The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Child's Sleep Paperback – May 16, 2005

Our 3-year old son used to be a champion sleeper, sleeping 11 hours overnight with 2-hour daytime naps but about 6 months ago He stopped sleeping well. He started using delay tactics and his sleep would be delayed too - it would take him an hour to fall asleep! Eventually he started waking up early too, shortening his sleep even further. We kept hoping he would snap back to his "normal" sleep behaviour but he just got worse. We tried many different things, such as a later bed time or taking his stuffed animals away if he asked to go potty but didn't go or asking him why he wasn't sleeping but nothing worked. A few months ago behavioural issues started creeping up and he started misbehaving at school too. It was hard to determine if his increased defiance was due to a lack of sleep or the fact that he was being a 3 year old. Whatever the case, our situation was getting stressful. I was sleep deprived and increasingly cranky too, frustrated to no end. I desperately needed help.I am so glad I bought this book! Not everything in it pertained to me or would pertain to everyone but there is enough relevant information for me to pick through and choose the right pieces to help my situation. It's not a step by step instruction book per se (because everyone's situation is different) and I think that's why it doesn't appeal to some people. It does require some self-analysis and the ability to objectively assess your own situation. Elizabeth Pantley offers facts and proven ideas. It is up to you to choose appropriately for your child. I found the information she provides highly useful and ultimately it worked for us! After 2-3 weeks of tweaking our bedtime routine here and there my son now is sleeping better and longer and best of all his behavioural issues have vastly improved due to more sleep! The number of temper tantrums have been cut dramatically. I can't recommend this book enough!The only negative I have is more about the Kindle version, not really about the book. There are various tables and charts (more than a few) throughout the book and on a Kindle it is not treated as text (but like a photo) so it is not sizeable. You'd need a magnifying glass to properly read the information on the charts/tables! I was not able to properly read them. It didn't affect me being able to use the book to help my child but just so parents know that on a Kindle you may lose the ability to view all of the book. Having said that, the portability of the Kindle and its ability to be easily read at night with the lights off made it easier for me to complete this book!

If you've read her first book for babies, you can probably skip this. I found her first book to be extremely helpful, and had my baby daughter sleeping through the night. Now that she's 3 she wants me in her room with her until she falls asleep (and all night would be her preference). I'm not ready for bed when she needs to go to sleep, so I was hoping to find some tips from this book. While Elizabeth Pantley does give good tips and reinforces the need for a sleep schedule, the information relevant to me wasn't much different than what I learned from her first book. Basically it came down to, either put up with this for the short term, knowing she'll grow out of it, or deal with the crying that will ensue. At least Pantley gave reassurance that my 3 year olds behavior is completely normal.But... there are some special cases outlined in the book that other parents might find helpful, even if they've read her first book. She gives good advice for parents of special needs children, children coping through a divorce or another major life change, and these are all points that weren't addressed in her first book. So if any of those special cases might apply to you, you could find this helpful.

We have all of Pantley's "No Cry" sleep and nap solution books...they are ALL wonderful. I particularly appreciate how she provides actual research, allows you as the parent an ability to make your own decisions (that is, she doesn't tell you "You HAVE to do ALL of this". She provides clear, sound, advice that is most of all GENTLE and doesn't make my Mommy "gut" rebel or raise any red flags.Our son just turned three and we have used her methods. Our son just turned three and he now sleeps in his big boy bed, in his big boy room, 10-11 hours a night without any problems. If he needs us, he calls for us and we take care of his needs. But anyone who says that if you don't "Ferberize" your child or make them CIO, that your child will never learn to be self-sufficient at night is completely wrong, at least from our experience. Our son, if he does wake up and doesn't go back to sleep on his own, can take up to an hour to call for us (we've seen this on the monitor). He clearly is comfortable and feels safe, and when he has an issue, THEN he calls for us. We have even seen him wake up, sit up, sing a couple of verses of his newest favorite song, lay himself down with his "BB" blanket, and go right back to sleep.I learned a lot from Pantley, even though I am an educated person - I learned about sleep cycles, gained good suggestions for creating sleep-conducive environments, and more. I very highly recommend all of these books - if you are looking for gentle, caring ways to help your child sleep, PLEASE read these books. I'm not suggesting they are a cure-all or will immediately make all of your household sleep problems go away, but they WILL help you find solutions over time that will lay the groundwork for good sleeping by all!Our son is happy, healthy, and comfortable and feels safe not only during the day but also at night. He doesn't immediately call for us if he wakes up. Our transition to big boy bed and big boy room (previously his crib was in our room, and we did a lot of co-sleeping) was almost a non-issue...we took care that he felt comfortable and safe in his new room, and we didn't have any of the typical problems you hear about - the child getting out of the bed a lot, the child waking up a lot, etc - and I am 100% positive that that is because of the groundwork we laid, and how confident our son is that his needs - emotionally and physically - will be met!