There are so many books about baby sleep that it is hard to choose which experts to listen to.
With so many different techniques, it can be intimidating and overwhelming to work out which tactic is right for you and your family.
Luckily, there are plenty of top baby sleep experts who can help.
Here’s a compilation of helpful resources so you and your little one can finally get a good night’s sleep.
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What is Baby Sleep Training?
Soothing babies can be difficult, especially for exhausted parents who’ve tried many different methods with no success. Baby sleep training is the act of using a particular technique to help your baby drift off and sleep without you rocking them or comforting them in some way.
When you’re sleep training, you’re teaching certain sleep habits to your baby so they are able to drift off by themselves even when they wake up during the night. After all, night-waking is part of a healthy sleep cycle.
There’s no ‘correct’ way of sleep training. While many people may think that sleep training refers to the ‘cry it out’ method, experts tell a different story.
As Alexis Dubief, author of Precious Little Sleep explains:
“Everybody with a baby has been sleep training since the minute the baby arrived on the scene. Learning to sleep is a skill that we teach with swaddles, pacifiers, swings, nursing, white noise, consistency, and bedtime routines. All of these, collectively, constitute sleep training.”
12 of the Best Books About Baby Sleep to Help You Train Your Little One to Sleep
Baby sleep books have advice that’s helpful for the entire family.
Read on to find some helpful resources from sleep experts to sleep better at night and avoid sleep deprivation for you and your baby.
1. Precious Little Sleep: The Complete Baby Sleep Guide for Modern Parents
Precious Little Sleep: The Complete Baby Sleep Guide for Modern Parents is a book written by sleep expert Alexis Dubief with lots of advice for expectant families about how to make your baby sleep through the night.
The guide has insights into infant sleep and dabbles in toddler sleep issues and how to maintain their bodies’ natural rhythm while keeping a consistent routine.
The book gives practical advice to help modern parents tackle the major issues and bad habits concerning newborn sleep, weaning from night feeds, healthy napping, preschool sleep issues, and sleeping through the night.
2. On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep
On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep is a landmark book written by Dr. Robert Bucknam and Gary Ezzo. It’s one of the most comprehensive sleep training books aimed at outlining strict routines to get your baby to bed and help them get independent sleep.
Licensed pediatrician Dr. Robert Bucknam, M.D. and co-author Gary Ezzo preach the benefits of order and stability in newborn babies and how parents can use biological mechanisms to their advantage.
3. Sleeping Like a Baby: Simple Sleep Solutions for Babies and Toddlers
Sleeping Like a Baby: Simple Sleep Solutions for Babies and Toddlers is a popular book for tired parents who are desperately trying to get a good night of sleep.
The author, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and certified infant massage instructor, Pinky McKay, offers a lot of information about your baby’s tired cues, sleep rhythms, and practical tips to encourage sleep.
If you’ve ever felt obsessed about your baby’s sleep, need to lay back a bit to relax, or simply can’t stand the thought of letting your baby cry himself to sleep, then Sleeping Like a Baby is the book for you.
4. The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer
The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer, written by Harvey Karp, provides remarkable techniques for soothing kids based on years of study.
Dr. Karp acknowledges that a lack of sleep can get in the way of having a happy child. This book gives you several methods to help achieve that level of happiness.
Dr. Karp explains the importance of the fourth trimester, as well as giving you five steps to calm your baby and a ‘Cuddle Cure’ to calm colicky babies.
5. The Baby Sleep Book: The Complete Guide to a Good Night’s Rest for the Whole Family
The Baby Sleep Book: The Complete Guide to a Good Night’s Rest for the Whole Family is a guide for independent sleep for babies dedicated to creating a plan to suit the needs of the whole extended family.
Training for babies encompasses more than just teaching your baby how to go to sleep. As to avoid the “one method fits all” approach of many other baby sleep books, author Martha Sears, instead, focuses on successful strategies to put your baby to sleep that incorporate well into your family’s day-to-day life.
6. How Babies Sleep: The Gentle, Science-Based Method to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
In How Babies Sleep: The Gentle, Science-Based Method to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, sleep consultant and Ph.D. neuroscientist, Sofia Axelrod, offers an expert baby sleep method based on the science of sleep after realizing that a lot of advice on the subject contradicted baby sleep science and parenting experiences.
