Weisbluth - good guy or bad guy?

[ACsMom]

A friend of mine, who is pretty down with AP, recently recommended this book to me. I remember it being mentioned here, but I can't remember if it was in a good way or bad way. I don't even want to check it out of the library if it's going to tell me to let my baby cry herself to sleep. But if it's a good book, I need it. Like another recent poster, I've got a sleep-deprived infant on my hands (not to mention an exhausted Mommy).

Thanks for any input!

[CarenSwan]

For what it's worth, I'd never heard of him until today when I was reading an article by Jay Gordon (big co-sleeping and AP advocate) saying that he was "trying to offer an alternative to Ferber, Weisbluth and the Wisperer." The other two names on that list do not impress me!

[Wolfcat]

This link has some informative reviews.

What I've seen on it, however, is so-so. He has a chart of how many hours a child should be getting based on age, which I'm not really thrilled w/ (what about personality?). And it seems his methods are fairly close to CIO, depending on how you read it.

This opinion is based on internet research, not reading the book.

[Dido]

Weissbluth is HORRIBLE!!!!!!! Stay away. He is the most extreme CIO-er out there. He says it's fine to let the baby cry for hours - there is NO limit to how long they should cry. Here's the thread I started, with more info:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ht=traumatized

[rebelbets]

Weissbluth is All About CIO, but he does provide some really interesting information/research on infant sleep physiology. If you're willing to disregard the CIO stuff, you might get some decent information out of the book.

[Hollin]

I got the book from the library. It does have interesting info on sleep, but overall he sounds like kind of a nutjob. He says kids can cry up to an hour for each nap and infinitely at night. That just sounds abusive.

[sparkprincess]

I read the book on the recommendation of a friend. I did find some things helpful - like how to look for drowsy signs and get the little one to bed then, etc. But I think that overall he's too strict with the amount of hours a baby should sleep, etc.

The book is broken down by age. From 1-6ish months he gives you the option to soothe your baby to sleep any way you can. But after that he recommends the "extinction" method where you just let your baby cio until they sleep. Really, really sad.

The mom who recommended it later told me that she did that to her son. Every night for a week, I think, she would just lay him down and let him cio until he fell asleep. They also had to do that any time his sleep was disturbed (sickness, vacation, etc). Yuck. No thanks!

[Minoh]

A midwife recommended the book to me and it has some decent info on infant sleep. However, I wouldn't pass on the recommendation because much of the suggestions in the book really made me upset. He fully supports CIO in ways that are more extreme than any I'd read elsewhere. Definitely not a book for moms looking for co-sleeping advice and gentle techniques.

[jkpmomtoboys]

I love Weissbluth. My older son did horribly when I used Sears and Weissbluth was the only pediatric sleep researcher who could back up what he said with actual research. My son thrived when I used the principles in the book and the change in our house going from Sears to Weissbluth was amazing.

Just another perspective...

[ndunn]

Originally Posted by jkpmomtoboys

My son thrived when I used the principles in the book and the change in our house going from Sears to Weissbluth was amazing.

Principles as in crying to sleep?: Or principles as in watching drowsy signals etc.


To the OP:
I've gone through some of this book and although yes it has good research about infant sleep, you can find that in other books minus the CIO which if it fell into the wrong hands (as in a girl I met with a THREE month old) you could end up with a mom letting a babe scream for hours and hours on end thinking it is ok.

[jkpmomtoboys]

Originally Posted by ndunn

Principles as in crying to sleep?: Or principles as in watching drowsy signals etc.

As in anything AP, you have to know your own child and respond to them. This book helped me do that in a way that Sears absolutely did not. So mostly the latter, but some of the former in a very, very limited way for a very, very limited duration.

Since you wanted to know.

To give you an example, I see that you have a 5 month old. Well, for us, using the Sears principles, at 5 months, my son was waking 5 times a night and requiring a 3 hour walking ritual to go to sleep. He was also very, very unhappy. Working with the principles in Weissbluth, we were able to get him much more sleep much faster at night. So while Weissbluth might make you : or , I would caution you, as a new parent, to be careful before judging other parents all that much...

[runes]

a neighbor gave us this book. it advocates for cio, so it belongs in the junk pile imho.

that said, there is some good information in the book regarding infant sleep physiology. if you look to this book as a resource for that then it's ok, but for sleep training tips i'd dismiss it.

