviations were acknowledged, so I would have preferred if she noted what the AAP recommends but explained her reasoning behind her alternate perspective (preferably backed up with research) so you could make a fully informed decision rather than just ignoring these disconnects in guidance.
September 27, 2022
Big ideas:
1. Through Giordano’s sleep training method, parents will be able to get their children to sleep through the night by the time they are 12 weeks old.
2. Four foundations of baby sleep success:
a. A baby must adapt to the existing family; the existing family does not adapt to a baby.
b. You must feel empowered as a parent.
c. Sleeping is a learned skill that you need to teach your baby.
d. Sleep training requires commitment and hard work on the part of the parents.
3. Six benefits of baby sleep success:
a. There is little crying involved.
b. You will have happier, more cooperative children.
c. You will be using proactive parenting.
d. You will have a predictable schedule.
e. You will be able to deal with more than one child effectively.
f. You can follow this plan on your own.
4. In weeks 1-6, the sleep training does not begin. The first 6 weeks are about getting the baby to healthy weight and settling into life as new parents. Baby should eat about every 2.5 or 3 hours, even if you have to wake him to feed. Baby should eat as much as he wants during feedings. The key during the first 6 weeks is to avoid bad habits by helping baby self-soothe when possible. Use a rotating set of consolation techniques like pacifiers only in the crib, rocking in a glider, and messaging baby’s back. Avoid swings and vibrators. Create a log of time baby ate, how much baby ate, and what time diaper changes occurred (along with what was inside the diaper). The log is how you track baby’s health.
5. In weeks 6-8, there is a “storm” during which baby will cry and be uncomfortable during his growth. This storm may occur in weeks 3-4 in singletons, or later for twins. It is normal for all babies to go through. By week 6, feedings should take place every 3 hours during the day rather than every 2.5 hours. You should eliminate the scheduled feedings every 3 hours during the night, instead allowing the baby to awaken naturally for feedings. The goal is to nurture baby’s natural sleeping cues.
6. Weeks 8-12 is when the sleep training begins. These conditions must be met before sleep training can begin:
a. Weight: baby must be at least 9 pounds.
b. Food: baby eats at least 24 ounces of breast milk or formula in 24 hours.
c. Age: baby must be at least 4 weeks old if a singleton, 8 weeks old if a twin, or 12 weeks old if a triplet.
7. Sleep training must follow this order (though there may be overlap in steps 2 and 3):
a. Step 1: Feeding during the day: every 4 hours, 4 times per day, for 12 hours. E.g., 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. Start feeding at these times no matter when the last feeding stopped. Feedings should ideally last no more than 30 minutes, including start, burps, and diaper changes.
b. Step 2: Feeding during the night: gradually eliminate all night feedings for 12 hours. Eliminate the night feedings in this order: second, first, then third (assuming baby had multiple feedings throughout the night). Encourage baby to sleep longer and begin feedings only when he naturally awakens. Ensure the bottle is ready to go so baby can quickly go back to sleep. Ensure baby is getting extra food throughout the day. Pumping breast milk can help track the ounces consumed.
c. Step 3: Sleeping during the night: sleeping or resting quietly in crib for 12 hours. Establish a bedtime routine. Lower the lights, close the blinds and shades, play soothing music like classical or jazz or lullabies, give baby a bath or massage, don nighttime diaper and clothes, read to baby, shut the nursery door and keep out other light and noise. Only change poopy diapers during the night. Place baby in crib awake. Do not give any toys or blankies that may cause SIDS or choking risks. Kiss baby good night. Close the door. Use limited crying solution (meaning let them cry for 5 minutes before intervening, and if they calm down even for a bit, then restart the timer). If you have to comfort your baby, reassure him without picking him up. Do not talk or make eye contact with baby. Shush and whisper, but do not speak in a conversational tone. Once calm, leave the room. Baby should be able to quietly entertain himself, even if he does not sleep for 12 full hours.
d. Step 4: Sleeping during the day: sleeping or resting quietly in crib for about 1 hour in the morning and about 2 hours in the afternoon. Babies up to 24 months need to nap in the morning and afternoon. Daytime sleeping should begin about 2 weeks after they are sleeping through the night. Babies should nap in their cribs and similar nighttime rituals should be used to signal it is time to sleep. First nap should take place between first and second feedings of the day, while second nap should take place between second and third feedings of the day.
