Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems » (New, Revised, and Expanded Edition)

Richard Ferber, M.D., is an associate professor of neurology at the Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children's Hospital Boston. He lives in Newtonville, Massachusetts.

Does your child

• Have difficulty falling asleep?
• Wake in the middle of the night?
• Suffer sleep terrors, sleepwalking, or nighttime fears?
• Have difficulty waking for school or staying awake in class?
• Snore, wet the bed, or head bang?

In the first major revision of his bestselling, groundbreaking classic since it was published twenty years ago, Dr. Richard Ferber, the nation's foremost authority on children's sleep problems, delivers safe, sound ideas for helping your child fall and stay asleep at night and perform well during the day.

Incorporating new research, Dr. Ferber provides important basic information that all parents should know regarding the nature of sleep and the development of normal sleep and body rhythms throughout childhood. He discusses the causes of most sleep problems from birth to adolescence and recommends an array of proven solutions for each so that parents can choose the strategy that works best for them. Topics covered in detail include:

• Bedtime difficulties and nighttime wakings
• Effective strategies for naps
• Sleep schedule abnormalities
• A balanced look at co-sleeping
• New insights into the nature of sleep terrors and sleepwalking
• Problems in setting limits
• Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, bed-wetting, and head banging

Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems offers priceless advice and concrete help for a whole new generation of anxious, frustrated, and overtired parents.

Library Journal

Ferber (director, Sleep Lab & Ctr. for Pediatric Sleep Disorders, Boston Children's Hosp.) is a sleep giant in the land of nod. In the 21 years since the first edition of this book was published, many "Ferberized" babies have cried themselves to sleep per the author's famous "progressive-waiting" method. This revised version maintains that most sleep disruptions in one- to six-year-olds are caused by improper sleep association (e.g., being rocked instead of lying still). Suggested corrections, often backed with specific case studies, are considerate of children; ditto for advice on prebedtime routines. Further, Ferber's stance on cosleeping has softened. Though sympathetic to exhausted parents, Ferber reminds them that they "may have to tolerate some crying" to help their baby develop a healthy sleep schedule. Interruptions in sleep (e.g., bedwetting, nightmares), establishing schedules, and children's natural sleep rhythms are all explored. Many consider Ferber the polar opposite of William Sears (The Baby Sleep Book: The Complete Guide to a Good Night's Rest for the Whole Family), but both compassionate authors deserve space on the shelf. For all libraries.-Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Hartford Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.