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Somnul bebelușilor
Cea mai arzătoare dorință a părinților extenuați, care abia își mai pot ține ochii deschiși, este să aibă un somn nocturn sănătos. Doar că până acum nu a existat un program de somn bazat pe o cercetare științifică remarcabilă. Căutarea ta se oprește aici!
În Somnul bebelușilor, SOFIA AXELROD, doctor în neuroștiințe, formator în știința somnului și mamă a doi copii, îți prezintă prima metodă de învățare a somnului care are cu adevărat o bază științifică. După nașterea primului său copil, Axelrod a înțeles că sfaturile tradiționale legate de somn sunt în conflict cu realitatea științifică, inclusiv cu descoperirile în domeniu ale lui Michael W. Young, mentorul său, laureat al Premiului Nobel.
Pornind de la aceste studii, Axelrod a dezvoltat o metodă inovativă bazată pe descoperirile în legătură cu ceasul circadian al corpului uman. Din momentul în care a observat rezultatele metodei pe care a folosit-o și în cazul copiilor săi, a consiliat numeroase familii care s-au confruntat cu probleme de somn ale bebelușilor, ajutându-i pe cei mici să se relaxeze, să adoarmă mai ușor și să aibă un somn liniștit pe tot parcursul nopții.
În Somnul bebelușilor, SOFIA AXELROD, doctor în neuroștiințe, formator în știința somnului și mamă a doi copii, îți prezintă prima metodă de învățare a somnului care are cu adevărat o bază științifică. După nașterea primului său copil, Axelrod a înțeles că sfaturile tradiționale legate de somn sunt în conflict cu realitatea științifică, inclusiv cu descoperirile în domeniu ale lui Michael W. Young, mentorul său, laureat al Premiului Nobel.
Pornind de la aceste studii, Axelrod a dezvoltat o metodă inovativă bazată pe descoperirile în legătură cu ceasul circadian al corpului uman. Din momentul în care a observat rezultatele metodei pe care a folosit-o și în cazul copiilor săi, a consiliat numeroase familii care s-au confruntat cu probleme de somn ale bebelușilor, ajutându-i pe cei mici să se relaxeze, să adoarmă mai ușor și să aibă un somn liniștit pe tot parcursul nopții.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2020
97 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
August 9, 2022
This is a sleep training book by a young scientist who is a mother of two. Axelrod is a fan of Ferber, the doctor who advocates "crying it out" (he calls it "self soothing") for very young babies until they basically give up calling for parents in the night. Axelrod calls her version "gentle sleep training" because it's not as hard core as Ferber's, but it's still sleep training. She combines it with some good basic advice about babies' sleep needs (shorten daytime naps if baby doesn't sleep as much during the night, keep the room dark) and some harder core instructions for parents who want to go to these extremes and whose parenting styles match up with hers.
The basics -- First, prepare for a whole lot of very scientific reading about the sleep needs of fruit flies, which is Axelrod's specialty, and then sleep science in general. I'm not sure how many frazzled new parents want this much information about fruit flies and circadian rhythms but you get a lot. Then we get to her methods. Axelrod says that once babies are 11 pounds, they're old enough to sleep basically through the night (she says to plan for one hour less than the longest number of hours they've ever slept). She advocates swaddling babies and putting them in cribs in a separate room with blackout curtains and no light at all except for a red nightlight (which doesn't rouse us the way white, blue or other lights do). Keep baby on a very strict schedule of when she eats, sleeps, etc. and wake her from naps if necessary in order to create the sleep schedule you want. She details the exact number of hours babies of each age need in sleep (she says there is no variance between babies) and then figure out how many naps they are supposed to have during the day and put baby to sleep in her room based on all of that. If baby cries in the night, wait 90 seconds before going in and then only pat the baby for a few minutes and then leave again. You are not allowed to nurse the baby unless it's in an approved feeding time. You are not allowed to pick up the baby. You tell them they're fine, pat them a bit, then leave. Then you let them cry another 90 seconds and then repeat, and repeat, until baby learns to give up and go to sleep. If you are allowed to feed the baby because it's an approved time, you must put the baby back down in her crib before she's asleep and leave, and commence all the regular sleep training stuff.
Sorry, but I won't ever recommend CIO books and there's so much of this book that just goes against my mothering ideas. I co-slept with all five of my babies and they all had very different sleep styles and needs. It worked out well for us because I pretty quickly got the hang of nursing half asleep and we all got better sleep. My first baby was my trickiest but we got into sync before too long. My 5th baby slept from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. from her second day of life and slept through the night her entire infancy, just next to me in bed. We both pretty much slept through her nursing. Co-sleeping isn't for every parent, but I would hope that responding to babies' needs (emotional and nutritional) would be, even when we are sleep deprived.