8. Parents’ mantra should be, “I cannot fix everything for you, but while you are learning to fix things yourself, I will go through it with you by your side.”
9. Daytime toolbox for making it to the next feeding or nap time:
a. Distract, distract, distract
b. Offer pacifier (unless you are trying to stretch to naptime because the pacifier will put baby to sleep)
c. Place baby in bouncy seat and entertain him with music or toys and songs
d. Place baby on activity mat or gym
e. Bounce baby on your knee and sing nursery rhymes
f. Entertain baby with favorite games and activities.
10. Nighttime toolbox to go back to sleep:
a. Reassure but do not pick up
b. Offer pacifier
c. Pat baby’s tummy with your hand or an emotional toy or blankie
d. Place hand firmly on baby’s tummy
e. Shush baby by quietly making shushing sound
f. Whisper things like, “Everything is alright,” “It’s alright,” “Mommy/daddy is here,” “Mommy/daddy loves you,” “I know it’s hard to be a baby,” etc.
g. Turn baby around in crib or place on side to find comfortable position
h. Show baby emotional toy or blankie
i. Turn on crib music toy.
11. Use judgment in using toolboxes so that if baby is extremely agitated, you can feed him a few minutes early. But do not take the easy way out often. Do not always use the same consolation techniques. Doing so will form bad habits. Let baby cry for five minutes before intervening. Intervening earlier takes away self-reliance, while intervening later does not do much to teach baby since they are distressed. Be consistent with the timings though! Otherwise, baby learns he just has to cry longer before he will be comforted.
12. The best time to cuddle and love your baby is when he is quiet and cooperative, not when he is crying. Otherwise, you are rewarding negative behavior.
1. Through Giordano’s sleep training method, parents will be able to get their children to sleep through the night by the time they are 12 weeks old.
2. Four foundations of baby sleep success:
a. A baby must adapt to the existing family; the existing family does not adapt to a baby.
b. You must feel empowered as a parent.
c. Sleeping is a learned skill that you need to teach your baby.
d. Sleep training requires commitment and hard work on the part of the parents.
3. Six benefits of baby sleep success:
a. There is little crying involved.
b. You will have happier, more cooperative children.
c. You will be using proactive parenting.
d. You will have a predictable schedule.
e. You will be able to deal with more than one child effectively.
f. You can follow this plan on your own.
4. In weeks 1-6, the sleep training does not begin. The first 6 weeks are about getting the baby to healthy weight and settling into life as new parents. Baby should eat about every 2.5 or 3 hours, even if you have to wake him to feed. Baby should eat as much as he wants during feedings. The key during the first 6 weeks is to avoid bad habits by helping baby self-soothe when possible. Use a rotating set of consolation techniques like pacifiers only in the crib, rocking in a glider, and messaging baby’s back. Avoid swings and vibrators. Create a log of time baby ate, how much baby ate, and what time diaper changes occurred (along with what was inside the diaper). The log is how you track baby’s health.
5. In weeks 6-8, there is a “storm” during which baby will cry and be uncomfortable during his growth. This storm may occur in weeks 3-4 in singletons, or later for twins. It is normal for all babies to go through. By week 6, feedings should take place every 3 hours during the day rather than every 2.5 hours. You should eliminate the scheduled feedings every 3 hours during the night, instead allowing the baby to awaken naturally for feedings. The goal is to nurture baby’s natural sleeping cues.
6. Weeks 8-12 is when the sleep training begins. These conditions must be met before sleep training can begin:
a. Weight: baby must be at least 9 pounds.
b. Food: baby eats at least 24 ounces of breast milk or formula in 24 hours.
c. Age: baby must be at least 4 weeks old if a singleton, 8 weeks old if a twin, or 12 weeks old if a triplet.
