The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

Kind to babies, kind to parents and you're both going to sleep!

If you're reading this, you're probably extremely tired, so I'll try to cut to the chase!

1. The title is a misnomer - it should be "No Cry sleep solutionS". You pick from about 50 different ideas, each tailored for different situations and put a plan together that suits your baby and your parenting style. There are ideas for co-cleepers and for cot-sleepers. Ideas for bottle feeders and ideas for breast feeders. Ideas for dummy users, car-seat sleepers, older babies and new borns. It's really individualised.
2. Pantley herself co-slept and breast-fed BUT, unlike almost any other parenting book out there, she not only respects other parenting choices, she provides solutions that will suit the bottle-fed, cot-sleeping baby etc. She is never judgemental, never tells you you have only yourself to blame for your child's sleeplessness and never tells you what to do. I'd read these books even if they didn't work because she's so encouraging! So refreshing not to feel you've been beaten over the head with a stick!
3. She had 4 kids and worked with loads of test families. I only have 1 but she has had 3 periods of poor sleep, 2 after developmental leaps and 1 after 9 days illness. Each time, we've tailored a slightly different plan using this book and the nap book. We've seen about 30-50% improvement immediately which has given us energy to hang on 6-10 more days for a real turnaround. It's not as quick as controlled -crying but it's far less painful. No tears for Mum and Dad and you can look your child in the eye in the morning.
4. This really is a third way - I actually can't contemplate controlled crying but some Attachment Parenting books seem to suggest you leap joyfully out of bed 8 times a night in sheer delight at meeting your child's needs night or day. I'm not going to force my baby to work out how to sleep on her own and if she needs me, she gets me, but if I can gently lead her towards a full night's sleep without tears, it means I can function much better and be the kind of creative, fun, loving Mum I want to be during daylight hours rather than the grouchy wreck I was who was, snappy with everyone, especially those I loved most, and a menace behind the wheel of my car!!!!
I really wish you joy with your baby and I wholeheartedly believe this book will help you experience much more of that.
Just a final note, I thought the nap book would be a rewrite of this one but we have both and it really does have enough new information in it to be worth getting if naps are also an issue.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

For all the sleep deprived parents...

Take my word for it, this book is an absolute must-have for any parent who is fighting the sleep battle with their baby and doesn't believe in letting them cry it out. I have been fighting a bedtime battle with my five month old son for months now. He absolutely REFUSED to go to bed before midnight, and by that time he was literally passing out from exhaustion, as was I, after being an inconsolable terror for four or five hours. I tried everything. Nothing made him happy, nothing stopped the fussing, not playing, not eating, not a diaper change, nothing. I'm a first time mother, and when I would share my problems with some of the more experienced mothers I knew, they would simply tell me to put him in bed and let him cry. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't listen as he screamed and gasped for breath until he was coughing and gagging. And I didn't see how this could possibly foster a trusting relationship between us. So I started looking online for possible solutions and came across mention of Elizabeth Pantley's book. I jumped in my car and drove straight to the bookstore to buy a copy, came home, and read it cover to cover. This book is filled with so much helpful information that you can use in any situation. Whether you have a newborn or a baby who is a little older, whether you breastfeed or bottlefeed, whether you co-sleep or your baby sleeps in a crib. It even address other issues such as making the transition between co-sleeping and sleeping in a crib. I immediately began using the techniques that Elizabeth Pantley wrote about in this book, and for the last three nights my son has been in bed asleep by 7:30 at the latest. And during the day he is a whole new baby. Well-rested, happy and playful. And I.well I am a much happier well-rested woman and because of that I am able to be the kind of mom I want to be. If sleeping is an issue with you and your baby, whether it's what time they go to sleep or whether they sleep through the night, you MUST read this book. I assure you, you won't regret making the investment.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommend!

