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Sweet Dreams : A Pediatrician's Secrets for Baby's Good Night's Sleep | 
 enlarge | Author: Paul M. Fleiss
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 284522
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 1
ISBN: 0737304944
Dewey Decimal Number: 618.928498
EAN: 9780737304947
ASIN: 0737304944
Publication Date: December 1, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Cover wear and may contain some marks or writing. Keen Northwest ships in 2 business days or less. Refunds for any reason if item returned within 30 days of shipment.
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Product Description
Most new parents quickly and sadly discover the difficulty of getting a child first to go to sleep, and then to sleep throughout the night. Dr. Fleiss, a noted family pediatrician for more than 30 years, shares his secrets for discovering a child's natural sleep patterns, developing positive bedtime rituals, nutritional and lifestyle aids to sleep, and how co-sleeping affects normal growth and development.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 Dr. Fleiss; not an advocate of quick fix solutions August 18, 2008
I loved Paul Fleiss' Sweet Dreams and came away with a lot ideas of how to instill good sleep habits in my children; however, parents looking for a quick fix for their children's "sleep problems" or for how to have their children sleep through the night (because as parents they are exhausted) might not find those answers here. What Dr. Fleiss advocates are not quick fix solutions; instead, what he recommends is a change in the parents' perspecitve. Often parents perceive their children have a sleep problem simply because the children do not sleep on the parents' terms (as in through the night) or when the parents want them to sleep. Whereas Fleiss offers insight into the child's world and perspective so that as parents we may be compassionate with our children's needs and can accept their individual habits and sleep patterns. This is where his book is most valuable - as adults we do forget what it was like as a child waking up in the night after a nightmare and I found his ideas most helpful in terms of for how to handle and be compassionate with a child who wakes up in the middle of the night after a bad dream or because they're sick etc. And some children do wake up every two hours because they want to know their parents are there. This is why he advocates co-sleeping because the child then does not have to cry in attempt to communicate to a parent (and it makes the parent's life so much easier).
Rather than a series of helpful hints, Fleiss desires parents to expand their perspectives of how their children should be so that instead, parents accept their kids as they are. This book does not limit itself to children's sleep; it offers insight and perspectives into the whole world of parenting. I found his book to be very helpful in terms of looking at my own attitude and context of parenting and I find it very easy to take his advice of creating a positive attitude and context around parenting and my child's sleep habits.
The only thing I saw was missing in his book was for him to acknowledge how hard it can be for some parents to change their attitudes about parenting, how their children should be or their children's sleep habits - This is not a book for the parent at the end of their rope who will do anything to get some sleep or the parent who has expectations of what their children should do. Dr. Fleiss does say that following his ideas will have most children sleeping through the night at six months of age if not sooner; he also says not all children are the same and just because your child is not the same doesn't necessarily mean there is something wrong with your child or that your child has a "sleep problem". It might mean you might have to adapt your expectations or behaviors as a parent (or your own hope for getting 8 hours of sleep)- it might also mean you might have to accept your child for who she is (and sometimes this is the hardest part of being a parent!)- and he offers ideas that support the whole family getting enough sleep, but these ideas are hard to hear if as parent, you are already exhausted and frustrated. (Then you don't need Dr. Fleiss's book or Harvey Karp's book or anybody's book - then you need to drop your child off at a sitter's for the weekend and check yourself into a hotel so that you can sleep for 48 hours straight.)
Dr. Fleiss does feel strongly about his subject and I admire his passion - his ideas are largely preventive and he does abhor quick fix solutions like Children's Benadryl etc. He does NOT say that parents who do use the Ferber Method will give their children personality disorders; he does say that this method teaches children that they can not trust their parents to meet their needs or that their parents will not be there for them if needed during the night. As someone who was raised with the Ferber Method, I have to agree with his assessment - I do sleep through the night just fine, but growing up I was also very clear that if I needed my parents for anything (sickness or nightmares) during the night I was on my own. As someone who doesn't wish on her children, I will Dr. Fleiss's suggestions rather than my parents.
Finally, I do have to say since I finished this book two days ago, my family has slept like the dead.
