Rating: 
Summary: Some good advice, some not so good.
Review: This was the book I bought before we delivered my son (who is now 10 weeks old). My husband and I were pretty naive about babies for various reasons, and thought that whatever Tracy Hogg said must be pretty correct since it sounded very sensible. Looking back from the vantage point of 10 weeks of parenting, there were a few tips that were valuable: her suggestion to make sure that the baby stays awake after a feed for roughly a 2 hour stretch; the tip to wait briefly before picking up the baby when they cry to see if you can determine the need the baby is trying to get addressed;the section at the back to help address problems caused by 'Accidental Parenting', when people want to get their baby out of their bed at night, etc. What I did not find helpful was her assertion that you can determine the temperment of your baby using her little questionnaire within the first week or so. It's my feeling, after being involved with a mom's group from week 2, that babies have to acclimate for a few weeks before you have any idea what they're really like. Many of her suggestions on care hinge on knowing your baby's temperment, but since we 'misdiagnosed', none of the techniques worked. In fact, it turned out that our baby had a food sensitivity to wheat and was an angel baby, not a spirited baby at all. He also had an ear infection, which is quite rare, but there was no mention in her book about the need for a check with a doctor if the baby is very fussy. I also question her suggestion to express milk BEFORE feeding the baby and using this expressed milk for a bottle feed later in the day. The milk expressed at the beginning would be foremilk. This store of milk, without the balancing effect of the later hind milk, would cause gas in poor, unsuspecting infants. Overall, I think there are valuable tips in the Baby Whisperer, but they are mired in with misinformation and we allowed ourselves tobe mislead by her authoritative style. Books that I have found to be more useful have been the American Pediatric Assoc. books for providing concrete info, and the Contented Little Baby Book for scheduling help. But there's no comparison for tuning into your baby and taking cues from them, one of the good points that Tracy Hogg can be applauded for.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read for new moms
Review: I read this book when my baby was 9 months old. It was a little late but then, it worked for me . It helped me get all the patience and persistence I needed to help my baby go to sleep by herself. It is a wonderful book
Rating: 
Summary: Funny and easy to read
Review: I don't know much about Hogg's background but she is funny. I liked this book in part because she was fair to both breastfeeding mothers and bottle mothers. I myself am a stay home mom who breastfed exclusively for 11 months. But I like her support of mothers who make either choice. I liked her E.A.S.Y. plan because it allowed a new mom to make a simple structure out of a very crazy time. I was clueless as a new mom with a colicky baby and I went through hell trying to regulate my baby who was VERY hard to read. Many of the suggestions she offers worked like a charm for us such as developing a bedtime routine. We used a bath and feeding prior to bedtime EVERY night and our colicky son slept through the night at 3 months and has since been a wonderful nightime sleeper. I had already developed the habit of nursing on one side only per feeding when I bought this book and she supported that practice. It is an easy book to read and helped me to feel relaxed with my son and my own insecurities about being an unexperienced mom. And it is funny. A downside is that her opinions are presented here, no scientific research. A good read for new parents but make sure you also consult other books such as the AAP's Caring For Your Baby and Yound Child and Dr. Marc Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.
Rating:
Summary: A Fairly Good Parenting Book
Review: While I do believe babies need a routine, I think it's unrealistic and unfair to baby to be on a flexible routine from birth. In my opinion, a good time to encourage your baby to fall on a routine is around 2 months of age when baby and you are settled in. I think she does a good job of explaining on how to read your baby's cues. One of her programs E.A.S.Y. is about getting your baby on a structured routine from day one. (E-Eating, A-Activity, S-Sleep, Y-You) I do agree with her on how a baby needs to sleep in his/her own bed. She also mentions that a mom is and should have some "me" time without feeling quilty. In the book, there are tips throughout the book. Her other program which discusses your baby's cues is S.L.O.W. (S-Stop, L-Listen, O-Oberve, and W-What's Up) There is also a chart included which explains a baby's language and facial expression, In the book, the author also discusses in detail on breastfeeding and bottlefeeding, a section on childproofing and wheather or not to use a pacifier.