This book has made a huge difference in our home and the way we sleep. My son is 7 months old and was waking 7 to 8 times a night still. The only way I could get him back to sleep was through breastfeeding - EVERY time he woke up. He began sleeping in my bed because I couldn't stay awake and feed him that many times a night and still get up and function for work in the morning.
One weekend, I read The No-Cry Sleep Solution. I was pleased to find in the book there were solutions for all kinds of families; families that breastfed or bottlefed, co-slept or didn't, and anything in between. This book offered SO MUCH advice and support. It provided lots of things you could do to help your baby sleep better without making one drastic change that is tough on you and baby.
Ms. Pantley's book offers a way to help your little one sleep without using cry it out methods. We started on a Monday with, what I considered, small changes and by Thursday we were seeing results. My son went from waking 7 to 8 times a night to only waking 2 times!! It was amazing. If your little one is having trouble going to sleep, staying a sleep, or getting back to sleep - read this book. It will help you.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

AMAZING RESULTS!!

I purchased this book mostly based on reader reviews and I was not disappointed! It was near impossible to get my five month old son to fall asleep (for bedtime OR a nap) with out a very long process of rocking/walking/bouncing/swaying/crying/you name it. And he would almost always wake up (usually crying) the moment I placed him in his crib and I had to start all over again. It was exhausting and stressful and I came to dread nap times and bed time. That is until I discovered this book. In just four short days my son was falling asleep more quickly and more peacefully than ever before. Our nap routine has been cut from 20 plus minutes to about five minutes! Bedtime is actually enjoyable. Tonight, day 7, I put him in his crib after just a few minutes of cuddles after reading and he woke up. I was actually able to lull him back to sleep with a song in about one minute. I'm still in shock. I'm able to sit down and write this review because my son is sleeping peacefully right now, thanks to this book. If you are looking for help with a sleep issue please try this book. I don't know why anyone would even attempt to let their child cry it out if there is an alternative like this. In the past seven days my son hasn't shed one single tear due to a sleep related issue. It works! Plain and simple.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Very highly recommended - get rid of that guilt of making your baby cry it out.

I came across this book after trying the cry it out (CIO) technique with my son when he was only 7 months old and it was like a pray. That may sound exaggertated but if you are feeling as desperate as I was to make your baby sleep and just couldnt bear them crying out for you while you ignored them, this is for you!!

That was the most painful experience I have ever had during parenting. If you feel the same, this book is for you.

When I first bought this book, I was very very tired, I was very upset (feeling like a failed mum), I was stressed and NOT in need of another book full of ideas for "textbook babies". Sound familar?

My son is an individual and not passive, he is stubborn and strong willed and many books make babies sound like easily trainable things but that just isnt true. They have personalities (even as newborns) and have like and dislikes that are all individual to them.

Reading this book was like sitting down with a good friend who suggested lots of different ideas which YOU choose. The ideas are really well thought about. They are not the obvious "how can I fill another page in my book" type of ideas. They were really useful, clever ideas used by parents which could be easily adapted or cut out completely depending on the personality of your baby. You decide and you get to try them all out in a structured easy to follow way.

The book is written very clearly and its easy to just navigate to the page you need. You dont need to sit and read every single page to work out what the author wants to tell you however, I found that despite being sooooooo tired, I wanted to read it all (especially the first few chapters) because it truely felt like a friend was sitting in front of me and telling me about her experiences and really really relating to my desperation.

I felt like I sat there reading the book and its ideas and saying "wow, that could really work...or, noo,I dont think that would for us because of xyz but yeah actually if I try that instead it may"

I definitely give this book 5/5. Excellent! Full of really good ideas! Easy to read! Puts things into perpective!

Most of all, slowly but surely, bedtimes become a very very enjoyable experience again, full of love.

I used to walk away from my sons cot feeling upset at seeing him upset, feel tired and worn down. I now walk away from my sons cot each evening, brimming over with how much I love him and reflecting on how lovely our time together that day has been. This is all thanks to Elizabeth Pantley!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Sleeping twins - thank you!