Interesting book November 25, 2006
Very interesting information about sleep in general, how baby's sleep is different then adults, co-sleeping and lots of other topics related to sleep. I read it before she was born and it helped set my expectations for the first few months (i.e. a newborn should NOT sleep the whole night... so don't expect it to).
I don't get the negative reviews... January 18, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
As any expectant or new parent knows, you can't get through one day without tons of advice and "helpful" hints from other parents, magazines, books and even strangers at the supermarket. Dr. Fleiss' book is no exception - there will be some things you think will work with your own philosophies on parenting and others that seem they won't. That said, I can't understand why anyone would find Fleiss' advice overly opinionated,unscientific and "this way is the only way" sounding. He is a highly respected pediatrician and his essays are all backed with examples and/or documentation from other medical resources. He acknowledges that some things work for some families and some do not... let's remember that the book subtitle claims the content as 'his' secrets - it does not claim to be an all-around encyclopedia on sleep in children. One does not have to be a "granola/liberal/hippie" parent to want to absorb everything they can on raising their children - even meat-eating/conservative/Christian Republican (gasp! and can you believe we plan to breastfeed for at least one year & cloth diaper!?) parents like my husband and myself found Dr. Fleiss' book a valuable resource, an interesting read, and full of tips that are very pro-family and pro-child. Read this book - read tons of books - and take from them what you find inspiring and helpful.
The practicality of this book depends on your lifestyle August 16, 2005
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Right now my 5 week old sleeps with us and does so for 11-12 hours. It is very easy to breastfeed him and have him fall right back to sleep. However, this is at the expence of ANY physical contact with my husband. So, I am looking for a book that will help me, help my son sleep on his own. clearly this book is not the book for me if that is what I am looking for. I will however purchase this book for two reasons:
1. I am intrigued by the strong divide between the reviews. I am interested in knowing why this book works so well for some and not for others. I am sure that I will at least learn somthing about infant sleep patterns to justify my purchase.
2. Also, because one consumer left feedback saying that there are two types of people when it comes to raising children "The first group eats lots of whole grains, worries about their child's aura and the alignment of their chakras. The second group works, pays taxes, and tries to live their lives." For the record, I am what you would consider a "granola". (a clean hippie) :) Yes, I recycle, eat organic AND whole grain foods, and I even use cloth diapers! But I do work , full time even-In the United States Air Force, and I do pay my taxes!!!! So, thanks to one ignorant review, I am complelled to purchase this book, even though I think that it may be a little too radical even for my taste, simply to ensure that I maintain an open mind and try to balance his ignorance!!
I truly recommend that you have an open mind and purchase your books based on the "reviews" from people that are most aligned with your lifestyle and goals. Obviously, if you are even going so far as to purchase a book for the betterment of your family, you are leaps and bounds ahead of most parents.
P.s. I have found that a warm bath, clean diaper, a full belly, and walking around while holding them helps them relax well enough to sleep for several hours a least! good luck and happy parenting.....
 Not very helpful . . . March 20, 2005
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is a great book if you want to know the benefits of co-sleeping. Other than that, it's not much help. Dr. Fleiss' advice is the same as what you find in most other sleep books so you won't get any "secrets", unless this is the first book you've ever read on infant sleep. Furthermore, his advice is overly simplistic. Co-sleep with your baby and by 3-6 months he'll be sleeping through the night. (I can tell you from experience it isn't necessarily so!) If your toddler resists going to bed, institute a positive sleep ritual. (We did, and she still fights sleep with every ounce of her being.) If these suggestions don't work for you, well, you must not be doing it right.
I also found his assertion that circumcision and electromagnetic rays from TV's and computers are responsible for poor sleep to be a bit far-fetched.
Bottom line, this book does not deliver what it promises. The last chapter is titled "A step-by-step guide to fostering good sleep patterns". "Finally", I thought, "the information I'm looking for". What a disappointment! His "steps" are nothing but an list of broad, vague, suggestions. Things like "Love your baby", "Take pride in your baby . . . ", "Be responsive". Good advice in general, but it's not going to get your two-year-old to sleep at night.
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