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Best Sleep Training Books

Candace Osmond

When you welcome a new baby into your family, you will experience joy, excitement, love beyond measure, and…exhaustion.

Babies do not come with instruction books, but we can tap into the expertise and advice of seasoned parents and pediatric experts that have written parenting guidebooks. One topic that so many parents seek information and guidance about pertains to sleep training.

Sleep training books can offer valuable information that can help you develop healthy and sustainable sleep habits that promote restful sleep, both for your child and for everyone else in your household. Increasing your parenting knowledge of strategies and tips by reading a guidebook pertaining to healthy sleep patterns for your child is a smart parenting decision, especially when you know what to look for. A recommended sleep training book can make a perfect gift for a new parent as well.

There are all different kinds of sleep training books on the market that help you glean information about how to create and develop schedules, routines, and rhythms promoting healthy sleep for your child. If you are thinking about purchasing a sleep training book, you have come to the right place.

Our experts have sifted through countless options that are available on the market today that all have subtle differences in regards to the philosophy, methodology, content, style, and format and we have highlighted our top five recommendations for your right here.

Our picks highlight notable features along with pros and cons that will help you make comparisons so you can pick the right book for your parenting needs and goals. This article also includes additional resources, such as frequently asked questions and important things to consider that will help you get the information you need to make a good choice when purchasing a good sleep training book for yourself or to give as a gift.

This article will help you get the information you need to make a good decision for your purchase and will help you get what you need to expand your knowledge of parenting strategies pertaining to pediatric sleep issues. Continue reading to learn more!

1. Best Step-By-Step Sleep Training Book – Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night’s Sleep, 3rd Edition – Editor's Choice

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2. Best Sleep Training Book for Quick Results – The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent’s Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep from Birth to Age 5

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3. Best Limited Crying Sleep Training Book – Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old: A Step-by-Step Plan for Baby Sleep Success

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4. Best Sleep Training Book If You Are Seeking Out a Gentle Approach – The Gentle Sleep Book: Gentle, No-Tears, Sleep Solutions for Parents of Newborns to Five-Year-Olds

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5. Best Sleep Training Book for Infants – On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep “2019 edition”- Interactive Support

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Top 5 Sleep Training Books

1. Best Step-By-Step Sleep Training Book – Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night’s Sleep, 3rd Edition – Editor's Choice

Pros

  • Step by step guidance from a distinguished pediatrician
  • Includes researched-based information on common challenges
  • Helps you analyze how to get your baby to fall asleep according to his/her internal clock, naturally
  • The book outlines proven strategies that ensure good healthy sleep from every age, babies to teenagers

Cons

  • Long, some reviewers prefer a more condensed version of the information presented.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night’s Sleep is a great resource that will give you clear guidance on how to help your child create beneficial sleep habits in relation to their natural sleep cycles. Written by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, a distinguished pediatrician and father of four, this book is full of researched-based information to help you navigate common challenges with sound advice and proven strategies to create healthy sleep habits for your child for every age ranging from babies, toddlers, and even addresses the needs of teenagers and their unique sleep problems. This 688-page book is available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, or audiobook formats.

2. Best Sleep Training Book for Quick Results – The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent’s Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep from Birth to Age 5

Pros

  • Written by the founders of https://www.sleepyplanet.com
  • Simple and informative
  • Attachment parent-friendly
  • Helps parents develop skills with reassurance and confidence

Cons

  • Advice focuses mostly on ages four months to age five

The Sleepeasy Solution: The Exhausted Parent’s Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep from Birth to Age 5 has sound information that can help you develop a sleep technique in less than a week. Authors Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack combine their expertise as psychotherapists and sleep consultants in this family-friendly guide to help you create a customized sleep planner that addresses the emotional needs of both the parent and the child. In this book, you will find comprehensive sections devoted to both a baby’s and toddler’s development and advice specific to special circumstances including travel, daylight saving’s time, moving to a “big kid bed” and multiples. This 320-page book is available in paperback, Kindle, audiobook, and MP3 CD formats.

3. Best Limited Crying Sleep Training Book – Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old: A Step-by-Step Plan for Baby Sleep Success

Pros

  • Quick read, format is not overwhelming to an already stressed-out parent
  • Step by step advice
  • Healthy balance between responding to your child’s crying cues and self-soothing
  • Feeding based approach

Cons

  • Harder for breastfeeding moms to implement
  • Takes about twelve weeks to develop the routine

In Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old: A Step-by-Step Plan for Baby Sleep Success author Suzy Giordano offers simple, straightforward, and effective advice that provides a limited crying solution to help your baby sleep for twelve hours at night and three hours in the day by the age of twelve weeks old. Giordano is a mother of five and has been dubbed a baby sleep “guru” by The Washington Post. In the book, you learn how to implement a sleep plan for your child that has been tested for individual babies, twins, triplets, and even babies with special needs and colic. This 160-page book is available in hardcover, audiobook, audio CD, and multimedia CD formats.