Elizabeth Pantley gave me hope in our very dark (and very awake) days when our twins were 6 months old. They woke up 7 to 8 times a night (each) at different times, and we were desperate for improvement. I shudder when I remember the tears and silent pleas when you get up again after only half an hour, not to mention the strain it put on my husband and my relationship. Following a twin sleeping plan took determination, but in my opinion, you'll never appreciate something fully if you didn't have to work hard for it. And wow, did it pay off! Our twins are 18 months old now (falling asleep & sleeping by themselves for months), and we just moved them into their own toddler beds. It took just 2 nights for us to realise what they needed to learn to fall asleep in their new beds. Rubbing their backs, sitting with them or lying down next to them quickly calmed them, and just 5 days later I was able to put them down by myself, and merely "sh" for a while. They fell right asleep. I am sooooo impressed with them! They didn't even get off their beds. Elizabeth, thank you so much again for all your wonderful advice...we'll be starting pre-potty training soon, which I feel excited about - thanks to you!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

At last what I wanted to hear ... sleep and no crying in the same sentence!

I asked around other mums and professionals and searched the internet high and low for strategies to help get my baby to sleep and I kept getting the answer as 'let him cry himself to sleep', 'shut the door to the nursery and turn up the tv' and other such notions to this effect. I was adament that this was NOT the way I was going to treat the baby I had craved for such a long time and along came a link to the book 'THE NO CRY SLEEP SOLUTION'. I immediately bought the kindle version and read it all almost in one go! Pantley's views and strategies for gently teaching your child to sleep on their own spoke to my heart. The book is easy to read and gives ideas in an easy to follow manner covering all possible scenarios. The personal anecdotes from herself and her 'test-mums' make you realise there are other mums pacing the halls late into the night all dreaming of sleep and determined to not leave their baby's to fall asleep crying also. This was a revelation to me as all I had been told was to leave them to cry themsleves to sleep so that they would 'learn the lesson'.
When other mums now ask me how I get my baby to sleep I mention this book and they also have the same response as I have done... 'No tears? Then that's for me!'
Elizabeth Pantley is my new herione!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Finally something that works for us!

I got this book about 3 weeks ago. What interested me was the no-cry part, because my 4 month-old daughter was sleeping quite well but cried a lot before falling sleep. I had been told that it was normal, that some babies need to cry themselves to sleep. Well I couldn't stand it anymore! I loved the book and applied lots of the tips in it. Now not only does my daughter fall asleep without crying, but she takes longer naps and wonderful 12 hours nights!! I wasn't expecting that, but I am sooo happy :) I think everyone can benefit from it, since it is very flexible. Thank you Elizabeth!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

There really is no crying!

I am a first time mother to a wonderful four month old baby girl.

I found the No Cry series through the Dr Sears website and I have to say that it has changed our lives! We were in a cycle of rocking our baby to sleep every night up until 12 weeks of age. We co-slept up to that point and I was exhausted! I got to that point of not being able to do it for one more night and I read the No Cry Sleep Solution in a couple of hours. I put it into motion that same night. I used the Phases that the book suggests and realized after two nights that we were already making HUGE progress! After a week, I was able to put baby in her crib 90% awake and have her fall asleep on her own.

She is still a pacifier fan but I will use the Gentle Removal Plan when the time comes to go there - for now, she uses it when she first falls asleep at night and then rarely after that. She only wakes once a night and generally refuses the paci at that time - she is starting to sleep right through on occasion as well! Last night, I put her in the crib fully awake and crossed my fingers - she did it!! A little whimpering but she was out in less than 10 minutes! The best part of all of this - NO CRYING! I really struggled with the whole idea of letting her CIO at any age - despite numerous people telling me that it was the only way to teach her to sleep on her own... so sad that so many babies are subjected to such a cruel thing.

These books understand that all families and all babies are different. If you are looking for a one size fits all magic arrow, this will not be the book for you, and I would venture a guess that there is no such thing.

