Rating:  Summary: Fantastic with ONE EXCEPTION! Review: I read this book over and over while I was pregnant. It is easy to read and easy to implement. I even took it to the hospital with me for reference and highlighted passages for my husband to read so we would be in sync. Every single piece of advice works, is easy to implement and makes great sense. WITH ONE HUGE EXCEPTION. Tracy's advice on how to breast feed, although at first seeming to make logical sense, DOES NOT WORK. Following her advice to breastfeed one side at each feeding, which I truly believed and followed diligently, caused me much HEARTACHE AND TEARS when the doctor told me the baby was not growing at the proper rate and recommended formula. I still persisted because all her other advice was so right on. But it has taken three months to get back to sole breastfeeding, on both sides, and no more formula, thanks to lactation consultants, acupuncture and TOTAL persistance on my part. SO, buy the book, it is amazing, helpful, loving, smart, funny and IT WORKS. BUT DO NOT follow her advice on breasfeeding.
Rating:  Summary: An Absolute Life-Saver!!! Review: This book saved my sanity. Tracy's EASY cycle and her tips on baby signals really helped me figure out when my 5-week old was hungry, tired, over-stimulated, gassy, or bored. Before that, I was clueless - I was trying to feed my baby when all she wanted was to go to sleep! Tracy also has great tips on breaking bad habits in your baby - they took patience and perseverance but worked like a charm. Out of all the baby books I've read (Dr. Sears "The Baby Book", "The Mother of All Baby Books", "What to Expect the First Year" and several others) this book is by far the most helpful and informative and right on the money. Definitely give it a read - if you can, read it _before_ you have your baby so you'll start off on the right track.
Rating:  Summary: pen Review: I am the mother of a ten month old and just happened to pick this book up in the library. I began to read it and wished I could've read it before my little guy was born! It brings much needed insight and thoughtfulness into the approach of raising a new person. I have read many books on parenting, and we decided to try a gentler approach to the Ezzo's book. Well, I always felt guilty for giving my baby a pacifier (which Hogg doesn't reccommend the extent that my child likes his), and for not letting him "cry it out". I think this book is a great way to be a loving, understanding parent, while also establishing a FLEXIBLE routine to help your child understand his new world. I think she has done a great job...and jut like anything read it and implement what you choose to. She even suggests that if you don't want to do it her way, then do it yours :)
Rating:  Summary: Take what works, leave the rest. Review: I read this book in the first 6 weeks after my baby was born. I found it to be stress-inducing and condescending. Unfortunately, I was so emotional and hormonal at the time, I was unable to sift through the book to take what I liked and leave the rest. I took the book word for word and it increased my stress level and "baby blues" beyond what they had been before because I couldn't get it to work. Now, 2 months later, I can take the good information and put it to use and leave the rest. However, I find her approach to be very critical of parents and basically tells us when things go wrong IT'S ALL OUR FAULT! Thanks, just what stressed-out parents need to hear. She has a very high opinion of her infant "communication skills" and is very quick to point the finger at families who are having a rough go of it. Well, show me new parents who DIDN'T have a rough go, it's just part of parenting...especially in the beginning. I also found parts of the book too vague and slightly contradictory to information in other chapters, especially when it came to sleep solutions which was where I was hoping to find the gold mine. I found a few nuggets and helpful hints but nothing to make headlines, just common sense. In summary, take it like anything else in life, if it works for you and your family use it, if not take it with a grain of salt. Nothing works 100% for anyone but remember, it's your family and your baby, don't let a stranger who has never met you make you feel guilty about your own parenting skills. Being a parent is trial and error, just season your kids with lots of love and someday all the baby trials will be a distant memory.
Rating:  Summary: bottomline... this book helps Review: It's too bad that many people are unhappy about how this book handles the issue of breastfeeding vs. bottle. As far as I'm concerned the bottom line is that this book was tremendously helpful in making me understand how to deal in everyday life with an infant. I found the methods easy to implement. I give this book as a gift to my friends. My husband, who is a family doctor, recommends the book to his new parents who ask for his help how to care for and understand their babies.
Rating:  Summary: Sounded great but was hard to implement Review: I read this book whil pregnant with my first child. I was really encouraged by the EASY plan as it seemed so logical. But trying to implement it was a whole lot harder than I thought. My son wanted to eat every 2 hours and he didn't want to sleep longer than 30 min. I tried the tips in this book but just didn't have much luck.
Rating:  Summary: Breastfeeding is best Review: As a registered nurse, I feel entitled to share with other readers that the information about breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding was incorrect and biased towards bottle feeding. There are always reasons for not breastfeeding, and many of them are perfectly legitimate. But to not tell readers that breastmilk is best for babies is a downright LIE. Formula will never be as nutritionally sound for your child as your own milk.
Rating:  Summary: TERRIBLE Review: Hindsight really is 20/20. Looking back, I really regret reading this book. This woman taught me to ignore every maternal instinct I had in an attempt to follow her ridiculous schedules. She claims to be middle-of-the-road, but is really just another sleep trainer. The book is written in a very annoying, condescending tone, that discounts common sense. As a first time mom, you feel worthless reading her advice, then even more worthless when her advice doesn't work. Beware of anyone who tells you that holding your baby will spoil her. You cannot spoil a baby with too much love. Of course, I found out too late in the game that the author's credentials were mostly fabricated (Newsweek 2001) and that her own husband thought she was a terrible, neglectful mother. It's not surprising that her only reviews came from celebrities. If you don't want to be inconvenienced by a baby, you shouldn't have had one, but this book may be for you. For anyone else who wants to love and nurture their baby, go with more reliable and realistic information from Sears or Dr. Jay Gordon. These guys REALLY know babies! If you insist on reading this book, at least discuss the information with your pediatrician before you start. She gives terrible feeding advice, and you should definitely get a second opinion before starting her training.
Rating:  Summary: If you read this book, make sure you do your research Review: I'm sorry if I touched a nerve with my not so nice review of Tracy Hogg's book. It was not my intention to offend those who choose, for whatever reason, (be it emotional, physical, or just plain practical),to bottle feed their babies. Every family has their own set of circumstances that warrant one type of infant feeding over another. Bottle feeding parents do need support for their choices, absolutely, but I'm just concerned that Hogg's readers are not getting accurate information, which does not give them the opportunity to make an informed decision one way or the other.This book is just packed with misinformation regarding breast verses formula feeding. The author tries to promote formula, while downplaying the importance of breastmilk, and makes breastfeeding seem more difficult than it really is. She says that the benefits of breastmilk have been vastly overstated. This is simply not true. The benefits of breastmilk have been proved in hundreds of studies, while more and more, researchers are linking health problems in infants and children who received artifical milk. Again, I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty here, just stating the facts, which Tracy Hogg does not do. IF you read this book make sure you do your research about feeding choices. Also, use caution in implementing the feeding schedule she promotes, as it has the potential to cause failure to thrive in some infants.
Rating:  Summary: Mom of 2 and 3 year old - Best book ever Review: My children are 14 months apart and are now 3 1/2 and 27 months. This book was just out right before my 2 year old was born. My friends and I (19 children under age 4) all wish we had this when our first ones were born. She does not judge you, she helps you. The sleeping through the night recommendations are child and parent friendly (read 5 sleep researcher books in addition to this one). The breast vs. bottle feeding combination actually works and the only place I have ever seen it. No matter what get the page where it tells you what physical actions could indicate what conditions. For example, pulling legs up to stomach and high pitched scream, check for gas!!! Considering I have the un-grandma as my mother, I really needed this. It was as if I had a wise old grandmother at my side. Highly recommmend it.
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