You’ll learn the benefits of using a red light bulb, how to create healthy sleep habits for their babies, how to sleep train gently with minimal crying, and a lot more.
7. Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Dr. Jodi A. Mindell has laid out her sleep training philosophy in Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night’s Sleep with countless successful strategies for bleary-eyed parents.
Jodi Mindel is a baby expert who has studied the treatment and assessments of common sleep problems in children for years. In Sleeping Through the Night, Jodi Mindel offers lots of advice on bedtime, answers common questions, and uses case studies to back her claims.
8. The Baby Sleep Solution: A Proven Program to Teach Your Baby to Sleep Twelve Hours a Night
The Baby Sleep Solution: A Proven Program to Teach Your Baby to Sleep Twelve Hours a Night is a step-by-step program written by Suzy Giordano, introducing a highly effective baby sleep method.
Giordano, also known as The Baby Coach, shares a sleep plan along with several tips and tricks in this parenting book that has helped countless families.
9. The No-Cry Sleep Solution
The No-Cry Sleep Solution is a best-selling guide written by Elizabeth Pantley with several solutions and new information that disputes the ‘cry it out’ method and provides an alternative for parents who don’t want to leave their child to cry.
Elizabeth Pantley’s No-Cry Sleep Solution showcases a clear set of ideas to guide your baby to get a good night’s sleep without crying, bottle feeding, or parental supervision. The book also answers lots of important questions about back-sleeping, co-sleeping, SIDS, daycare, night waking, napping, and more.
10. Getting Your Baby to Sleep the Baby Sleep Trainer Way
Sleep specialist Natalie Willes shares the ‘Baby Sleep Trainer’ method to train your babies to sleep through the night with Getting Your Baby to Sleep the Baby Sleep Trainer Way.
The author’s sleep training philosophy focuses on creating healthy sleep habits and helping babies take naps. One of the top science-based baby sleep guides, this book outlines a detailed step-by-step plan to prepare your baby for sleep, troubleshoot common issues, tackle night feeds, and develop healthy habits.
11. The Baby Sleep Plan: Sleep Train Your Way to a Happy and Healthy Baby
The Baby Sleep Plan: Sleep Train Your Way to a Happy and Healthy Baby is a detailed guide created by Rebecca Michi that introduces a sleep plan for your baby with several exercises, meditations, prompts, and real stories to get to know your baby’s sleep needs.
This guide follows a step-by-step plan with foolproof concepts and sound tips for sleep training, such as the 3-night Cry-It-Out Method and soothing Michi Method. This book also provides the tools necessary to create your own personalized sleep plans.
12. Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep
Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep is a baby sleep training book by William Sears, a renowned pediatrician who set out to lessen night-waking and increase the ability of parents to understand their baby’s needs.
Nighttime Parenting has plenty of information on important topics such as where your baby should sleep, what foods are best for children to help them sleep, tips for single parents, and a lot more.
Conclusion
While everyone’s needs are different, these books cover a comprehensive list of tips and practices that can help you figure out your baby’s sleep needs and how to train them to fall asleep soundly without intervention on your part.
Hopefully, you’ll find a few of these books about baby sleep to be helpful for you and your little ones. So put your foot down and bring the restful nights back to your life.
If you’re still struggling to get your baby off to sleep and you’d like to reach out to like-minded people for baby sleep tips, join our private Sleep Tip Facebook group now.
Welcome to Snoozerville! I’m Dr. Alex Hartley, your guide to the world of restful sleep. With a Ph.D. in Sleep Science and years of experience as a sleep therapist, I’ve dedicated my life to understanding and improving sleep quality. My passion lies in uncovering the mysteries of sleep and sharing practical, science-backed advice to help you achieve the best rest possible. Beyond my academic pursuits, I’m an advocate for mindfulness and relaxation techniques, which I incorporate into my daily routine. At Snoozerville, I aim to transform your nights, combining the latest research with easy-to-implement tips. Whether you’re a chronic insomniac or just looking to improve your sleep hygiene, join me on this journey towards peaceful, rejuvenating sleep.