4. Best Sleep Training Book If You Are Seeking Out a Gentle Approach – The Gentle Sleep Book: Gentle, No-Tears, Sleep Solutions for Parents of Newborns to Five-Year-Olds

Pros

  • Written by an experienced parenting author who is also a mom of four
  • Gentle advice that gives you the confidence to trust your instincts
  • Includes practical tips for age-appropriate developmental issues for different stages, newborns to five-year-olds

Cons

  • Some information presented can seem redundant
  • Advice not presented as regimented and concrete as some other books.

The Gentle Sleep Book: Gentle, No-Tears, Sleep Solutions for Parents of Newborns to Five-Year-Olds is our top recommendation if you are looking for an approach that balances the needs of sleep-deprived parents and those of the child. Distinguished parenting author Sarah Ockwell-Smith shares her reliable, evidence-based advice to help you approach common sleep-related issues with practical suggestions and sound advice for newborns to five-year-olds. She also offers specific advice geared toward adults to ten to their own needs and emotions during the early years of parenting. This 317-page book is available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats.

5. Best Sleep Training Book for Infants – On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep “2019 edition”- Interactive Support

Pros

  • Focused especially on infant sleep patterns, when you need sleep the most!
  • Interactive Support Edition offers real-time feedback on your questions
  • Schedule and routine based
  • Information for various situations including babies with colic, reflux, and multiples

Cons

  • Single parents can find some of the advice critical
  • Not attachment parenting friendly

On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep is our top pick for a sleep training book written especially for your infant. Written by two of the world’s leading experts on infant management concepts, Dr. Robert Bucknam and Gary Ezzo, share guidance on how to naturally synchronize your baby’s feeding time, waketime, and nighttime sleep cycles so that everyone in your home can get a restful sleep. This 279-page book is available in paperback, kindle, and audiobook format. This Interactive Support Edition offers readers the option to ask their questions and interact live online.

What to look for when choosing a good sleep training book.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of sleep training books available in the market today. Here are a few things to consider when purchasing a sleep training book for yourself or for a gift.

Content

When choosing which wine book you will purchase, the content is one of the most important things to consider. First, you need to decide what kind of book you are looking for. Here are some questions to consider:

  • Are you looking for a step-by-step plan?
  • Are you seeking out a book that is written specifically for infants or for a variety of ages and stages?
  • Are you wanting a more firm or gentler approach?
  • How quick are you desiring results?

Determining your answers to these types of questions can guide you in different directions for your purchase. This article features different books that address specific preferences based on these questions.

Format

The sleep training books featured in this article come in a variety of formats including hardcover, paperback, kindle, audiobook, and MP3. However, each book does not come in each and every one of these formats. Be sure to read the product descriptions so that you purchase your book of choice in the format most desirable.

Length

When considering your purchase, think about the length of the sleep training book you are purchasing. You can determine how many pages are in the book, or the duration of the audiobook in the details of the product listings online. Longer books with the most number of pages will have the most information, but they can be overwhelming to read, especially if you are already tired. But, books with fewer pages may be comprehensive. 

Copyright/Release Date

Consider the copyright/release date and the publication date of the book/version you are considering so you make sure you have the most up-to-date version if the book has been reprinted or updated.

Credibility

When purchasing a sleep training book other things you may want to consider in terms of credibility include:

  • Author credentials. The books featured in this article are written by seasoned parents that are also experts in their fields of child development.
  • Blurbs. Blurbs are quotes or recommendations by reputable individuals (other authors, celebrities, etc;) that are offering their support and endorsement for the content in a book in the form of a quote on the front or back of the book. Take these recommendations seriously as they do not get printed without forethought. If notable individuals are endorsing the book you can trust their recommendations.

Cost

Just like with any purchase, some wine books cost more than others. Hardcover books with color illustrations typically cost more. Books with more pages can cost more than books with fewer pages. But, higher price points do not always correlate with the quality of the content of the information presented. 

Conclusion

Purchasing a book about sleep training can help you get the information you need to help your baby sleep through the night. Sleep training books are great resources for all different kinds of information about early childhood sleep development. Sleep training books also make great gifts for new parents. 

Having the knowledge of what to look for when making a purchase can help you make a smart decision, especially with all of the choices that are available on the market today. Each of the highlighted sleep training books in this feature is highly recommended. Consider all of the information provided and your individual preferences in terms of content and format when making your choice of which sleep training book will be the best pick for you and your child.

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