I also just can't see this strict regimen working for many families, especially those with multiple kids or who cannot structure every minute of the day around the ever-changing exact schedule of naps and feedings that Axelrod advocates. She has a Russian nanny who enforces her routines for her and she seems to assume that most parents will have their babies in child care that will follow their schedule, but for parents who keep their babies at home and also juggle other kids and other duties, it all seems exhausting to me TBH.
This book will be a big hit with sleep training fans, but it's not one that I would recommend.
I read a digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.
The basics -- First, prepare for a whole lot of very scientific reading about the sleep needs of fruit flies, which is Axelrod's specialty, and then sleep science in general. I'm not sure how many frazzled new parents want this much information about fruit flies and circadian rhythms but you get a lot. Then we get to her methods. Axelrod says that once babies are 11 pounds, they're old enough to sleep basically through the night (she says to plan for one hour less than the longest number of hours they've ever slept). She advocates swaddling babies and putting them in cribs in a separate room with blackout curtains and no light at all except for a red nightlight (which doesn't rouse us the way white, blue or other lights do). Keep baby on a very strict schedule of when she eats, sleeps, etc. and wake her from naps if necessary in order to create the sleep schedule you want. She details the exact number of hours babies of each age need in sleep (she says there is no variance between babies) and then figure out how many naps they are supposed to have during the day and put baby to sleep in her room based on all of that. If baby cries in the night, wait 90 seconds before going in and then only pat the baby for a few minutes and then leave again. You are not allowed to nurse the baby unless it's in an approved feeding time. You are not allowed to pick up the baby. You tell them they're fine, pat them a bit, then leave. Then you let them cry another 90 seconds and then repeat, and repeat, until baby learns to give up and go to sleep. If you are allowed to feed the baby because it's an approved time, you must put the baby back down in her crib before she's asleep and leave, and commence all the regular sleep training stuff.
Sorry, but I won't ever recommend CIO books and there's so much of this book that just goes against my mothering ideas. I co-slept with all five of my babies and they all had very different sleep styles and needs. It worked out well for us because I pretty quickly got the hang of nursing half asleep and we all got better sleep. My first baby was my trickiest but we got into sync before too long. My 5th baby slept from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. from her second day of life and slept through the night her entire infancy, just next to me in bed. We both pretty much slept through her nursing. Co-sleeping isn't for every parent, but I would hope that responding to babies' needs (emotional and nutritional) would be, even when we are sleep deprived.
I also just can't see this strict regimen working for many families, especially those with multiple kids or who cannot structure every minute of the day around the ever-changing exact schedule of naps and feedings that Axelrod advocates. She has a Russian nanny who enforces her routines for her and she seems to assume that most parents will have their babies in child care that will follow their schedule, but for parents who keep their babies at home and also juggle other kids and other duties, it all seems exhausting to me TBH.
This book will be a big hit with sleep training fans, but it's not one that I would recommend.
I read a digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.
April 8, 2024
Nu pot să înțeleg de ce autoarea consideră metoda ei ca fiind o metodă de adormire blândă. Unde e blândețea în a lăsa copilul să plângă?!
Cartea a început bine dar apoi m-a revoltat din ce în ce mai tare. Propune un program obsesiv pentru bebeluși de somn și de masă încă din primele săptămâni de viață.
Aspectele bune găsite în carte: mediul întunecat de somn, folosirea luminii roșii și cam atât. Restul aberații. Autoarea povestește inclusiv că a recurs la metode precum dezbrăcarea sau suflarea de aer în fața bebelușului pentru a nu adormi și pentru a păstra programul impus de ea. Mi se pare deplasat și inuman...
Doar cei care au copii știu cât de greșită este această concepție. Nu recomand cartea.
Cartea a început bine dar apoi m-a revoltat din ce în ce mai tare. Propune un program obsesiv pentru bebeluși de somn și de masă încă din primele săptămâni de viață.
Aspectele bune găsite în carte: mediul întunecat de somn, folosirea luminii roșii și cam atât. Restul aberații. Autoarea povestește inclusiv că a recurs la metode precum dezbrăcarea sau suflarea de aer în fața bebelușului pentru a nu adormi și pentru a păstra programul impus de ea. Mi se pare deplasat și inuman...
Doar cei care au copii știu cât de greșită este această concepție. Nu recomand cartea.
April 21, 2022
Не особено информативна. Голяма част от информацията я има достъпна в интернет, а друга част се знае и от обща култура. Авторката много си противоречи. Хем ни казва да слушаме инстинкта си на майки, хем трябва да следваме плътно нейния график и указания. Да утешим бебето, когато плаче е заложено в нашите гени, в нашата биология, но в същото време ние трябва да устоим на плача на бебето, за да се научи да се успокоява само. И ей това последното ме влудяваше всеки път, когато го прочета. НЕ Е нормално едно бебе да се успокоява само! Нервната им система не е достатъчно развита за тази цел. И нито дума от авторката за натрупвания на кортизол в главата на бебето, когато е под стрес, плаче и никой не го утешава. Но нали става въпрос за секунди/минути, а не за часове, не е проблем...
