Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this book
Review: A friend recommended this book so I bought it despite some bad reviews. I read it frantically when my baby was about a month old. I followed it to the T for 3 days. I almost had a nervous breakdown while following this book. I felt like it stole from me 3 days of being a parent. My instincts told me this book was bad, bad, bad. I read a lot and family and friends kind of make fun of me. I think they think I take everything to heart. Well, I followed my heart on this one and abandoned this book. It should be used as kenneling for a fire. Then I bought Baby 411 which I highly recommend and ironically enough, they graded Babywise with a letter F. In fact, the Academy of Pediatrics had put out a media alert on this book about it not being good for infant's health. hummmmm. I was never holding my little baby and watching the clock like a hawk. Bah-humbug. I bought Solving you baby's sleep problems by Ferber and it changed our lives dramatically for the better (but can't be implemented until about 5-6 months).
Rating: 
Summary: Reason should be the rule
Review: As the breast-feeding mother of a healthy 4-month-old, I was shocked to read the extreme comments about this book -- on both sides of the issues.My husband and I used this book as a guide, and it helped us act with confidence and logic in getting through those scary first weeks as new parents. I had heard comments from new moms both supportive and opposed of this plan. So I read it and decided there were many sensible points made; flexibility, above all, was stressed, making it easy to accommodate either a demanding baby or an easy-going one. Any and all parenting books should be used as helpful guides. All books are subject to an author's bias, so you have to take what is useful and right for you and your family; leave the rest behind. The Babywise plan could obviously be dangerous if taken to extremes -- as could any approach, whether scheduling or free-feeding. That's why the author provides extensive advice on tracking your baby's growth indicators -- to prevent failure to thrive and other problems. All parents should watch for those indicators, regardless of feeding philosophies. Fanatical use of any book is unwise. Be a grown-up and make informed decisions, read a variety of resources and use common sense. The author of Babywise provides many common-sense warnings about taking a schedule too far. Those who take a schedule to the extreme aren't following this book; they're following only a portion of the author's advice. Extremist interpretations of this book are unfair. Nowhere does the author advocate letting a baby go hungry or cry excessively. If your baby is hungry, feed; comfort if that's what the baby needs. Just because a babies cry doesn't mean they need something; sometimes, they just need to cry. If it goes on for an extended period, look for a cause and respond to that. Some babies will do great on a regular schedule; others will not. Exercise your parental judgment and do what works best for you and your baby. Talk to your pediatrician. Read lots of different books. The most important thing we took from this book wasn't necessarily the scheduling advice (although it was key in helping me return to work and remain sane while my husband cared for our daughter during the day). The author has an inspiring philosophy on raising children that are confident, self-sufficient, happy and well-rested, with parents who survive with the same qualities. That should be the goal of every parent.
Rating:
Summary: This book is dangerous
Review: Ezzo has no qualifications whatsoever to write this book. He is an excommunicated evangelical minister with a thinly veiled hatred for children. Babies can't be spoiled; their wants are their needs. There is nothing natural about Babywise. Long term, this approach will create sleep problems, issues with trust, and behavioral difficulties down the road. Use Ezzo's approach at your child's risk.
Rating:
Summary: Happy Mom
Review: From experience, I think this book is wonderful. I tried this method on the advice of a friend and pediatrician who said a shcedule would be helpful for my baby with severe acid reflux. I can tell you within a few days, I had a different baby. This method worked so well for us. I know you have to stick to it at first and that is hard, but it is well worth it. Within two weeks of being on Babywise, my baby had hit the 90th percentile of the growth charts. He was only at about 50th before. No one can get over how happy my now seven month old is. We are now in the second book, and I love it. Just give it a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't understand the contraversy
Review: From reading some of these reviews, I can tell that some people haven't read the book at all which kind of makes their review pointless. Some of these reviewers have just plain lied for some strange reason.
