Parenting Book Review: 12 Hours Sleep by 12 Weeks Old

So, if you recall, one of my first posts on this blog was my version of the Baby Wise sleep method.  I posted it first to help myself remember for the next time I go ’round the baby wagon, but also because I hate the tone and style of Baby Wise even though their techniques worked like a charm for both my kids.

Well, a few weeks ago, I found my new alternative to Baby Wise: Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old by Suzy Giordano.  (My husband looked at me funny when he saw I was reading a baby sleep book even though both our kids are done with all that.  Yes, I have odd hobbies that include raiding the parenting section at the local library for fun.)  This book has much less of a moral tone and focuses more on techniques and strategies for stretching a baby’s sleep schedule to fit yours.

In particular, I loved the daytime and nighttime “toolboxes” she includes for you to use in the transition from “eat whenever you want” to “stick to the schedule, kid.” 

Theory Thursday: Baby Wise, My Way

If you’ve read my philosophy of parenting, you know that I believe sleep is one of the most important things that a parent and a child need.  This doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone: sleep is the Holy Grail of parenting debates.  So much ink has been spilled and so many electrons displaced in the discussion of how to obtain it that I scarcely feel like I could add anything to it.

Why, then, are you reading this post?  Well, my children have always been amazing sleepers.  I attribute much of this to the Baby Wise method of feeding/sleeping coordination.  But I hesitate to recommend the book to other people, just as my cousin hesitated to recommend it to me in spite of the fact that it worked astoundingly well for her.