На всичко отгоре авторката е привърженик на метода на Фербер, но по нейни думи, тя го прилага в мек вариант. Очевидно е против дългото кърмене, въпреки че не го казва директно. Против е и съвместното спане с децата. Против е да вземеш детето си от леглото и да го успокоиш. Общо взето е против всичко, за което аз съм ЗА, и понеже това са моите инстинкти, ще следвам тях.
Идея нямам как Акселрод може да има две деца и да разсъждава по този начин.
Купих книгата, защото ми я препоръча приятелка, и за съжаление нямах време да я прегледам в книжарницата. Отива в боклука...
На всичко отгоре авторката е привърженик на метода на Фербер, но по нейни думи, тя го прилага в мек вариант. Очевидно е против дългото кърмене, въпреки че не го казва директно. Против е и съвместното спане с децата. Против е да вземеш детето си от леглото и да го успокоиш. Общо взето е против всичко, за което аз съм ЗА, и понеже това са моите инстинкти, ще следвам тях.
Идея нямам как Акселрод може да има две деца и да разсъждава по този начин.
Купих книгата, защото ми я препоръча приятелка, и за съжаление нямах време да я прегледам в книжарницата. Отива в боклука...
April 6, 2021
I usually enjoy the scientific approach in resolving everyday challenges, but putting in correlation your baby’s sleep behavior to fruit flies’ frustrated me. The book was very repetitive, and could be narrowed down to an article- imagine a 250 page book that only stresses out the necessity of owning a red light/lamp. This is literally all i got from the book: get a red light. The worst part is that it lacked sentiment: we are talking about babies after all! Science apart, not much help here, IMO.
August 28, 2020
I picked this one up because it was based in science. There's no doubt the author is very knowledgeable about sleep in fruit flies. I guess it depends on your parenting technique. This was just not for me.
September 1, 2022
Read my full review here: https://www.between-bookends.com/2021...
Another on my list of home stretch reading before my baby is born, I was especially excited about this one because sleep is one of my favorite topics. I absolutely loved reading Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD and made significant changes to my life after reading it. I found it so fascinating and started to prioritize sleep over everything. Axelrod made a similarly compelling argument for how your baby should sleep.
Axelrod starts off with some background scientific evidence about sleep. As I mentioned, I am a fan of such evidence and much of it coincided with what I read in Why We Sleep. So I really enjoyed the recap. I knew all about sleep pressure already and how damaging light can be to your sleep. When she starts applying this to how babies should sleep, something I know nothing about, it really made a lot of sense to me.
I already knew that you did not want to nap too close to bedtime as an adult because it will make it harder to fall asleep at night. And I know that going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is very beneficial to your whole sleep cycle. And of course, that sleep is super important for basically every other human function we have. So this book was an easy sell for me. Based on what I’ve already learned and adapted for my own sleep, much of what Axelrod encourages made a lot of sense to me, like babies who nap too much during the day would have trouble sleeping at night.
Axelrod goes through her general tips for setting up the best sleep environment for your baby, including using black out shades and a red light bulb at night, as well as how to schedule sleep. This is where I know things get very controversial in the parenting community. Axelrod’s advice is to feed and nap/sleep on a schedule, which is kind of the opposite advice from other sources. For example, in the What to Expect in the First Year book, they encourage you to feed on demand and not schedule feedings. The way Axelrod explains it makes sense to me, but my husband does not like the idea of not feeding on demand. Of course I would never deny my baby food if they were acting hungry, so this is something I will just have to see how it goes once we have the baby and determine what works best for us. My husband also didn’t like the idea of waking a baby up from a nap, but again I feel like we will just have to take it day by day and see how sleeping goes and if we can use these strategies to help us. For the record, he did not read this book but has done his own research so hopefully we can use what we both have learned and find what’s best for our family.
Besides those general guidelines, Axelrod also outlines her own sleep training method. I don’t know much about other methods yet, but I assume it is a gentler version of the “cry it out” method. When trying to get baby to sleep through the night, you only have to wait 90 seconds if they wake up and start crying to show them some comfort. But you don’t want to feed them until they have made it through a certain number of hours from bedtime as long as you have already determined that they are ready for this training. Again, her method makes sense to me but we will just have to see how things go once we actually have the baby!
I loved all of the information up to this point, but she loses me a little when she starts trying to map out a jet lag schedule. That will just have to be something I try to understand when/if I need to.
I saved many quotes from the book so I can refer to them when I need to and there were many helpful charts that can be used for reference. As a first time mom who is still pregnant, I have not been able to apply any of this to my life yet but I feel much more equipped with this information than I did without it. I don’t know if this will be the option that I go with, but I really enjoyed reading and learning about it. I definitely recommend reading this book before you have a baby so you can better digest the information before you become sleep deprived and desperate. But if you are already struggling with your little one’s sleep it’s never too late to adjust their sleeping habits so don’t be discouraged from reading!
