The Happy Sleeper

The Science-Backed Guide to Helping Your Baby Get a Good Night's Sleep-Newborn to School Age

By: Heather Turgeon MFT, Julie Wright MFT, Daniel J. Siegel - introduction M.D.

Narrated by: Heather Turgeon MFT, Julie Wright MFT

UPDATED IN 2024

Many parents feel pressured to "train" babies and young children to sleep. But kids don't need to be trained to sleep--they're built to sleep. Sleep issues arise when parents (with the best of intentions) over-help or "helicopter parent" at night, overshadowing their baby's innate biological ability to sleep well. In The Happy Sleeper, child sleep experts Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright show parents how to be sensitive and nurturing, but also clear and structured so that babies and little kids develop the self-soothing skills they need to:

• fall asleep independently
• establish a full, 11-12 hour night of sleep
• take regular, healthy naps
• grow into natural, optimal sleep patterns for day and night.
  
  

The Happy Sleeper is a research-based guide to helping children do what comes naturally--sleep through the night.

The Happy Sleeper features a foreword by neuropsychiatrist and popular parenting expert Dr. Daniel Siegel, author of Parenting from the Inside Out and the New York Times bestseller Brainstorm.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of worksheets and charts from the book.

Critic reviews

"Clear a space on your bookshelf! You'll be consulting this friendly, research-based guide to the blessings of sleep for you and your little ones for many years to come."
—Adele Faber, co-author of How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

“Compassionate, courageous, and creative. . . Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright have written a user-friendly, scientifically-informed, practical guide that provides the information and intention you need to cultivate healthy sleeping habits not only for your child, but for yourself as well! Give your children the relationship security they need while also providing them the structure they require to sleep well and thrive.”
—from the foreword by Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times-bestselling author of Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain

“An important resource for parents seeking to give their children a lifetime of quality sleep. Good sleep habits are vital to child development and overall health, and The Happy Sleeper offers real-world strategies for getting children the sleep they need.”
—David M. Cloud, CEO, National Sleep Foundation

“Solid information on children’s brain development and physiology supports a clear and systematic “attunement” philosophy that strikes a happy balance between “cry it out” and “over-helping.” Turgeon and Wright’s compassionate but firm system reminds parents that even the smallest infants are already learners, and to be cognizant of what they want to teach.”
—Publishers Weekly

A must for first-time parents

Every first-time and new parent should listen to this book. My wife and I followed the steps and our little girl was sleeping through the night at month four. She is now ten months old, and sleeps easily at nap time, and at night sleeps 11 hours straight.

Amazing book - Great voice

I recommend this book to all new parents.

However, the audio book should have meaningful/legiable chapters. Especially of they don’t line up woth the book chapters. This is highly frustrating when you want to go to a specific part for reference. Honestly think Audible should not add any audiobooks that don’t have this. It should be a requirement. It’s a good thing I also have the physical book.

Might work - if you have unlimited resources

Requires that you control every aspect of your baby's sleep environment. Didn't work for us.

good information, awful narration

There was a lot of good information in this book, but one of the narrators has a nails on chalkboard voice that makes her chapters hard to listen to. you'll wince at the next time she pronounces "T" rather than listen to what she has to say.

Don’t buy the audio version! It doesn’t have a Table Of Contents!

This audio version is everything an audio version should be BUT IT DOESN’T PROVIDE YOU WITH A TABLE OF CONTENTS! In either chapter 1 or 2 they say which chapters correspond to the age group of your child but you have to literally listen to the whole chapter to find out.