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Summary: Loved this book, only one problem..
Review: I thought this book was a life saver for me and my family as well. I think it gave us a sense of control instead of craziness. I felt like we were doing our baby a favor, nothing neglectful. Our baby (our 3rd) wes noticeably calmer and more relaxed by the 2nd day of the program. My only problem was in letting her cry it out for extended periods. I did adapt in a suggestion from the baby whisperer book which was to pick her up when she became upset beyond the point of just fussing, soothe her only to the point until she stopped crying, them lay her down again. If I ever have to do this, I usually only have to pick her back up once or twice. I started babywise when she was 5 weeks, she's now 13 weeks and sleeping peacefully through the night. I highly reccommend this book.
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Summary: This book describes Interactive Parenting
Review: When my son was born I was taught to feed him when he was hungry. We were told not to wake him up if he was sleeping. Consequently, we didn't feed him enough because he slept too much at first. Babies do not know what they need, it is our job as parents to supply their needs in appropriate quantities. We did not read BabyWise until my son was a month old. By this time we had gone through the first stage where he slept and did not eat, then he started eating all the time and I was nursing constantly. I was a wreck. When I read this book, I learned to put my son on a schedule. This does not mean ignoring him or not responding to his needs. It does mean taking the active role of a parent and supplying the babies needs without over supplying these needs. After we started using this book our sons temperament changed to one of a happy baby who knew that he would be fed and taken care of. Consequently, he did not have to fret and cry because he knew we were there for him. He is now 16 months old and loves to go to bed and eats very well. He is very healthy and was always a super chubby baby (even on a schedule). This book did not make my life easier by letting me ignore my child. In fact, it made it harder by having to stick to a schedule myself and find other methods of soothing the baby instead of sticking a bottle in his mouth.
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Summary: This book saved my life!
Review: Prior to reading this book, I was attempting to follow the Sears school of attachment parenting and feeling miserable because I was failing on all fronts. I had a fussy baby that cried all the time and couldn't be comforted. I spent most of my day either praying he would go to sleep or parking him in the swing to try to calm him. By six weeks everytime he'd wake up crying, I'd start crying because I felt like I couldn't face it anymore. After starting Babywise at 7 weeks, within 10 days my baby slept 8 hours straight, with another 4 after the feeding. Now we're getting enough sleep. The bigger bonus is that he takes regular naps and his wake time is spent smiling and cooing rather than crying! Contrary to many reviews you may read, this book is not about ignoring a crying baby. By putting him on a schedule, you learn to tell the difference between a hungry cry, a sleepy cry, a painful cry ....and you can respond appropriately, which is much more important than just responding. I can now plan my day around the baby's schedule, get things done, and I have more time left to play with my baby. My baby cries less and I don't cry at all!! I must admit when I first read the book I was hesitant to try the recommendations because it was so diametrically opposed to what I had been doing. But since what I was doing wasn't working, I took the chance - - and am still reaping the benefits! I also recommend the Baby Whisperer book which gives good information on how to interpret babies' body language - really good for first time Moms.
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Summary: WHAT?
Review: If you're looking for an excuse to let your baby "cry it out" because you're too inconvenienced to be a good parent and follow your instincts - THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!If you believe that you need to teach your child to be independent IMMEDIATELY after birth and are looking for ridiculous material to back you up - THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!! If you feel your baby is making it more difficult for you and your spouse to have "mommy and daddy time" and want help showing your child that mommy and daddy come first (maybe because your mother used to pick you up when you cried casuing you to be even more insecure and self centered as an adult than your young child...if only this book had been around!) - THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!! The authors offer page after page of unfounded assumptions about how doing natural things like comforting your baby when it cries can lead to a host of problems for your child even into adulthood. Is feeding your infant on demand (like parents have done for thousands of years) partly to blame for our obese society? Well, it must be. I mean, with all the healthy food and exercise we get all the time, what else could the problem be? Are so many adults so selfish and disconnected because their parents tried to make them feel too secure by meeting their needs ? Sure. That sounds right. Please read a few psychology or child psychology books before becoming brainwashed by this garbage.
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Summary: Use as a guideline
Review: We found this book particularly useful in solving some of our baby's sleep and eating problems. Before reading it, I was nursing every 1-1.5 hours and we were all exhausted. After reading the book on the recommendation of some friends, we found that by following the eat-wake-sleep cyle, instead of what we were doing (eat-sleep-eat-sleep), our baby is now happier, more rested, and more interactive. By making sure she got a full feeding instead of letting her "snack," I noticed a big difference in how satisfied she was. We decided to try this method for two weeks, and it only took three days for her to sleep 6 hours during the night. The improvement in her disposition was overnight. This worked well for us, and people who have seen us before and after have remarked on the difference. Strangers come up to us and tell us how lucky we are to have such a happy baby. I also learned to tune into our daughter's various cries and not just feed her every time she made a sound. This, too, helped me respond to her needs in an appropriate way. I pick and choose what works for us, always keeping our baby's best interest in mind, and let the results dictate what we do next. If it doesn't work for our family, we seek out what does.