Another on my list of home stretch reading before my baby is born, I was especially excited about this one because sleep is one of my favorite topics. I absolutely loved reading Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD and made significant changes to my life after reading it. I found it so fascinating and started to prioritize sleep over everything. Axelrod made a similarly compelling argument for how your baby should sleep.
Axelrod starts off with some background scientific evidence about sleep. As I mentioned, I am a fan of such evidence and much of it coincided with what I read in Why We Sleep. So I really enjoyed the recap. I knew all about sleep pressure already and how damaging light can be to your sleep. When she starts applying this to how babies should sleep, something I know nothing about, it really made a lot of sense to me.
I already knew that you did not want to nap too close to bedtime as an adult because it will make it harder to fall asleep at night. And I know that going to bed and waking up at the same time every day is very beneficial to your whole sleep cycle. And of course, that sleep is super important for basically every other human function we have. So this book was an easy sell for me. Based on what I’ve already learned and adapted for my own sleep, much of what Axelrod encourages made a lot of sense to me, like babies who nap too much during the day would have trouble sleeping at night.
Axelrod goes through her general tips for setting up the best sleep environment for your baby, including using black out shades and a red light bulb at night, as well as how to schedule sleep. This is where I know things get very controversial in the parenting community. Axelrod’s advice is to feed and nap/sleep on a schedule, which is kind of the opposite advice from other sources. For example, in the What to Expect in the First Year book, they encourage you to feed on demand and not schedule feedings. The way Axelrod explains it makes sense to me, but my husband does not like the idea of not feeding on demand. Of course I would never deny my baby food if they were acting hungry, so this is something I will just have to see how it goes once we have the baby and determine what works best for us. My husband also didn’t like the idea of waking a baby up from a nap, but again I feel like we will just have to take it day by day and see how sleeping goes and if we can use these strategies to help us. For the record, he did not read this book but has done his own research so hopefully we can use what we both have learned and find what’s best for our family.
Besides those general guidelines, Axelrod also outlines her own sleep training method. I don’t know much about other methods yet, but I assume it is a gentler version of the “cry it out” method. When trying to get baby to sleep through the night, you only have to wait 90 seconds if they wake up and start crying to show them some comfort. But you don’t want to feed them until they have made it through a certain number of hours from bedtime as long as you have already determined that they are ready for this training. Again, her method makes sense to me but we will just have to see how things go once we actually have the baby!
I loved all of the information up to this point, but she loses me a little when she starts trying to map out a jet lag schedule. That will just have to be something I try to understand when/if I need to.
I saved many quotes from the book so I can refer to them when I need to and there were many helpful charts that can be used for reference. As a first time mom who is still pregnant, I have not been able to apply any of this to my life yet but I feel much more equipped with this information than I did without it. I don’t know if this will be the option that I go with, but I really enjoyed reading and learning about it. I definitely recommend reading this book before you have a baby so you can better digest the information before you become sleep deprived and desperate. But if you are already struggling with your little one’s sleep it’s never too late to adjust their sleeping habits so don’t be discouraged from reading!
April 14, 2024
There were a few good nuggets in here based on science (day mode v night mode), but this book was EXTREMELY repetitive. Her sleep training method seems like a middle ground but I know sleep training is extremely controversial so your mileage may vary.
Overall I think she had a couple good science-based ideas that could have been communicated in far far less pages. There is a lot of fluff.
Overall I think she had a couple good science-based ideas that could have been communicated in far far less pages. There is a lot of fluff.
July 3, 2020
Parenting books are tricky, with a lot of conflicting information coming at you from all angles for the rest of your child's life. I go into parenting books with the caveat that I'm going to learn a few nuggets of information and leave the rest that doesn't serve me behind.
The author takes a lot of care to explain the science of sleep for babies (and adults) as she has spent a lot of time studying our internal clock. She explains several experience where animals are able to keep their internal clock on the same time even when the presence of light is removed. I thought it was interesting to learn about the biology of our sleep rhythms.
There are several things I will take a way from this book and try with my five month old. Like shorter naps in the day to increase night time sleeping minutes. Note, he's a pretty good sleeper, not totally through the night, but we don't have a lot of the problems mentioned in this book like being up all hours of the night or only sleeping when being held.
There were several things I didn't agree with the author on and have to remember to use my instincts and chat with my doctor about specific concerns I have with my child.
If you're having trouble with a sleeper or just want to learn more about sleep, this is a quick read. You will take away a couple of small things to try!
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The author takes a lot of care to explain the science of sleep for babies (and adults) as she has spent a lot of time studying our internal clock. She explains several experience where animals are able to keep their internal clock on the same time even when the presence of light is removed. I thought it was interesting to learn about the biology of our sleep rhythms.
There are several things I will take a way from this book and try with my five month old. Like shorter naps in the day to increase night time sleeping minutes. Note, he's a pretty good sleeper, not totally through the night, but we don't have a lot of the problems mentioned in this book like being up all hours of the night or only sleeping when being held.