Well, I have read this book! I picked it up before my 14 month old was born because my sister's baby had so much trouble sleeping (they eventually took her to a sleep clinic). I had no idea people were so against it (from the "reviews", I assume because this guy apparently belongs to a church that some people don't like).
Anyway, my baby was sleeping through the night at nine weeks and was in the 90th percentile for her weight. She is a happy baby. I imagine that people who let their child cry all the time and not attend to their needs (as opponents suggest) end up with extremely cranky babies.
This book does not advocate starving your child - it merely suggests giving them a *full* feed so they won't snack every hour. If you give your child a full feed, they will sleep for longer intervals. It clearly states that if your child is hungry, feed him/her!! It clearly states that you should be flexible. If you are the kind of person that goes crazy if you don't get enough sleep (like me), this book may be worth a read. It gives you clear guidelines on how to set up a routine of sleep, feed, play that will help your baby sleep at night (when everyone else in your family is sleeping). Don't let the politics turn you off. If it sounds like something that could work for you, give it a try. It certainly helped me out as a new, nervous mother. I take bits and pieces from a lot of different sources and do not treat any parenting philosophy as "gospel". Good luck to you all
Rating:
Summary: mom of 4
Review: Great book with some good ideas and common sense! Use your heads!! The whole book tells you to use your head and not ONLY follow a clock. It does suggest putting your baby on a schedule, for eveyone's sake. Our doctor said we could let the baby sleep as long as he wanted through the night once he had gained his birthweight back (~ 2 weeks), but feed him every 2-3 hrs during the day. He still was only sleeping 4 hours at a time at 10 weeks. I was exhausted, and that simply isn't healthy for any mom, esp with other children. BEFORE a basic schedule: I never knew why he was crying (Is he hungry? Did he not nurse long enough 30 minutes ago? Got gas from eating? Tired? Lonely? Cold? Is he understimulated? Overstimulated? Should I try to feed him again?). Seemed like he had constant stomach pain from gas. He and I were up for hours at night, and exhausted during the day. I had so much milk I had to pump constantly, which was very uncomfortable and time-consuming. I had no idea why he seemed so grumpy. I had to guess at his every change of mood. AFTER putting him on a 3 hour schedule of EAT, PLAY, SLEEP: No more stomach pain! Being awake after eating must have helped him. He slept, we woke him up to eat, he ate well, he played for awhile with us, he went to his crib and played alone for a few minutes, and fell asleep again happily (without being held, without being in our bed, without asking hosts or guests to excuse me while I rocked him for an hour, or nursed him to sleep). He ate every 3 hours, and he gained so much weight he was in the 100%, and simply gigantic. My milk was much more normal, and I could actually go out without suddenly wetting my shirt! I knew more or less when he would be awake, when I could schedule housework, play with my other kids, prepare dinner, when I would play with the baby, and when I could run to the store and expect to leave him sleeping with a babysitter for 30 minutes. I eventually nursed him on a 4 hour schedule (last feeding ~9 pm) for almost the whole first year. When he got an ear infection, I KNEW IT, because he was off schedule, crying at strange times, and I was able to recognize his unusual behavior. Without a "normal" routine, how can you identify unusual events? If you have a life with other responsibilities (perhaps a marriage, job, children, friends, home), this is definitely worth reading. Especially if you want to have more than one child, because life only gets more complicated with each new one! A daily plan makes everyone more secure. My youngest is 2 now and perfectly happy. However, if you plan on reacting to your child's every whim and whimper for the next 20 years, perhaps you don't need this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great philosophy - but very sexist!