7. Sleep training must follow this order (though there may be overlap in steps 2 and 3):
a. Step 1: Feeding during the day: every 4 hours, 4 times per day, for 12 hours. E.g., 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. Start feeding at these times no matter when the last feeding stopped. Feedings should ideally last no more than 30 minutes, including start, burps, and diaper changes.
b. Step 2: Feeding during the night: gradually eliminate all night feedings for 12 hours. Eliminate the night feedings in this order: second, first, then third (assuming baby had multiple feedings throughout the night). Encourage baby to sleep longer and begin feedings only when he naturally awakens. Ensure the bottle is ready to go so baby can quickly go back to sleep. Ensure baby is getting extra food throughout the day. Pumping breast milk can help track the ounces consumed.
c. Step 3: Sleeping during the night: sleeping or resting quietly in crib for 12 hours. Establish a bedtime routine. Lower the lights, close the blinds and shades, play soothing music like classical or jazz or lullabies, give baby a bath or massage, don nighttime diaper and clothes, read to baby, shut the nursery door and keep out other light and noise. Only change poopy diapers during the night. Place baby in crib awake. Do not give any toys or blankies that may cause SIDS or choking risks. Kiss baby good night. Close the door. Use limited crying solution (meaning let them cry for 5 minutes before intervening, and if they calm down even for a bit, then restart the timer). If you have to comfort your baby, reassure him without picking him up. Do not talk or make eye contact with baby. Shush and whisper, but do not speak in a conversational tone. Once calm, leave the room. Baby should be able to quietly entertain himself, even if he does not sleep for 12 full hours.
d. Step 4: Sleeping during the day: sleeping or resting quietly in crib for about 1 hour in the morning and about 2 hours in the afternoon. Babies up to 24 months need to nap in the morning and afternoon. Daytime sleeping should begin about 2 weeks after they are sleeping through the night. Babies should nap in their cribs and similar nighttime rituals should be used to signal it is time to sleep. First nap should take place between first and second feedings of the day, while second nap should take place between second and third feedings of the day.
8. Parents’ mantra should be, “I cannot fix everything for you, but while you are learning to fix things yourself, I will go through it with you by your side.”
9. Daytime toolbox for making it to the next feeding or nap time:
a. Distract, distract, distract
b. Offer pacifier (unless you are trying to stretch to naptime because the pacifier will put baby to sleep)
c. Place baby in bouncy seat and entertain him with music or toys and songs
d. Place baby on activity mat or gym
e. Bounce baby on your knee and sing nursery rhymes
f. Entertain baby with favorite games and activities.
10. Nighttime toolbox to go back to sleep:
a. Reassure but do not pick up
b. Offer pacifier
c. Pat baby’s tummy with your hand or an emotional toy or blankie
d. Place hand firmly on baby’s tummy
e. Shush baby by quietly making shushing sound
f. Whisper things like, “Everything is alright,” “It’s alright,” “Mommy/daddy is here,” “Mommy/daddy loves you,” “I know it’s hard to be a baby,” etc.
g. Turn baby around in crib or place on side to find comfortable position
h. Show baby emotional toy or blankie
i. Turn on crib music toy.
11. Use judgment in using toolboxes so that if baby is extremely agitated, you can feed him a few minutes early. But do not take the easy way out often. Do not always use the same consolation techniques. Doing so will form bad habits. Let baby cry for five minutes before intervening. Intervening earlier takes away self-reliance, while intervening later does not do much to teach baby since they are distressed. Be consistent with the timings though! Otherwise, baby learns he just has to cry longer before he will be comforted.
12. The best time to cuddle and love your baby is when he is quiet and cooperative, not when he is crying. Otherwise, you are rewarding negative behavior.
October 19, 2009
This book is awesome. Short, concise, easy to read--exactly what anyone with a newborn is looking for in a how-to book. My daughter is six weeks old today and is already sleeping 7 to 8 hours straight after her one and only night feeding (she's been on this schedule for over a week now). During the day she eats every 4 hours. I feel like I have enough "free time" to accomplish what I need to get done (like playing around on goodreads!) and yet I get to spend so much quality time with my little girl AND I'm getting WAY more sleep than I ever thought possible at this point. For someone who had no idea of how to get a baby on a schedule (like me!), this book is invaluable.