There were several things I didn't agree with the author on and have to remember to use my instincts and chat with my doctor about specific concerns I have with my child.
If you're having trouble with a sleeper or just want to learn more about sleep, this is a quick read. You will take away a couple of small things to try!
-----
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 14, 2020
3.5 stars The first few chapters were very scientific and to be honest I almost put the book down because it was just a lot of information (especially for a sleep deprived parent who is at their whit's end). If you can make it past the beginning, then this book will be so helpful. My husband and I implemented a lot of these techniques 2.5 years ago with our son unknowingly. It was just through trial and error but having it all laid out in a book with explanations as to how it would help your baby sleep made so much sense. Honestly it was so nice to have validation that it is ok to wake up your child from a nap. I do this all the time and get crazy looks when I tell people. Routine is key and it will keep everyone on schedule and sane!
I did receive a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I did receive a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2020
Full review to come. I read this book in one sitting. I have seriously read almost every baby sleep book because my 8 month old son has always been a terrible sleeper. This is the first book that actually made sense to me and I loved that is based on science. Will add an update once I’ve actually applied the sleep training in this book with my son to see how he does.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.
November 12, 2021
I plan to write a more detailed review later, but the bottom line is that I can't believe this author actually has children and still thinks this method is workable. She throws in the occasional "be flexible" and "trust your intuition", but spends way more time explaining why you should never deviate from the schedule and why your feelings are wrong.
May 4, 2023
Great book to understand sleep!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I wanted to start sleep training my almost 4 month old but didn’t really like the other options I saw. Within three days my baby was sleeping better!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I wanted to start sleep training my almost 4 month old but didn’t really like the other options I saw. Within three days my baby was sleeping better!
June 17, 2025
Very useful! As with other baby sleep books I’ve read (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, 12 Hours by 12 Weeks), I’ll adopt some aspects and leave others. As the author emphasizes, your intuition is really the best sleep guide for your baby.
To sum up my takeaways from this book:
- Having a regular schedule and circadian rhythm is highly beneficial for both kids and adults
- Light is the most important cue that can reinforce or throw off this rhythm
- As such, use light (“strict night versus day mode”) to train your baby to your preferred schedule, keeping in mind how much nighttime and daytime sleep is needed at different ages
- Use other cues (feeding, play and other activities) at regular times of day as well to reinforce the internal clock and make it easier to sleep at night
- Around 4 months of age, start real sleep training, in which you delay parental intervention and promote self soothing to sleep throughout the night
To sum up my takeaways from this book:
- Having a regular schedule and circadian rhythm is highly beneficial for both kids and adults
- Light is the most important cue that can reinforce or throw off this rhythm
- As such, use light (“strict night versus day mode”) to train your baby to your preferred schedule, keeping in mind how much nighttime and daytime sleep is needed at different ages
- Use other cues (feeding, play and other activities) at regular times of day as well to reinforce the internal clock and make it easier to sleep at night
- Around 4 months of age, start real sleep training, in which you delay parental intervention and promote self soothing to sleep throughout the night
July 21, 2025
When you've got a little baby you are reading what you can to understand what and how can trigger good sleep.
This book is exactly about that-a "scientific" method , endorsed with experimentation and stories from those who put it in practice ... And some of the advices are really applicable, judging from my experience until now.
So it is interesting, it is up to everyone to judge for themselves if the techniques described can work for them ...
This book is exactly about that-a "scientific" method , endorsed with experimentation and stories from those who put it in practice ... And some of the advices are really applicable, judging from my experience until now.
So it is interesting, it is up to everyone to judge for themselves if the techniques described can work for them ...
October 13, 2025
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. It definitely had some good tips/tricks and information in it but the constant plug in of "check out our app" got a bit annoying
May 22, 2025
So unpractical lol
Prep your child 2 weeks before travel for time change… and 4 days before departure again …
Prep your child 2 weeks before travel for time change… and 4 days before departure again …
January 6, 2021
I had to force myself through this book. I did a lot of skim reading because it was so repetitive. I think it was a better use of my time to read the book Babywise, which has some similar principles. The author spends a lot of time talking about scientific things, including experiments with fruit flies and lab rats. Would love to have received more practical advice. The author is big on red light, A gentle cry it out method, and is convinced that babies only need a certain amount of sleep. She only has two babies, and it doesn’t seem that she has done too many extensive studies otherwise. Not really worth the time to read. It could’ve been a much shorter book.
April 5, 2022
If you are committed to breastfeeding, this book is NOT for you. Author is very committed to strict schedules which are not conducive to establishing supply. Info on lighting was helpful though.
October 24, 2023
Aún no aplico todos los consejos pero me ha servido
July 2, 2025
Ask me in 6 months
July 1, 2025
I loved the science based approach to sleep. I also appreciated all the scientific info as well as all the studies mentioned, as I’m so tired of opinion based parenting books! I learned a lot of new stuff about babies’ sleep.