Review: I agree with the reviewer who found the book to be very helpful but also felt the Author's were sexist-in fact, I couldn't believe how sexist some of the references were! BUT, once I got over that, I found the book to be an incredible resource. I am 8 months pregnant with my first child and have read a number of books including many by Dr. Sears. I can see myself more as babywise Mom as I agree with the Authors' philosophies to raise your child to be a wonderful addition to your family, not as the center of the universe as so many spoiled kids of today, are. There are some statements in the book that I don't agree with and will not follow. That is because I am an intelligent adult who can read a book (and many others), take from it what I feel will benefit my family and formulate my own way of parenting which is unique to my husband and myself as new individuals. These reviewers who have claimed that the book advocates child abuse are irrational, that is a ridiculous statement. Also, there are 2 Authors of this book, not one. Robert Bucknam is very well respected MD - to those of you criticizing Gary Ezzo for his lack of medical expertise. Read this book with an open mind and decide if it works for your family, if not, don't freak out, just move on to another book that matches your lifestyle more appropriately!
Rating:
Summary: Would never do it any other way...
Review: I am so glad that I came across this book. I also don't understand the criticism of it. Up until my now five-month-old daughter was six weeks old, she got little sleep at any one time. This was suprising to me because I thought newborns slept all the time. It got to the point where she would sleep thirty minutes at a time at night. Needless to say I had permanent dark circles under my eyes. I then was recommended this book, and within two days of implementing some of these methods she was sleeping seven hours at night. Since then she has slept eight to ten hours every night. At three months she went through a growth spurt and for three nights would wake up at four in the morning. I would give an extra feeding and she'd be back to sleep. I never felt that the author was telling readers to make the baby wait for food if it was hungry. If she's hungry, obviously I feed her! My daughter took to this loose "schedule" immediately, and not because I was forcing it on her. In fact now she eats every 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours--I leave it up to her usually. She is in the 90th percentile for weight at each of her doctors visits. She appears happy and healthy and I believe its because she is greatly loved of course, but also because she gets lots of good quality sleep and knows when she's going to be fed and put down for rest each day. In fact she loves her bed so much when she's tired that she will get fussy until you put her down in it and turn the lights off. She never (and I mean NEVER) cries when I put her down (fully awake) and she's asleep within minutes. When she wakes she's happy and cooing (just as the book says). I don't agree with everything that the author has to say in this book but I do know that the next child I have will also be raised by these same sleep/feeding methods. My daughter, husband, and I are all EXTREMELY happy with the results! I can't imagine doing it any other way.
Rating:
Summary: Surprised by the negative feedback
Review: I came on to buy this book and didn't realize how controversial it was. I know that there are some hot button issues with baby care like CIO (crying it out) techniques and others, but I didn't know the issues raised in Babywise was one too. I wanted to buy this book because my sister highly recommended it to me. She told me that the NICU at her hospital used it on her son. He was born at 32 weeks and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. She said that the staff there used this technique and recommended the Babywise book to her. Her son is now 18 months and since coming home from the hospital, he has been a well adjusted, well rested baby who sleeps well at night. I would suggest researching everything before making a decision. Be informed.
Rating:
Summary: This book really helps
Review: I, also, don't understand the fuss about this book. I have two children, one 2 years old and the other 3 1/2 months, sleeping through the night. My friends are STILL dealing with their toddlers waking up at night. I highly recommend this book. Yes, there is a bit of crying. Yes, it is hard to hear your child cry for 5-10 minutes (seems like an eternity). Remember that it is the short run. They will never remember, and unless you are completely neglecting your child for the other 1400 minutes of the day, their needs will be met. I can assure you that Gary Ezzo does not state that you must never hold your child or give him/her love. Quite the opposite, actually. The only time he suggest not holding your baby is when it is sleep time. Babies need their space, too. Nap time may be the only time they get to be alone without too much visual stimulation.
As for the reviewers who claim to have tried the method and it failed? I would guess that they didn't try it for more than one week. It takes 6-8 weeks for a baby to have the ability to sleep 8 hours straight. For those babies who wait until they are 13-14 weeks, they usually start sleeping for 9-10 hours when they begin to sleep through the night.
The idea is simple, as another reviewer stated. I, myself, prefer to know exactly when I can make that trip to the grocery store, rather than feeding on demand. I would also prefer to have a child who is able to put himself to sleep later on in life rather than a midnight guest week after week.
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