May 12, 2011
Dislike! There is no way you can force a baby to stay on such a strict schedule and not expect them to scream. Feedings every four hours is impossible unless you expect a baby to scream the whole time. I did not agree with this philosophy at all!
July 1, 2011
not entirely practical, especially for breast-feeding moms.
December 13, 2013
This book is fucked up. It should be re-titled "How To Break Your Baby's Will by Twelve Weeks." The methods are draconian and not intuitive at all and the author narrates with a cultist fascist tone that preys on sleep deprived parents who have been beaten into submission. Yes, I hear it "works" but to get there you have to take a Machiavellian strategy that might leave your home a scorched earth.
February 4, 2010
The book's theory is interesting. And the theory seems like it would work. Feed your baby only every 4 hours during the day so that they eat more than they would every 2-3 hours. Delay feedings by bouncing, playing, distracting, etc. Then your baby will get all the calories it needs during the day to go 12 hours at night without food. Only 4 feedings a day, is what the book recommends. In practice I dont see this working for me or my family, especially while nursing. Could my supply be maintained? Wouldnt I be so engorged with milk after 12 hours without feeding? Regardless of the physical practicalities of nursing and htis schedule, it just seems mean somehow to make a small baby go so long without food. I need sleep but not 12 hours of it. Maybe I might try this book with a modified schedule. Maybe...
September 14, 2023
This book is short and right to the point. I found it informative and easy to follow. We will see how effective this is for our family.
Update: This book helped us get our son to stop snacking during the day and night and eventually eat bigger meals during the day. The approach does favor pumping over breastfeeding but that worked well for us because we were already pumping so my partner could help with feedings (and I am a data person so I loved charting how much he ate). We started the process when our son was 5 weeks old to prep him. He is now 8 weeks old and doing better, but not quite there. He can go the whole night without eating but he doesn't sleep the 12 hours and when he is awake, he isn't calmly playing. He is still young. We will probably read this again and update our review.
Update: This book helped us get our son to stop snacking during the day and night and eventually eat bigger meals during the day. The approach does favor pumping over breastfeeding but that worked well for us because we were already pumping so my partner could help with feedings (and I am a data person so I loved charting how much he ate). We started the process when our son was 5 weeks old to prep him. He is now 8 weeks old and doing better, but not quite there. He can go the whole night without eating but he doesn't sleep the 12 hours and when he is awake, he isn't calmly playing. He is still young. We will probably read this again and update our review.
Read
August 17, 2025There were aspects about this that I really liked and others I didn’t. First and foremost, this isn’t terribly useful if you are breastfeeding. It’s really geared toward bottle fed or formula fed babies instead. My husband and I didn’t necessarily like the “cry it out” approach. We did like the scheduling aspects as it is very important to get babies on a schedule. However, I would ultimately recommend “The 90-Minute Baby Sleep Program” — we found that book to be an invaluable resource.
_______________________________
No rating yet until I can come back and comment on if it works! (Crossing my fingers)
_______________________________
No rating yet until I can come back and comment on if it works! (Crossing my fingers)
November 26, 2017
Not very realistic for breastfeeding moms.
August 9, 2023
Was recommended this book by a friend so figured I’d give it a chance. Although I don’t necessarily think it’s a good thing for a 12 week old baby to be sleeping 12 hours straight already, even though that sounds great?
Also, only seems helpful if you’re bottle feeding (either formula or exclusively pumping) not really sure how any of the advice is helpful if you’re EBF. Definitely don’t plan on following most of this but was a super quick read & gave me some ideas I’m willing to try.
Also, only seems helpful if you’re bottle feeding (either formula or exclusively pumping) not really sure how any of the advice is helpful if you’re EBF. Definitely don’t plan on following most of this but was a super quick read & gave me some ideas I’m willing to try.
June 11, 2024
This seems like terrible advice.
May 18, 2025
I haven't put it into practice yet so maybe the rating will change after reviewing its efficacy.