It’s a short book with fascinating scientific info and practical straight to the point recommendations on how to improve your child’s sleep. Everything made sense to me, it turned out that we already implemented some of her advice. I wish I read it earlier, as my baby is almost 8 months old now, and somehow got sleep trained without me doing much. I will still be implementing some stuff I lea from this book to better her sleep.
I don’t understand the hateful reviews. Yes, it is a short book if you’re only interested in the key points, but I appreciated all the science, as I like understanding things deeply and knowing there’s research to prove the points made. If you don’t have mental capacity for this short book, you can always read blog posts on your particular issue.
I also dislike the moms who stand radically against any form of sleep training. They act like vegans - sure, you can co-sleep, but there’s no need to call all the parents who sleep train, monsters. I don’t ever see the pro sleep training parents hating on co-sleeping ones. I think it’s a mix of not understanding that all children are different and the fact that all their self esteem is built on being needed as a mother.
My daughter stopped falling asleep while nursing around 3,5 months, and at the same time started crying before falling asleep for all her naps and bedtime. Nothing helped to avoid the crying - not rocking, not co sleeping, nursing made her stop crying, but she wouldn’t fall asleep and start crying again after releasing the boob. She just hates the feeling of being drowsy I guess. Nothing worked, she’s been crying before every sleep for 4 months now. But I realized one day that she falls asleep faster and cries only a few minutes if I just put her in her crib. Compared to 20-40 minutes pf screaming in my arms while I desperately walk around the room trying to console/rock her to sleep. And recently around 7.5 months she started to fall asleep without crying half the time, so hopefully, she’s growing out of this hating sleep fase. All this to say that babies are different. Mine falls asleep faster and better when she can settle comfortably in her own crib without me constricting her movements or waking her up with my micro movements while she’s falling into sleep. And she stopped waking up as much at night immediately after I stopped helping her fall asleep by rocking or holding her. And it’s bs that “babies just learn that no one will come to help them :’(“ Their nervous system is not that developed yet. And we have all the owlets and nanits to prove that sleep trained babies don’t wake up and desperately and silently stare at the ceiling multiple times at night. They just sleep better and for longer periods.
It’s a short book with fascinating scientific info and practical straight to the point recommendations on how to improve your child’s sleep. Everything made sense to me, it turned out that we already implemented some of her advice. I wish I read it earlier, as my baby is almost 8 months old now, and somehow got sleep trained without me doing much. I will still be implementing some stuff I lea from this book to better her sleep.
I don’t understand the hateful reviews. Yes, it is a short book if you’re only interested in the key points, but I appreciated all the science, as I like understanding things deeply and knowing there’s research to prove the points made. If you don’t have mental capacity for this short book, you can always read blog posts on your particular issue.
I also dislike the moms who stand radically against any form of sleep training. They act like vegans - sure, you can co-sleep, but there’s no need to call all the parents who sleep train, monsters. I don’t ever see the pro sleep training parents hating on co-sleeping ones. I think it’s a mix of not understanding that all children are different and the fact that all their self esteem is built on being needed as a mother.
My daughter stopped falling asleep while nursing around 3,5 months, and at the same time started crying before falling asleep for all her naps and bedtime. Nothing helped to avoid the crying - not rocking, not co sleeping, nursing made her stop crying, but she wouldn’t fall asleep and start crying again after releasing the boob. She just hates the feeling of being drowsy I guess. Nothing worked, she’s been crying before every sleep for 4 months now. But I realized one day that she falls asleep faster and cries only a few minutes if I just put her in her crib. Compared to 20-40 minutes pf screaming in my arms while I desperately walk around the room trying to console/rock her to sleep. And recently around 7.5 months she started to fall asleep without crying half the time, so hopefully, she’s growing out of this hating sleep fase. All this to say that babies are different. Mine falls asleep faster and better when she can settle comfortably in her own crib without me constricting her movements or waking her up with my micro movements while she’s falling into sleep. And she stopped waking up as much at night immediately after I stopped helping her fall asleep by rocking or holding her. And it’s bs that “babies just learn that no one will come to help them :’(“ Their nervous system is not that developed yet. And we have all the owlets and nanits to prove that sleep trained babies don’t wake up and desperately and silently stare at the ceiling multiple times at night. They just sleep better and for longer periods.
August 6, 2023
It alternates between some very solid scientific stuff (the author studies sleep genes in fruit flies) and the usual parenting advice drivel that is repetitious and based on opinion. It gave me time to realize how different people's sleep patterns are (if not their actual sleep hour needs, according to the author) just listening to how very impaired this person was from minor disturbances of her sleep. I don't really have that, but can see why sleep becomes this fraught (and thereby, profitable) topic for parents.
Honestly, if Ferber makes your skin crawl, I think the approach here will actually be fine for you (it's just crying it out, but with shorter intervals and a lot of emphasis put on darkness and not overnapping during the day).