If you are looking for a series of adaptable tools that you can use to guide your baby gently and lovingly with no crying, this is the book to buy! There are many different ways to deal with a plethora of challenges that babies throw at us when it comes to sleeping (or not!) and Elizabeth hasn't missed anything. Most importantly, this book gives you the courage to stick with whatever course of action you choose - never claiming that it will be easy, but always reminding you that a babies development is a process and like all processes, it takes time. If you are considering this book, chances are that you have spent a great deal of time not sleeping, so spending a little bit more time with a goal in sight isn't a huge change!

My success happened very quickly! We went from rocking our baby to sleep to her falling asleep on her own when fully awake within a week. That was over a month ago :) Honestly, NO CRYING!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution was my salvation!!! My beautiful son r

The No-Cry Sleep Solution was my salvation!!! My beautiful son refused to sleep anywhere besides in my arms. We tried everything to get him to sleep in his crib! After only 10 minutes of attempting to have him cry it out, I was crying harder than he was. After months of no sleep, my cousin recommended this book to me, and it literally changed our parenting experince. It gave me strategies that helped my baby sleep without the guilt and and remorse of letting him cry it out. This book provides an excellent philosophy of parenting that you can carry with you as your baby grows!

Best book ever!!

This book is amazing, and I recommend it for anyone who is having troubles getting their baby to sleep through the night. We tried for so long to help our baby sleep, but were frustrated and didn't know where to start. Letting her cry it out was not an option for us, so this book helped us a lot. After i read it from cover to cover, I felt prepared to help my daughter learn healthier sleep habits. I am so happy that found this book!!

Helpful tips

Might not work for everyone, but certainly worth a read.

sooo helpful

This is an excellent resource! The author completely understand the philosophy that crying it out is not the answer!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended - for singletons and multiples!

As a mother to twin co-sleeping and breastfeeding babies, now busy 2yo's, this book was a lifesaver for our family. I was and still am committed to gentle attachment parenting principles but reached a point where the sleep deprivation of constant night waking by two little people was affecting my ability to parent effectively, so I started looking for solutions. As a multiple mum, finding information that can be applied to twins (and a husband who works away!) has always been a challenge, but with 'the no-cry sleep solution' I found many wonderful gentle techniques that could be used in my situation. What I found most useful was that there is not just one 'solution' but many alternatives so that you have the ability to pick and choose what you think will work best for your family, rather than following an author's 'recipe'. I can't say its been a quick or simple road to a full night of sleep, but by consistently and gently applying the author's many techniques my boys and I are still co-sleeping and breastfeeding but sleeping through the night! Thankyou Elizabeth for allowing me to follow my heart in the way I parent my children yet get some much needed sleep in the process.

Sent from Heaven - Highly Recommended

No Cry Sleep Solutions is nothing less than a life saver! I am a first time mum of a now 22 month old. My son Ashton, was diagnosed at 5-6 weeks with sever reflux and a slight dairy intolerance. Which made the first 6-9 months of his life very trying, to say the least.
Ashton & I got around a hour sleep at a time during the night and not much more during the day.
I had several paediatrician appointments all with little helpful outcomes, the last didn't even have an end result. I then turned to the only resource left (books), I purchased several books one of the first was about controlled crying, after a month of absolute torcher and a baby that was STILL waking hourly, I finally found No Cry Sleep Solutions.
Not only did it teach me about a baby's sleep cycle it also gave me strength that I wasn't the ONLY person in the world who's child didn't sleep from 3 months on. Elizabeth's story about her own children, was an eye opener. She was dealing with a baby who was breastfed and was sleeping nearly as bad as Ashton. If she could turn her son around then maybe so could I. No Cry Sleep Solution is written for the sleep deprived, it is easy to read and easy to follow. Elizabeth shows in her book the reality of babies sleeping through and the pressure that is now pushed upon parents to have the 'perfect sleeping child.' I loved the sleep logs and analysis tools that she provided. There is also a section of possible things that maybe affecting baby and possible solutions (e.g. teething.) After a few hiccups (colds/sickness/visitors) and some time using the method that suited Ashton and I all sleeping better and I was less stressed as I was able to understand the reasons behind the waking and address them without tears for me or my baby!
I highly recommend that every new or old parent reads this book. I loved it, it saved me.