[Nora'sMama]

I found his "two-hour rule" to be helpful when Nora was a young baby: after 2 hours of wakefulness you want to be heading towards a nap and looking for the drowsy cues. Nora's naps have always been very good.

However, since I was unwilling to do any amount of CIO, I couldn't really do much for the nighttime sleep. I am sure that what he recommends "works" in that babies will eventually sleep long stretches if you don't respond to their cries but I don't think it's healthy physically or emotionally healthy for them or for their parents.

I also think the charts are too rigid. Adults vary hugely in how much sleep they need; why wouldn't babies be the same?

[jkpmomtoboys]

Originally Posted by Nora'sMama

I am sure that what he recommends "works" in that babies will eventually sleep long stretches if you don't respond to their cries but I don't think it's healthy physically or emotionally healthy for them or for their parents.

You know, as someone who's read his book 4 or 5 times, what he says works because you are responding to kids' individual cycles by looking for drowsy signals, respecting their need to sleep and understanding how much they need to sleep. At least for me, my child slept infinitely better after we read Weissbluth's book and it was not because I didn't respond to his cries...

Just wanted to offer that perspective because it seems on this thread about Weissbluth I'm the only one who has actually worked with his book...

[jaye]

Originally Posted by Nora'sMama

I found his "two-hour rule" to be helpful when Nora was a young baby: after 2 hours of wakefulness you want to be heading towards a nap and looking for the drowsy cues. Nora's naps have always been very good.

That worked amazingly well with my first child. I had never thought about daytime sleep for babies and after I read that section on naps, my son's naps were really great - 2 hours awake and then 2 hours asleep. I couldn't believe it.

Didn't do the nighttime stuff because we co-slept and the nap thing didn't work with my other kids.

[Nora'sMama]

Originally Posted by jkpmomtoboys

You know, as someone who's read his book 4 or 5 times, what he says works because you are responding to kids' individual cycles by looking for drowsy signals, respecting their need to sleep and understanding how much they need to sleep. At least for me, my child slept infinitely better after we read Weissbluth's book and it was not because I didn't respond to his cries...

Just wanted to offer that perspective because it seems on this thread about Weissbluth I'm the only one who has actually worked with his book...

You're right...sorry

It is hard for me to get past the extinction CIO recommendation from Weissbluth. But I know that his book has some useful information and I'm glad it was helpful to you.

[jkpmomtoboys]

Originally Posted by Nora'sMama

You're right...sorry

It is hard for me to get past the extinction CIO recommendation from Weissbluth. But I know that his book has some useful information and I'm glad it was helpful to you.

No problem!

[dove]

Originally Posted by jkpmomtoboys

As in anything AP, you have to know your own child and respond to them. This book helped me do that in a way that Sears absolutely did not. So mostly the latter, but some of the former in a very, very limited way for a very, very limited duration.

Since you wanted to know.

So, admittedly, you had your baby do CIO.

MDC does not endorse or support CIO.


WHY DO WE KEEP ENDORSING WEISSBLUTH ON THIS SITE?????????:

Again, I will state that yes, he may have some helpful info, but it is not info that is only available in his book. He is a mighty slippery slope to cio.

[EvansMomma]

I've never read the book and never will - the CIO aspect makes me want to vomit. And if I'm not mistaken, is he not the one who says the "extinction method" of CIO is just fine?? Umm...doesn't sound like a book that we should be endorsing on a site like this.

But if the sleep aspect is what people are liking about this book, from what it sounds like, Pantley has much of that info in her book as well and DOES NOT endorse any form of CIO. Why not read that book instead of Weissbluth's garbage, if all you're looking for is the info on infant sleep.

And to the poster who is cheerleading this book - I would be very careful how close you come to advocating for CIO. That is not acceptable around here. And honestly, the thought that you may have used some of those techniques (however minimal that may have been) makes me want to yak all over my keyboard.

[Dido]

Originally Posted by jkpmomtoboys

Just wanted to offer that perspective because it seems on this thread about Weissbluth I'm the only one who has actually worked with his book...

Well, I read the book very carefully cover to cover, because I initially got it from the library thinking it might help me. I wouldn't "work with" it because to do that would have meant leaving my baby to cry. I was looking for tired signs and all that jazz long before encountering Weissbluth - I don't think he invented the idea that if a baby looks tired you should try to get her to sleep.