Rating: 
Summary: Wish I had read it sooner
Review: I got this book when my son was 7 months old. I was looking for practical advice/solutions for getting my son to sleep without nursing, rocking, bouncing, etc. The book's suggestions of creating and following a set daily routine (a much better word than schedule) really sunk in and helped me get my son on a better nap and sleep schedule. Hogg's simple instructions and easy-to- remember advice was just what I was looking for. I wish I had read this book while I was pregnant and could have utilized its suggestions from Day 1.
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Summary: Purchase Dr. Sears instead!
Review: Before the birth of our son, my husband and I read The Baby Wisperer carefully took notes, and were prepared to follow her instructions for an "independent" baby. When our boy was born, however, we had a revelation. Babies become independent by being held constantly, sleeping with their parents, fed when hungry, and held and comforted when they cry. Hogg advises you to "train" your baby to sleep on its own and to get on a schedule. There is proof that babies who are not held or who do not sleep with their parents have higher levels of stress in their bodies than babies raised in the ways of "traditional cultures". After three months of constantly holding (carrying in baby slings), sleeping with and always being there for our child, he rarely cries. We can read his needs before he has to resort to tears. He's a cheerful and content boy, who came into this world crying about everything. He no longer has to cry to be happy and we find we can get so much accomplished during the day because he is so content. A few months of intense baby-holding is paying off and will continue to pay off greatly as our baby grows. Please read books by Dr. Sears and his wife for more information on raising physically and emotionally healthy children. Hogg did give great advice on breastfeeding and how to read your baby's moods and needs. Her book is valuable for these chapters. Overall, however, you can get much better advice from Dr. Sears.
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Summary: As parents of newborn twins, the techniques saved our sanity
Review: I'm not usually one to take time to write reviews, but I just had to write a review about this book. I bought this book when our twins were 2 weeks old - they were crying all the time, and we just could not get them sychronized or on any sort of schedule. My husband and I were going insane and feeling very frustrated because no matter what we tried, it seemed as if nothing would calm our babies. I applied the EASY and SLOW techniques covered in this book and now -- two weeks later, our twins are on a schedule which includes eating, activity and sleep - and best of all, minimal crying. I feel confident that they are well on their way to sleeping 5 to 6 hours very soon.I found the breastfeeding advice to be very practical -- I breastfed for 3 weeks and had to give up because I wasn't producing enough - no matter what I tried. It was refreshing to read a perspective that doesn't make you feel guilty for not breastfeeding. I felt great grief and remorse for giving up -- but Tracy's perspective made me feel much better about my decision. This book is an easy read and the techniques are easy to apply and they really worked for us!
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Summary: Fantastic, well thought out, compassionate approach to baby!
Review: We've loved this book. As with everything, we take her advice with a grain of salt. We know that works for one will not work for all. In our case, the majority of tips and advice in this book have worked. She's thoughtful, compassionate, loving and wise. She thinks of not only what's best for the child but also what's best for the parents. (Which is a no brainer-since if the parents aren't happy the baby won't be either!)
We highly recommend this book. It's been a lifesaver.
Rating:
Summary: Wished I had bought it sooner
Review: Tracy has great advice, including a chart to help you interpet what your baby is trying to tell you. I only regret is that I did not get this book before my son was born.
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Summary: I hate schedules, and I actually like this book!
