Sleep is one of the most essential parts of children's health—and getting adequate sleep is often one of the most difficult challenges parents and caregivers face. This essential guide really helpful to guide children to sleep.

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHILDREN'S SLEEP by Andrea C. Roth, Shelby F. Harris, and Allison Shale is published by The American Psychological Association and promises "A Tired Caregiver's Workbook for Every Age and Stage." I especially liked the calm, matter-of-fact tone and the provision of strategies relevant for different ages. These authors are authorities, based on their educational and professional experience (cognitive–behavioral therapists and a clinical psychologist/sleep specialist) and personal experience as parents; they readily acknowledge "the reality of how difficult childhood sleep issues can be." After beginning with a review of general principles and guidelines, they structure the book so as to "discuss the importance of caregiver teamwork (Chapter 2), provide guidance for age groups from infancy through adolescence (Chapters 3-7), and offer troubleshooting tips (Chapter 8)." Promising to "present our recommendations along with data to support them," these authors offer general suggestions, and helpful commentary, such as "[at 4 to 6 months] they are also possibly waking a bit more often in the night as they cycle in and out of sleep. Again, all of these changes are to be expected." The workbook format provides useful questions and an opportunity for reflection and planning. THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHILDREN'S SLEEP is aptly titled and will be a valuable resource for parents across several years.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 6/10/25

*Thank you @NetGalley and @apa_org for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: A overview of sleep training strategies from infant to teen, including workbook sheets.

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
💤 Infant sleep
💤 Toddler sleep
💤 School age sleep
💤 Teen sleep


𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Having issues with sleep training with my 4 mo old, I thought this book would be perfect. I found it to give clear and easy to follow advice backed by research. It includes three different sleep training methods for infants and is clear on the age and readiness of the child as well as the parents. I skimmed through the older age parts and found them to be informative as well. I’m keeping this as a resource for the future! I think this is a great book to have on hand for any parent.

#TheEssentialGuidetoChildrensSleep #NetGalley

Fantastic easy to read guide for getting started at any age to troubleshoot sleeping. I really enjoyed the workbook format and found the chapters to be short and digestible.

This book is a short-and-sweet great resource for busy new parents looking for a guide than will help them with their child’s sleep from infancy to the teenage years. I appreciate that it’s coming from actual experts, because there is a lot of conflicting and, frankly, false information being peddled by influencers. Some of the information in this book contradicted what I’ve heard from multiple sleep coaches including a pediatrician, so I wish studies had been more clearly specifically cited in places. I felt the book could have slowed down and developed more, but it covered ALL ages. It’s still a wonderful and trustworthy resource, and the workbook questions were very helpful. I recommend this book especially to new parents who just want a quick guide for all ages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the APA for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions. This review is cross posted on Goodreads and will be posted on Amazon and Instagram within a week of the book’s publication.