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Summary: A Must Read for New Parents!
Review: I am an avid reader and have read many books on the subject of newborns. This book has the most practical, common sense advice I have read on how to put a baby on a feeding/sleeping schedule. This book clearly explains the importance of stabilizing your baby's metabolism from the 1st week by ensuring the baby is eating at regular intervals. Helpful scheduling charts are included in the back of the book. It also gives wonderful advice on how to get your baby to sleep through the night. I wish I had read this book with my first baby. My first baby had difficulty gaining weight, after reading this book I know it was because I let my baby nurse whenever she cried (whether she was crying from hunger or something else), thus she was snacking and not getting full feedings. With my next baby due to be born in a couple of weeks, I feel much more confident on how to get him on a schedule by using the advice found in this book. Also, this book makes an excellent gift for new moms. I include a copy of this book as a gift to my friends at their baby showers!
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Summary: Poorly researched, alarmist and divisive
Review: This 1998 edition of Babywise is Gary Ezzo's second attempt to get it right (The earlier edition was just published in 1995). This edition vastly improves on the scant research of the first edition. In the 1995 edition, Ezzo provides only 10 footnotes in the entire book. Of these, only two medical research articles are mentioned -- one from 1982 and another from 1986. Neither of these articles are relevant to Ezzo's case for "Parent-Directed Feeding" or getting the newborn to "sleep through the night by 8 weeks". The newer edition does much better -- with at least 30 footnotes that includes more current sources. One interesting change in the updated edition: Ezzo revises his expectations for getting newborns to "sleep through the night" from 5-8 weeks (1995 edition) to 7-9 weeks. Although this edition is much improved, Ezzo persists with same pattern of fallacious reasoning and divisive tone that plagued his first edition. Ezzo also seems to be subconsciously aware that some of his views are not supported by conventional medical research. His quote on page 39 is very telling: "The best evaluation of any parenting philosophy, including Babywise, is not found in the reasoning or the logic of the hypothesis. End results speak clearly. Let your eyes confirm what works and what doesn't" Ezzo supporters seem to echo this same mentality --- dismissing concerns from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other credible sources with the defense: "It just works! We got our baby to sleep through the night by 5 weeks. Don't judge the book until you try it for yourself!" But two things ought to be said this: First, this kind of logic falls prey to what is known as the "pragmatic fallacy" -- that is, the notion that "if something works -- it must be right". However, when we say something "works", all that means is that a certain set of results were achieved from a certain set of expectations. But this says nothing about whether the expectations themselves are realistic, appropriate, medically sound or even safe! Secondly, while many parents in fact report success with the Ezzo method and have healthy and thriving babies, these anecdotal success stories alone do not merit adopting the PDF method as a standard practice -- especially when a wide body of medical research seems to caution otherwise. The Ezzo program may work well for many families whose pre-conditions are already compatible with scheduled feedings. But it is NOT clear it works for everyone -- as Ezzo thinks it should. This book raises a great deal of red-flags, and new parents should be asking a lot of questions (especially from respected medical or family-advocate sources) before jumping head-first into this book. For starters, I would suggest writing or emailing the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, The La Leche League, The Christian Research Institute or Focus on the Family.
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Summary: Best book I read
Review: Several friends told us we must read this book and they were right. Our child slept through the night at 8 weeks. He is now 2 years old and is sweet, loving and well behaved. I recommend this book to all my friends.
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Summary: New Mom of Twins - this kept my sanity!
Review: Several months before I delivered my husband brought home this book. As new parents we had no knowledge of the controversy surrounding this book - we only knew that if we could get our babies to sleep throught the night early on it would be better for all involved. We read the book and then left it for several months until after I devivered. We then re-read it and started putting Ezzo's practices into place. It really worked! Within 7 weeks both of our babies were sleeping through the night and are really happy, attentive babies. I have heard that the organization behind "BabyWise" is quite controverisal and have heard alot of negative things about the program. From what I have been able to learn through the internet I would not be interested in that program. "BabyWise" is part of their outreach ministry and I found it was terrific. As with any book - use commonsense and use what fits your personality.
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Summary: One of the best gifts I received
Review: On Becoming Baby Wise is a wisdom filled book that every new parent should read. It was given to us with the birth of our first child and we didn't read through it until our child was about three months old. My husband and I implemented the suggested schedule and our child was sleeping through the night within three days. We don't agree with everything they suggest, but have followed most of it with much success. It's like any other parental advice, use what works for you. Our child is very happy and secure, sleeps twelve hours at night and naps during the day without protest. It's about teaching your child self control, how to go to sleep without you, and that food isn't the answer to everything. Children function best on a schedule, they actually gain security from it. We wish our sleep deprived friends would give this a try.
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