Review: I had my 3rd child 7 weeks ago, and I'm sad to admit that this is the very first newborn that I've actually enjoyed. I owe some of this joy to having read and applied this book. My friend recommended this book to me and I read it before my son was born. I had mixed feelings about Tracy's ideas, having done demand feeding/co-sleeping with my first 2 kids. BUT, I remembered the pain of long months and months of the first 2 waking several times a night to nurse, and of them wanting to nurse all day long. Now I know that some mothers don't mind this, and feel that it's the best for the baby, but even though my babies were doing well, I wasn't. I have read the reviews criticizing Tracy's method, and saying that newborns on a schedule have 'failure to thrive'. Honestly, I've often thought that without any type of schedule, it's the mom who has failure to thrive. After doing 2 babies the 'other' way, I was ready to experiment with a different philosophy. For the past 7 weeks I have applied, sometimes exactly, sometimes loosely, the EASY method. I have to say that the results have been wonderful. I am totally caught up on sleep, and have been since his birth. My husband seems happy, since he knows what comes next in the routine, and imagine my shock when HE can even read the baby's cues (he didn't read the book, by the way.) I will contrast this to my other 2 babies, when he would ALWAYS interpret their cries as needing to nurse. Best of all, our baby is doing wonderfully. He's nursing every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day (I'm not very strict on the time, but usually careful about the order of EASY.) At his one month check up he was WAY off the charts for weight, having gained 3 pounds, so no worry about thriving. At night, he's now sleeping a 5 to 6 hour block, then another 4-5 hours. Very nice. We have him in his own room, another plus being we actually get some couple time and I'm sleeping more soundly. The only thing I don't like about this book was the feeling that I was messing up if I didn't stick to EASY exactly. But I can't really blame that on Tracy, since she does say to be flexible. I really think she could make that point more often, and maybe it would sink in better. All in all, I would recommend to other mothers to try the EASY method, to be flexible and not be down on yourself when it doesn't work. For instance, for a couple of weeks, I followed the schedule until dinnertime, when he got fussy, then did whatever it took to keep him happy. Even following the EASY schedule some of the time will help!! I also wanted to say that although Tracy does have some good advice, I believe that parents shouldn't look at her book as an all or nothing textbook on how to parent. I think parenting books are more like cookbooks, where you read a few, taking the "recipes" that would work for your family. Just because you don't like a few of her ideas doesn't mean the whole book is garbage. I personally love bouncy seats and slings, and will rock my babies to sleep whenever I feel like it. On the other hand, I will also let them cry a bit and don't carry them around all the time. You could go crazy trying to find the perfect parenting book. It doesn't exist. You have to come up with your own plan for your own baby and your own parenting style, and at least in my case, I believe that style is subject to change whenever I feel like it. One thing I was leary of was her idea of schedules. I hate planning my day, usually letting things happen whenever. I really thought I would hate having to plan my day around a baby. Boy was I wrong. I absolutely love it. I also think my baby loves it. He knows what comes next. I know what comes next, and that gives me more freedom than I ever had before with an unstructured routine. So if you hate the thought of being ruled by a clock (which is really far from the truth on the EASY plan) you should give this a try. The fact that I have 30 minutes to get online and type this is testimony enough of the benefits of this book. :) Thanks Tracy for helping me enjoy my newborn!
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Summary: She's got to be kidding!
Review: I read this when I was pregnant and thought it was sound advice, but after I had a baby I realized the book should have been thrown out the window. Maybe British babies and American babies are different or something, but I could never get my baby back to sleep in the middle of the night by patting her on the back. The thing I found was true is the E.A.S.Y routine, which my baby fell into on her own - I didn't make her do it. So, the author acts as thought she invented it or something. I'm sure that many mothers use it like a baby Bible, but I just found it to be ridiculous.
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Summary: I liked this book in theory - not in practice
Review: While I was pregnant, I read this book from cover to cover, and I really liked it. However, as soon as my first baby was born, the shortcomings of the "Baby Whisperer's" approach became glaringly evident. I became really stressed out as I tried to apply her methods and her ideas about structure and routine. This stress fell away as I did more research on breastfeeding and sleep patterns of newborns. I now barely ever glance at the clock, but rather closely observe my baby. For example, the "Baby Whisperer" says you should feed your baby every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and never let her fall asleep after nursing. All I can say to that is: YEAH RIGHT!! I've started following what my baby needs, and I've been totally relaxed ever since. My baby hardly cries because I respond to her needs - regardless of what the ticking hands of the clock tell me. This book has useful information, but there is a lot of advice which will stress you out if you try to follow it. I believe we should enjoy these precious months and leave the schedules for when our babies are older.
Rating: 
Summary: Is this an infomercial or a book?
Review: Tracy Hogg is a gifted sales woman, for sure. She sells herself and her method constantly throughout the book. I tired of wading through the egotistical self-congratulations spewed on almost every page. Overall, I found this book lacking substance.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book S.L.O.W and E.A.S.Y.
Review: This booked saved my life. This book was a suggestion of a friend, along with a few others. I read them all and keep this one like a baby bible. The most helpful thing was the section which helps you identify types of cries and baby body language. It was so stressful the first few weeks, but this book helped me understand my newborn and get him on a schedule and we are all sleeping through the night. No one ever tells the truth about what it is like to have a newborn. Sure people make jokes and ask if you are sleeping, but you really do not understand until you have your own little one. The best advise I can give is read and try everything until you find the thing which works. This books works.
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