I had pretty much decided that I was done with buying books about babies and sleep. All of the experts and their fancy ideas were giving me stress (and constantly disagreeing with one another). But, I gave in and bought one more book — this new one out by Ann Douglas. And, I must say, it was worth the money.
This is the most helpful book about sleep I have come across, mostly because Douglas works really hard to synthesize and digest all the various methods to help your child sleep. Throughout the book, she asserts that parents must make decisions that works best for their family. This is sort of “no duh” advice, but it is really great to hear as a new mom with lots of conflicting opinions constantly circling through my brain.
I haven’t read another book on sleep that takes time to care for the parents like this one does. Douglas spends a lot of energy describing how tough these infant days are for parents, reassuring us that our situations are (usually) normal, encouraging us to not feel guilt, and giving practical tips for making healthy decisions about the pursuit of sleep in our families.
She has a very effective list of questions she came up with to discuss with one’s spouse in order to decide what “sleep training” route to go. These questions range from discussion about parenting values and lifestyle habits to support systems — all pertinent topics when trying to make the best decision for your family in order to help everyone get the sleep they need.
Her chart of the pros and cons of different sleep-training techniques is another strong feature (really the heart) of the book. It’s too bad she doesn’t refer the reader to the original sources (books) that describe the technique in detail. There is perhaps some editorial or legal reason for this, but it sure would be helpful.
I would recommend this book to any new parent, especially if they want to purchase only one book about sleep. I’m so glad Douglas wrote this informative and compassionate tool for parents.
Considered in this review: “_Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler_”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470836334/octothorppres-20, by
Ann Douglas.
sounds like an excellent book! I’m gonna get a copy too, thanks for the review! :o)
I like Ann Douglas a lot. She writes much of the pregnancy-related info on WebMD, and I have her Unofficial Guide to Pregnancy. Glad to hear this one is helping you!