Sleep Sense Review -The Best Sleeping Guide for Your Baby

As a new parent, one of the most challenging things in the first few months is to learn how to deal with sleepless nights and to learn to do right off the bat is to work around your baby’s sleep schedule. Eventually, you learn to do just that and all is well, but then your little one throws you another curveball, and suddenly, it’s a matter of actually getting them to sleep and stay asleep.

Getting a good night’s sleep and not being sleep deprived is really important for your mental health, and for your baby too, as you are a prime caregiver, and because you will need lots of energy during the day to take care of him/her.

Sometimes buying the perfect crib and mattress does not mean your baby will be thrilled sleeping in it from day one, so this is where you will need to find a good sleep app or book that will help you establish that routine. We have prepared some interesting book choices that many mom’s swear by, so it might be worth trying it with your baby and see how it goes.

Sleep Sense Program

The Sleep Sense program is a system designed to help you get your baby on the right sleep habits and stick to it. The best thing you can do is stick with it yourself, though, as parents too often give in to the whimpering or crying that comes along with doing anything your baby dislikes.

To improve your sleep, and to get your baby on a stable sleeping routine is not unrealistic as eventually, your older baby or toddler will need to sleep and nap at a reasonable time. That’s where the Sleep Sense program comes in.

The system isn’t meant to be followed completely, as all children are different in their temperament, age, and sleeping habits in general, but the Sleep Sense program is meant to help you and your little one figure out the schedule that works for you both.

After training with the Sleep Sense Program, you might be able to increase the sleep quality of yourself and your partner, and your baby will be able to establish a routine that will work well with your schedule too, so you have plenty of time for fun activities that require energy during the day.

Features

• You can purchase the Kindle version of the sleep program on Amazon or go to the website and purchase the entire package, which includes a video and workbook to help you along the way.
• There’s also a section dedicated to getting older children on proper sleep schedules.
• Unlike the popular, but sometimes criticized “cry it out” method, the Sleep Sense program isn’t about putting your child down and walking away as they cry and scream.
• There are even sleep consultants affiliated with the program that you can speak to over the phone or potentially meet in person.
• The program is easy to follow and learn from, all while taking into account your individual child’s personality, age, and temperament.

Pros

• There are special sections in the book dedicated to helping with sleep training twins, triplets, and multiples.
• Some babies may take to the methods in the book and start sleeping through the night within mere days or weeks.
• Sleep Sense can also help with getting your baby on the right track for nap time sleeping too.
• You can purchase the Kindle version of the book on Amazon, but there are more involved packages available on the website.
• The least expensive package on the website is just $29, so overall, Sleep Sense is affordable.

Cons

• Some parents might feel that the book itself is repetitive.
• It doesn’t address issues that come with possible regression of sleeping patterns from your child.
• Depending on your particular child, there’s a chance that the program may not work for your little one.

How Others Compare

The Sleepeasy Solution

The Sleepeasy Solution is similar to Sleep Sense in that it’s another kind of book with fact-based information on helping your child learn the right kinds of sleep patterns. The book is meant to help you teach your baby to fall asleep, but it can also help children up to five years old since sometimes sleep patterns change or children respond to sleeping through the night at different ages.

Not only does the book explain how to get babies and small children to sleep through the night without waking up, but it also deals with nap time woes and the sleep issues that come with teething and traveling.

One of the more unique and important aspects of the program is that there is an emphasis on letting your child know how emotionally supported they are, as opposed to other methods which may upset babies rather than help them.

Pros

• The directions in the book will help you every step of the way as you work on getting your child on a good sleep schedule.
• Overall, the book isn’t too wordy and gets the point across in every step.
• While allowing your child some much-needed rest, the book can also, in turn, help you get more sleep too.
• Some babies may start learning from the instructions in the book as soon as just a couple of days after beginning the program.

Cons

• Once your baby has learned how to stand in his or her crib, you may end up going back to rocking them to sleep since they may not know how to lay back down on their own.
• Your little one may still cry a lot during bedtime even after using the program for a few days straight.
• Some of the tips and tricks outlined in the book might be things that some parents already know.

Precious Little Sleep

With Precious Little Sleep you not only learn how to get your baby to sleep through the night and nap on schedule but also why your baby may be up all night or how to get him or her to stop wanting a bottle in the middle of the night.

For newborns, whose days and nights revolve around eating, that’s a whole different story, but eventually, your baby will eat less frequently and need more sleep than two-hour bursts of slumber. The book addresses the fact that it’s generally difficult and challenging for parents to get their babies and toddlers to sleep through the night and adapt to set schedules.

It also outlines instructions and helpful tips in dealing with getting your child to sleep through the night, healthy napping, and even solving sleep issues for toddlers and preschoolers. You can buy it on Amazon or in-store at Barnes & Noble.

Pros

• There isn’t much that the book doesn’t cover, so any questions you may have are likely addressed to help you.
• It also gives you background information on babies and children’s sleep needs and habits to help you understand it from all angles.
• The Kindle version of the book and even paperback are plenty affordable.
• It’s easy to follow and understand for the most part.

Cons

• For some parents, a more gentle or prolonged method might work better.
• As with any sleep program, this may not work for your child, or it may take longer than you’d prefer.
• The light-hearted tone might not be preferable for some parents as they read along and learn from the book.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

One of the hardest things to do when sleep training your child is to listen to them crying without intervening too much. Of course, any prolonged period of crying should probably be intervened on, but The No-Cry Sleep Solution specifically objects to allowing your baby to cry it out.

Instead of the cry it out method or the technique of getting up and tending to your baby every single time he or she let out a whimper, this particular system is designed to give you another option without sleep tracking and going crazy for the sleeping schedule.

You’ll have to actually read the book to get all of the tips, tricks, and instructions, but some of the notable are include creating a multi-step plan to get your baby to relax and settle before bed and teaching them to not rely on bottles, breastfeeding, or pacifiers in order falling asleep safe and sound.

There are step-by-step instructions outlined in the book to make sleep training your child a relatively painless and straightforward process. You can purchase the book on Amazon and in-store at Barnes & Noble.

On Amazon,  The No-Cry Sleep Solutionis $11. Check out the latest price! 

Pros

• There are gradual methods outlined in the book to make sleep training easy for both you and baby and for your health and wellbeing.

• According to the ideas and plans in the book, there aren’t any crying methods involved.

• The system involves you make decisions for your baby’s sleep plan as much as it involves you learning from the tools outlined in the book.

• It also teaches you different sleep and awake cues your baby may start to exhibit.

Cons

• Some parents might feel as though the book is repetitive of methods and tips they’ve already heard.

• While there are tips for parenting issues in general, not all parents will get as many results out of it as others.
• There are so many options in the book that it can be almost overwhelming in a way.

Final Thoughts

The bottom line is that sleep is essential for everyone, whether you’re a tired new parent or an exhausted baby who needs to learn how to fall asleep on your own.

For newborns, it’s not really about getting them to sleep on a proper schedule, but as they grow and start to mature little by little each month, you’re going to want and need something to help you learn how best to get them to sleep on their own.

The The Sleep Sense program is undoubtedly one of those tried and true methods, and for some families, it’s done the trick.

Yes, there are other systems out there that compare to it, but your baby can get plenty out of Sleep Sense if you follow the content and make it work around your baby’s personality and sleep patterns.