Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 171
 Take it with a grain of salt. May 8, 2002
Meghann (Colorado Springs, CO)
297 out of 338 found this review helpful
The negative reviews written on this board making claims of malnutirition, breastfeeding problems, and attachment disorders are almost comical! As with any parenting book (or most informative books in general for that matter), Ezzo's "On Becoming Baby Wise" should be taken with a grain of salt. Most sensible readers should have the ability to pick up on the idea that this book is simply a GUIDELINE for new parents on real issues such as creating feeding and sleeping habits, communication, potty training, discipline etc. The book has a very good grasp on parent-centered vs. child-centered parenting and offers solutions that really work to the problems facing most new parents. Before reading this book, I fed my daughter on demand, she slept when she wanted, and seemed to cry all of the time. She was eating for 2 minutes, falling asleep for 10, and waking up hungry again. I was exhausted. At four weeks, when I transitioned her onto the Baby Wise schedule, not only did she develope a managable (and healthier) feeding schedule, she was sleeping through the night in two weeks, and was a much happier baby overall. Now, three years later, I am reading and following the advice from "Child Wise" (the third book of the series) and my daughter is an absolute joy to be around. She is healthy, developmentally advanced, well-mannered, obedient and happy. I don't agonize over taking her to public places for fear of embarassment, my friends and family call ME to babysit her, and I regularly receive compliments on how well-behaved and enjoyable she is. Did I follow everything in Ezzo's book to a T? No. But do I give it as a gift with confidence to every new mother as a practical guide for child care and management? ABSOLUTELY!! Again, taking ANYTHING to an extreme can be dangerous. But taking this book for what it's worth without nit-picking the verbiage to pieces will probably save most new parents from a lot of sleepless nights and headaches.
Truly a helpful book!! January 29, 2004
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book did make a wonderful difference for us. My first baby slept through the night at 7 weeks. She is now 4 years old and a happy, sweet, well behaved little girl. The basic ideas of the book about setting up routine and schedule for babies worked really well for us. Whenever she cried or fussed, we knew exactly what she needed. No guessing. We are now taking the same ideas we used on our first daughter and applying them to our 3 week old. I don't care about the religion of the author or the controversy about his credentials. The principles of the book are solid and make sense. Of course, as with everything else having to do with babies, you should pick and choose the information that works for your family. We didn't agree with everything in the book, in fact there were quite a few ideas in the book that we felt strongly were NOT right for us, but agreed that a routine would be good for our babies since it set a pattern of predictability that I think is very good and healthy for them and us.
Be wise with Babywise and it WILL work for you!! June 15, 2007
Nicole Swavely (Wrightwood, Ca)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I read this book with my first son, and being a new mom it was hard for me to follow this structure to the T. I kept re-reading the book to find all the answers for my son's specific situations, and was getting frustrated when he wasn't sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. However, I had to learn that the guidelines are GREAT, but are meant to be flexible for your child's needs, and parental assessment is key. My son had colic, and I was nervous to let him cry all the time, but learned that no matter what I did he was going to cry, so I let him. Soon I realized he needed to sleep A LOT more than I thought, and by 4 months he slept through the night 12 hours solid! Without Babywise I would not have had a guideline of how often to nurse, how long to nurse, and how many naps my son needed. The PDF method was my saving grace!!!
NOW I have my second son, and I was able to follow the Babywise method a lot more closely right away (still using parental assessment for my child's needs). Having more experience, not being a nervous new mom, and having an 18 month old to watch after as well, I can follow the Babywise methods with confidence. In doing so he has successfully been sleeping through the night (8-10 hours) since 9 weeks old. He is happy when he's awake and our household is very peaceful considering there is a newborn and a 20 month old residing here!! Especially if you plan on having more than one child this book is a must! 3 CHEERS FOR BABYWISE!!!Thank you!!
Exactly what I needed! March 26, 2008
Kimberly Nickel
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book has been invaluable to me as my son has started eating solids and becoming more active. I am a first-time parent, and while I do not hold to a strict daily schedule or the sleeping methods that Baby-Wise suggests, I find their wisdom and suggestions regarding introducing solids and varying the "wake time" activities extremely helpful. I had few ideas as to what to do with my baby on a practical level and this book answered my questions! I refer to it often and highly recommend it to all parents.
Wonderful guide for loving parents June 18, 2002
30 out of 41 found this review helpful
As a first time mother, I read many guides in preparation for my baby's arrival. Upon recommendation from many other parents, (several from our chuch) I purchased Baby Wise as another resource. I found this book to be very helpful. It helps parents vear from the beaten path of creating a child without any since of independence. My son has thrived from day one and has been in the 90 percentile on the growth charts from two weeks. He is still nursing well and always sleeps through the night since 12 weeks. We always get comments about what a wonderful baby he is, he is always happy, and is full of smiles everyday. At nine months old, I am thankful I read Baby Wise and continue to recommend it to loving parents who want to give their children the best start. A positive way to have the happiest, healthiest baby of all. The negitive reviews of this book are generally comments of parents who didn't read the book fully for content. Unfortunatly many parents only believe in on demand feeding schedules which make it easier to hush a baby with a bottle at every cry, instead of finding out what is really bothering the baby, such as lack of attention, over stimulation, or other general needs of the little one.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 171
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