The author does have some very snarky ways of referring to other approaches. Attachment parenting becomes "baby-directed", like oh, you let your baby make all the decisions? How's that working out for you? And also does a lot of references APA's safe sleep recommendations when it comes to condemning bedsharing, but not when she wants to kick her baby out of her room at 2 months. Or give them muslin cloths to suck on?
Anyway, worth a read. My life is better now, and reading this book was part of the steps that got me there.
Honestly, if Ferber makes your skin crawl, I think the approach here will actually be fine for you (it's just crying it out, but with shorter intervals and a lot of emphasis put on darkness and not overnapping during the day).
The author does have some very snarky ways of referring to other approaches. Attachment parenting becomes "baby-directed", like oh, you let your baby make all the decisions? How's that working out for you? And also does a lot of references APA's safe sleep recommendations when it comes to condemning bedsharing, but not when she wants to kick her baby out of her room at 2 months. Or give them muslin cloths to suck on?
Anyway, worth a read. My life is better now, and reading this book was part of the steps that got me there.
March 27, 2025
Un rezumat al cărții e mai suficient decât să citești toată cartea :) multe chestii se repetă dintr-un capitol în altul, multe chestii sunt deja spune încă în primul capitol introducere.
Aș zice ca e multă teorie care uneori nu se aplică tuturor bebelușilor.
În linii mari;
- e bine să ai un program strict zilnic, să respecți orele de culcare și trezire, si de somn în timpul zilei
- să ai o lumina roșie pentru seara , de expus cât mai puțin copilul la lumină albă sau albastră seara și noaptea (și telefonul să îl punem pe culoarea roșie în timpul serii și nopții)
- să doarmă mai puțin ziua ca să doarmă bine noaptea, bebe poate dormi doar un număr de ore în 24h, deci dacă doarme mult ziua o să doarmă mai puțin noaptea
- fă un program de alăptare (nu când cere bebe dar la ore exacte)
- lasă bebe să plângă 90 secunde înainte să intervii
nu sunt de acord să lași bebe să plângă 30 minute, eu cred ca e normal sa îți iei bebe în brațe. Sunt o mămică care doarme cu bebe de un an și îl alăptează ziua și noaptea des, sunt obosită dar nu mă mai interesează părerea experților, timpul trece repede și nu mai recuperăm aceste momente cu bebele nostru. FIECARE MAMĂ ȘI BEBE ARE RITMUL SĂU!
Eu am ascultat cartea dar aveam impresia ca ideile se învârteau întruna.
Aș zice ca e multă teorie care uneori nu se aplică tuturor bebelușilor.
În linii mari;
- e bine să ai un program strict zilnic, să respecți orele de culcare și trezire, si de somn în timpul zilei
- să ai o lumina roșie pentru seara , de expus cât mai puțin copilul la lumină albă sau albastră seara și noaptea (și telefonul să îl punem pe culoarea roșie în timpul serii și nopții)
- să doarmă mai puțin ziua ca să doarmă bine noaptea, bebe poate dormi doar un număr de ore în 24h, deci dacă doarme mult ziua o să doarmă mai puțin noaptea
- fă un program de alăptare (nu când cere bebe dar la ore exacte)
- lasă bebe să plângă 90 secunde înainte să intervii
nu sunt de acord să lași bebe să plângă 30 minute, eu cred ca e normal sa îți iei bebe în brațe. Sunt o mămică care doarme cu bebe de un an și îl alăptează ziua și noaptea des, sunt obosită dar nu mă mai interesează părerea experților, timpul trece repede și nu mai recuperăm aceste momente cu bebele nostru. FIECARE MAMĂ ȘI BEBE ARE RITMUL SĂU!
Eu am ascultat cartea dar aveam impresia ca ideile se învârteau întruna.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
The title of this book pretty much describes what it's about--babies and sleep. The author goes over everything about what sleep is, the importance of it (for parents and baby) and details on night/nap sleep training. As a new first time mother to a 6 month old, I have actually read up A LOT on sleep training and the techniques, so most of the information in the book I already knew. One thing though I really enjoyed were the more science based information on things and case studies/real life stories. She has great charts to reference and an easy to read chart on quick solutions to sleep issues with your baby.
I definitely recommend this for parents who are interested in sleep training and want to know more detailed information on the topic. New parents need to take note on the section with helpful tools and equipment. Everything she listed we have/use and they really do help out. We were able to have our baby sleep through the night (up to 10 hrs straight) and nap successfully in about 1.5 weeks by using techniques she mentions in this book.
4/5
The title of this book pretty much describes what it's about--babies and sleep. The author goes over everything about what sleep is, the importance of it (for parents and baby) and details on night/nap sleep training. As a new first time mother to a 6 month old, I have actually read up A LOT on sleep training and the techniques, so most of the information in the book I already knew. One thing though I really enjoyed were the more science based information on things and case studies/real life stories. She has great charts to reference and an easy to read chart on quick solutions to sleep issues with your baby.