A Lifesaver! The answer to my prayers!

The best thing about this book is that it is written by a mom. Sure, she's an expert, but she's a mom first. A mom with a kid who wouldn't sleep, so she went looking for ways to make it happen. She addresses many different situations, from newborns to toddlers, breastfeeders to bottle feeders, cribs to co-sleepers. Her approach is realistic, gentle (on parents and babies), and effective. As a mom who doesn't believe crying it out is an option, this book helped me develop a plan (from lots of options) to get my little one to sleep better-both during the day and at night. He doesn't sleep through the night yet, but it's a process, and we're well on our way thanks to this book!

Great Book

I'd be lost without this book. I knew nothing about setting a daily routine and my baby was out of control.....and so was my health. You can only go so much without sleep, and letting him cry it out was never an option. So this book was a life saver for me. It takes time to see results but it is so worht it!

The Answer to my prayers

When my first daughter was born my whole world changed. I never knew I could love someone so much! On the other hand, I never knew that babies could be so hard to get to sleep! She would wake up every hour. By the time she was 6 mos. old I thought for sure she would be able to sleep through the night but she continued to wake every 1-2 hours. Most of my friends would tell me I had to let her cry it out. As a new mother, I was very insecure and sleep deprived. I felt I was doing everything wrong. However, I could not bare to let her cry. My instincts told me that was wrong. When I would hear her cry I needed to comfort her.

This book helped me in so many ways! It validated my feelings, helped me understand infant sleep habits, and helped my baby (and me) sleep! It was just what I needed and provided me with assurance that listening to my instincts was the right thing to do. It is designed so that you can make your own plan. Numerous tips are discussed and you can pick which ones will work for you. Every baby is different so every sleep plan is different. Any sleep deprived parent will appreciate that you don't have to read it cover to cover before implementing the techniques. You can tell while reading that the author truly is speaking from her heart and she is a Mom too. Her experience raising 4 kids shows in her writing.

Her tips work! My baby did sleep, I slept, and we are all very happy and rested. These tips worked on my 2nd baby as well. It was much better the second time since I implemented the tips earlier. My oldest is now 3 and my baby is 15 mos. and sleep great. I recommend this book to any Mommy or Daddy who has sleepless nights! All will be rested and tear free!

Excellent resource for the first year and beyond.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution provided tremendous guidance and comfort for us as we struggled through our daughter's first two years and helped us to make the most of every day even if we were bleary-eyed and cranky from lack of sleep. The author provides many tools for helping babies learn to sleep but most importantly (at least for us), she let us know that there was nothing wrong with our baby if she didn't sleep four or five hours at a time. She explains baby sleep needs and patterns in great detail and supplies tools for working with those patterns. This book has been an invaluable source of information for us and is a must have for any new parents who want an alternative to the increasingly popular cry it out methods.

Recommendation from a Mum of 9-months old boy

I am saying this from my personal point of view. I was so kindly surprised by this book! I heard about Elizabeth Pantley from another breastfeeding Mum and a friend of mine, who is actually using these ideas in India. You see, these breaking ideas spread around the world! Just when I thought my fight with the lack of sleep is lost forever, or I would HAVE TO GIVE UP BREASTFEEDING TO GET SOME SLEEP, I started the No Cry Sleep Solution (now also recommended by the La Leche League), and I started to see progress in just three days! I can not say it will work for everyone, but it does for us!

I would never believe something like this is possible, to make my frequently feeding boy to fall asleep on his own and WITH NO CRY? But yes, simple, gentle, patient methods, discovered by Mum just like me. The only thing you need is a lot (A LOT!) of patience.

I strongly recommend this book to any breastfeeding Mum, or any Mum! And, it's a wonderful reading, still makes me laugh, and I read it again and again! Enjoy!