But for parenting books it was fantastic.
Simple, consistent, brief yet comprehensive.
Philosophically it places the baby as a member joining an existing family vs the family adjusting to the baby which I would tend to agree with and the goal is ultimately for the good of the parent and child.
The instructions were short and memorable but had many examples to help walk you through those memorable concepts in practice.
maybe it will work and maybe it won't, but conceptually it seems reasonable and possible, especially with all the encouragement in this book.
But for parenting books it was fantastic.
Simple, consistent, brief yet comprehensive.
Philosophically it places the baby as a member joining an existing family vs the family adjusting to the baby which I would tend to agree with and the goal is ultimately for the good of the parent and child.
The instructions were short and memorable but had many examples to help walk you through those memorable concepts in practice.
maybe it will work and maybe it won't, but conceptually it seems reasonable and possible, especially with all the encouragement in this book.
May 30, 2021
A quick read (like easily read while up at night with your baby who won't go to sleep). Who can say if I will use this method, but my sister did with much success! Broken down very easily by weeks and what you should do. Easily accessible. I do feel like giving this book a rating without employing the method is kind of odd, but I don't know, I read it!
August 28, 2025
My review is the same as Colby's - we haven't tested this yet, but the book itself seems super reasonable and it was short and easy to absorb. I'm looking forward to testing these concepts!
August 22, 2023
Stay tuned for rating lol :D
March 11, 2023
FIRST READ-THROUGH REVIEW (5⭐️s)
A quick read with easy to follow steps (I’m hoping). Looking forward to trying out the tactics and reading this book again once Kessler is here!
SECOND READ-THROUGH REVIEW (3⭐️s)
A second read-through was definitely necessary, and I’ve lowered my rating to 3 stars (evened out to 4 based on my previous review) for a few reasons:
1. The book mainly focuses on bottle feeding with just one measly paragraph on how to apply the concepts if you’re breastfeeding. The author even says she prefers if people bottle feed during training, so you can know exactly how much the baby is eating. I imagine there are a lot of families out there like mine who prefer breastfeeding, and I wish the book included more examples of that.
2. I know the whole point of this book is getting your baby to sleep 12 hours at night, but I honestly don’t want Kessler to sleep that long. As a working mom, that means I would rarely get to see him and, based on the book’s plan, he would be in bed before my husband even got home some nights. Therefore, based on what we learned, we made our own schedule that we’ll try to implement using the concepts the book provided.
To sleep deprived parents, I’m sure this book sounds wonderful, but what family really wants their baby to sleep for half the day straight? I’m sure this plan works for some, but I don’t think it’s very practical for most working families. I’d rather sacrifice a few hours of sleep if it means getting to spend more time with my baby while he’s awake.
A quick read with easy to follow steps (I’m hoping). Looking forward to trying out the tactics and reading this book again once Kessler is here!
SECOND READ-THROUGH REVIEW (3⭐️s)
A second read-through was definitely necessary, and I’ve lowered my rating to 3 stars (evened out to 4 based on my previous review) for a few reasons:
1. The book mainly focuses on bottle feeding with just one measly paragraph on how to apply the concepts if you’re breastfeeding. The author even says she prefers if people bottle feed during training, so you can know exactly how much the baby is eating. I imagine there are a lot of families out there like mine who prefer breastfeeding, and I wish the book included more examples of that.
2. I know the whole point of this book is getting your baby to sleep 12 hours at night, but I honestly don’t want Kessler to sleep that long. As a working mom, that means I would rarely get to see him and, based on the book’s plan, he would be in bed before my husband even got home some nights. Therefore, based on what we learned, we made our own schedule that we’ll try to implement using the concepts the book provided.
To sleep deprived parents, I’m sure this book sounds wonderful, but what family really wants their baby to sleep for half the day straight? I’m sure this plan works for some, but I don’t think it’s very practical for most working families. I’d rather sacrifice a few hours of sleep if it means getting to spend more time with my baby while he’s awake.
Read
January 14, 2023And...this is what I'm reading six weeks post-partum.