I definitely recommend this for parents who are interested in sleep training and want to know more detailed information on the topic. New parents need to take note on the section with helpful tools and equipment. Everything she listed we have/use and they really do help out. We were able to have our baby sleep through the night (up to 10 hrs straight) and nap successfully in about 1.5 weeks by using techniques she mentions in this book.
4/5
June 9, 2022
Some good ideas, some crazy ideas (red light? that’s a bit extreme and seemingly unnecessary). Quick read. A little hard for me to take some of the advice knowing she only had two kids and sounds like they were a very different experience than I’m having with my fourth. But I’m coming away with a few thoughts I already knew but was reminded of…cutting daytime naps down to age appropriate amounts (2-2.5 hours for 6-9 month old)- waking if necessary to decrease total daytime sleep. Also moving him to separate room sooner rather than later to increase length of time before I respond. Waiting at least 90 seconds before responding. Choosing a “no feed” time which is 1 hour less than the longest they’ve slept continuously at least twice- then soothing back to sleep without nursing by sending in hubby or shushing in crib until that time is up. I like that the method is basically CIO, but allows comforting the baby and gives a specific time to shoot for before nursing again.
March 26, 2025
As a career nanny- just no. I got to page 70 before I threw in the towel. So many inaccurate statements and contradicting advice. She claims there’s no such thing as an overtired baby. Baby didn’t nap all day? Perfect! Baby will go to sleep SO easily and sleep all night. Anyone who’s taken care of babies knows that this isn’t true. She also suggests a swing nap everyday? First of all- this isn’t safe sleep and I can’t imagine having my baby NEEDING the swinging motion to take a nap. Seems counterproductive to the whole sleep training thing. Also she says that when sleep training with two kids and not enough bedrooms- move the toddler into your room until baby is sleep trained. Also counterproductive. You just explained how to get baby/toddler perfectly sleep trained and now you’re going to undo it by letting toddler sleep in parents room for a few weeks? I cannot imagine any of this being helpful. Weird book.
December 30, 2025
I really wanted this book to be more helpful, but unfortunately it wasn’t very groundbreaking. Most of the information felt like things I’d already heard elsewhere, and the steps suggested didn’t feel realistic or effective in actually helping a baby sleep through the night.
What I found most frustrating was that the book doesn’t really address potential sleep issues or variations between babies. It presents ideas as if they should work universally, without much troubleshooting or acknowledgment that many babies simply don’t fit into a neat framework.
Overall, it wasn’t incredibly helpful for our situation, and I didn’t walk away with any new or actionable insights. It may be useful for brand-new parents looking for very basic guidance.
What I found most frustrating was that the book doesn’t really address potential sleep issues or variations between babies. It presents ideas as if they should work universally, without much troubleshooting or acknowledgment that many babies simply don’t fit into a neat framework.
Overall, it wasn’t incredibly helpful for our situation, and I didn’t walk away with any new or actionable insights. It may be useful for brand-new parents looking for very basic guidance.
June 23, 2021
The science of sleep (first 40 pages) was the real gem in the book. Once you understand how sleep works, the impact of sunlight, environment and the rhythm of the body you can easily analyze your child’s situation and make logical decisions that work. In matter of days, our erratic nighttime sleep schedule became like clockwork, with no crying, with naps that are flexible but with fixed total duration.
Yet, the book could have been more concise (3.5 stars really). Look at the target audience: Sleep deprived parents who need a solution fast. No patience (let alone time) for reading a standard 200 pages book with coffee on the side.
Yet, the book could have been more concise (3.5 stars really). Look at the target audience: Sleep deprived parents who need a solution fast. No patience (let alone time) for reading a standard 200 pages book with coffee on the side.
September 19, 2022
Има някой идеи, които един родител може да си вземе и приложи като цяло. Истината е, че не съм взела книгата, защото съм имала проблем със съня на бебето, а по-скоро превативно и да допълня поръчка :) , за това не съм се интересувала много от темата и не съм търсила информация в интернет.
Мен лично ми стана неприятно многото повтаряне в един момент, до някоя глава в началото е интересно и както казах може да си вземете някои съвети, но оттам нататък почва едно неистово повтаряне на информацията, което силно изнервя. Реално книгата може да бъде на половината страници и да бъде наистина полезно четиво.
Мен лично ми стана неприятно многото повтаряне в един момент, до някоя глава в началото е интересно и както казах може да си вземете някои съвети, но оттам нататък почва едно неистово повтаряне на информацията, което силно изнервя. Реално книгата може да бъде на половината страници и да бъде наистина полезно четиво.
December 31, 2022
I appreciate a science-backed book on anything, and in this case it is on the sleep of babies, which has been pretty important for me over the past 6 months. And while the book has fantastic techniques in it for sleep and making babies sleep, it is also super-repetitive and far too long for its actual content. It could have easily been a single blog post: red light, black-out lights, follow a routine strictly, separate day from night for the baby, don't expect babies to sleep more than what is expected for their age. The rest of the book is just the same, but repeated in (barely) different words).
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