Rating:
Summary: "Should Come Out With the Placenta"
Review: I think this is an awesome book and a "must-read" for any expecting and/or new parent. It helped me to regain my sanity which I thought I was losing by the time my son was 3 months old. I think I would have had a much easier time with his newborn infancy had I read this book before delivery. It gives such practical information and tips on everything!
However, despite what many other reviewers have said about this book "not working" unless you use it from day one, that is simply not true!
Another new mom recommended this book to me, as she had used it with her son from the time he was 2 months old. I had also met two other new mothers who had read the book and successfully used the author's methods with their babies. I haven't met anyone who has read this book and not liked it and/or has not had success with it.
We didn't start using her methods, including the EASY routine, until our baby was three months old. Up until that time, he had been sleeping with us in our bed. He would not sleep in his bassinett. Every time we put him down in there, he would wake up. When I tried using his crib, the results weren't much better. I was at my wit's end trying to get him to sleep. My husband wanted to let the baby "cry it out", as (in my opinion) so many inhumane parents do with their newborns. This book gave us a method which we both agreed upon.
Granted, it did take a lot of persistence to incorporate the EASY routine, but within a few days, he had learned to go to sleep on his own at night without even fussing or any anxiety. It did take much longer - probably about 3 weeks total - for him to learn to go to sleep on his own at naptime. However, we never let him "cry it out" like so many mothers do. Every time he cried, just as Tracy Hogg advises in the book, we picked him up until he was calm.
I do think it would have been much easier to follow Ms. Hogg's methods right from the start, and that's what I intend to do with my next baby.
It just goes to show that IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO LET YOUR BABY CRY IT OUT!!!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who agrees with the author's "middle of the road" approach: no co-sleeping, and no "crying it out".
Rating:
Summary: RELAX! It's just a book
Review: This method works, but it is not without work. Any book that proclaims that their method is "easy", is mistaken. **However** life for the child is more predictable, diagnosing the meaning of a baby's cry is easier, and things just make more sense. This book provides guidelines and tricks of the trade. If you read the Sears and the Ferber books, as well as that "Babywise" book, you'll see that there are some commonalities as well as differences between Hogg's book and all of them. It's good if you want a middle ground to bring up your child in a healthy, loving, respectful environment. My opinion is that this book is the best of the others.
Rating: 
Summary: Disgusting
Review: The back of the book says it all. All of the reviewers are celebrities. Her section on breast or bottle should be abolished. Has she read any research on the benefits of breastfeeding? Makes me wonder if she is paid by the formula companies. Any person with sense should notice that she does not have any evidence or research to back up her claims. Do not buy this book for a new mother. Babies on schedules? She is just a LA person trying to become famous. I don't think she has any qualifications to write a baby book that could have a negative influence on parents and babies.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This is a great book. She takes all the major baby-raising philosophies: Ezzo vs. Sears, Ferber vs. Sears, Breast v. Bottle...and compiles it into one useful volume. This lady seems to know a *lot* about babies...I can't wait for the "toddler" edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best for 1st time parents!
Review: The realization of motherhood was pretty scary to me. I hardly had any experience with infants and desperately needed some guidance! When I heard of this book, I immediately rushed out to purchase it with the hopes of learning the many aspects of infants' needs and how to basically establish a daily flow to our new lives together. Although some of the basic concepts are helpful, this book did not offer me the overall 'guide' I was in search of in order to establish a daily flow, including feeding and sleeping routines. Instead, I found that the book 'On Becoming Baby Wise' was the exact resource I needed! It is wonderful and has been a lifesaver to me!! Although it is less expensive than 'Secrets of the Baby Whisperer', it is worth far much more!
Rating:
Summary: Secrets of The Baby Whisperer and The Child Whisperer
Review: Get "Secrets of The Baby Whisperer" for your coming or newborn child. Get "The Child Whisperer" and put it on your shelf for when your child begins to get older. "Baby Whisperer" is simple, loving techniques to develop a well cared for and happy baby. You will learn some new things as well as have some of your instincts affirmed. "The Child Whisperer" teaches you so much about yourself while helping you with your child - you will need both books for your parenting library.
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