So, the market for infant sleep methods is insane. And with reason: sleep deprived parents are desperate for a solution. The tone of some of these is similar: there is a way to get babies to sleep through the night, if you follow certain steps. If you have an older baby, don't worry! The steps can be followed with older babies. However, if you start at the prescribed age (here, eight weeks), your success will be easier.
This book offers one in steps that appeal to an organized person. While I am unlikely to follow these steps (including measuring out formula by the half ounce to carefully decrease the amount my infant is receiving over night feedings), I do find it helpful to read through different methods and see the type of things that have worked for different people. I am sure this method has worked with many children.
This sentence jumped out at me, "As your baby gets older, it is OK for him to 'ask permission' for occasional schedule changes, like snuggling in his parents' bed, so long as he understands that it is a privilege, and if he breaks the rules surround the privilege, the privilege will be taken away."
Is "ask permission" in quotes because we are talking about a baby who is too young to literally ask? Or some other reason? If it's a baby too young to ask, seems wild that they would understand that it's a privilege that could be taken a way. And what are the rules that surround the privilege? The schedule? How is that supposed to be clear to a baby if it's not clear to me?
So, the market for infant sleep methods is insane. And with reason: sleep deprived parents are desperate for a solution. The tone of some of these is similar: there is a way to get babies to sleep through the night, if you follow certain steps. If you have an older baby, don't worry! The steps can be followed with older babies. However, if you start at the prescribed age (here, eight weeks), your success will be easier.
This book offers one in steps that appeal to an organized person. While I am unlikely to follow these steps (including measuring out formula by the half ounce to carefully decrease the amount my infant is receiving over night feedings), I do find it helpful to read through different methods and see the type of things that have worked for different people. I am sure this method has worked with many children.
This sentence jumped out at me, "As your baby gets older, it is OK for him to 'ask permission' for occasional schedule changes, like snuggling in his parents' bed, so long as he understands that it is a privilege, and if he breaks the rules surround the privilege, the privilege will be taken away."
Is "ask permission" in quotes because we are talking about a baby who is too young to literally ask? Or some other reason? If it's a baby too young to ask, seems wild that they would understand that it's a privilege that could be taken a way. And what are the rules that surround the privilege? The schedule? How is that supposed to be clear to a baby if it's not clear to me?
January 14, 2025
Abstaining from a formal rating here since I read this book before my baby was born and, as one might expect, my rating depends on whether it works! He’s one month old now, so we will give the whole system/process a try soon.
In terms of the style and the approach, it was a lot more anecdotal (based totally on her experience and method) than some of the other books I’ve read about babies/parenting, but seems reasonable enough. I like that she gives very clear, easy to understand directions about what to do and how to implement her approach. Not sure how practical they will be for our baby, but we are going to give it a try.
I didn’t like her tone/self-assuredness as much. She made statements like “this will work for EVERY baby NO MATTER WHAT” (or the equivalent), and was a little more preach-y than approaches I’ve appreciated in other books.
But at the end of the day, it’s about results! So we will see whether it works soon enough…
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Edit/addition as of Jan 2025 (he is 10mos old now): 5 stars. Our son is a great sleeper and we followed this book's advice as closely as we could. Can't ask for more than that!
In terms of the style and the approach, it was a lot more anecdotal (based totally on her experience and method) than some of the other books I’ve read about babies/parenting, but seems reasonable enough. I like that she gives very clear, easy to understand directions about what to do and how to implement her approach. Not sure how practical they will be for our baby, but we are going to give it a try.
I didn’t like her tone/self-assuredness as much. She made statements like “this will work for EVERY baby NO MATTER WHAT” (or the equivalent), and was a little more preach-y than approaches I’ve appreciated in other books.
But at the end of the day, it’s about results! So we will see whether it works soon enough…
***********
Edit/addition as of Jan 2025 (he is 10mos old now): 5 stars. Our son is a great sleeper and we followed this book's advice as closely as we could. Can't ask for more than that!
July 6, 2016
An informative, no-nonsense take on getting babies into a routine. One thing I learned is that parents have to be strong and dictate sleep/eat/play, not the other way around. A habit takes three days to form and seven days to break is another good thing to remember. I would recommend this book to any parent with a baby who wants some peace and quiet in their lives! Yes, babies can sleep 12 hours a night!
November 1, 2019
It’s not natural for a 12 week old to sleep 12 hours straight, nor realistic to ‘train’ them with such a strict schedule! I will take these tips when my baby is developmentally ready to sleep through the night and have only 2 naps a day.
August 3, 2024
Haven't implemented anything from this book, but from a reading standpoint it was very quick - about 3h in one day, and it's very concise. I won't be following the strict schedule as laid out in this book as it wouldn't work with our lifestyle and preferences, but will definitely attempt other techniques in this book.
June 13, 2024
Lots of helpful tips! Will be re-listening when it’s time to getting baby girl sleeping through the night!
September 18, 2024
Eh I think there’s a reason this book isn’t widely talked about like moms on call or babywise ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
December 26, 2024
I liked that the book was straight forward to read and short, will see how it goes!
March 20, 2023
Do I have an easy baby or does this method actually work this quickly? IDK
February 8, 2017
This book was a Godsend to us!
Anyone who has a newborn and has gone through sleep depravity knows how difficult those first few months can be. So to be able to get our baby to sleep close to 12 hours a night felt like a miracle.
It took us a little longer than 12 weeks (approximately 15 weeks for us), but we didn't complain. It worked, and that's all that mattered.
I noticed many of the poor reviews were people that didn't "THINK" this would work.
How can you give a book (or an idea/method) such a harsh review when you haven't even tried it?
Sure, I suppose it's not for everyone. But then again, I don't know if anything exists that is 100% effective for the entire population. So yeah, there's going to be exceptions & special cases.
But I don't think you should knock it until you've tried it.
If after 12-14 weeks you've tried the methods and it just wasn't working, that's one thing. I'd get the negativity. But when half of the bad reviews are "I don't see this working for us"... HOW DO YOU KNOW?
I was skeptical when I first read it too. I didn't understand how such a small child could go 12 hours without feeding... but I decided to try it before giving my review. And I'm glad I did.
My cousin on the other hand, thought it was too harsh and didn't try it. And that's fine, it's truly not for everyone. But don't tell me a method in a book doesn't work if you haven't given it a fair chance.
Anyone who has a newborn and has gone through sleep depravity knows how difficult those first few months can be. So to be able to get our baby to sleep close to 12 hours a night felt like a miracle.
It took us a little longer than 12 weeks (approximately 15 weeks for us), but we didn't complain. It worked, and that's all that mattered.
I noticed many of the poor reviews were people that didn't "THINK" this would work.
How can you give a book (or an idea/method) such a harsh review when you haven't even tried it?
Sure, I suppose it's not for everyone. But then again, I don't know if anything exists that is 100% effective for the entire population. So yeah, there's going to be exceptions & special cases.
But I don't think you should knock it until you've tried it.
If after 12-14 weeks you've tried the methods and it just wasn't working, that's one thing. I'd get the negativity. But when half of the bad reviews are "I don't see this working for us"... HOW DO YOU KNOW?
I was skeptical when I first read it too. I didn't understand how such a small child could go 12 hours without feeding... but I decided to try it before giving my review. And I'm glad I did.
My cousin on the other hand, thought it was too harsh and didn't try it. And that's fine, it's truly not for everyone. But don't tell me a method in a book doesn't work if you haven't given it a fair chance.
June 10, 2024
Not for breastfed babies, babies with reflux, or parents who don’t enjoy hearing babies cry. Really the method is just the longer baby can go without eating, the longer they can sleep. So they want to push feedings farther apart. So if your baby eats every 2 hours, sorry, try to make it 4 hours. Which means you get a screaming baby for 2 hours that it feels like you’re traumatizing. I tried it for a day. Did not align with my baby’s needs or my parenting philosophy and then I switched to Precious Little Sleep and can now drowsy but awake my baby - don’t feel like I’m starving them - and they’re sleeping much better.
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