Rating: 
Summary: What's all the fuss about?
Review: I'm the father of a 4-week old, and while I haven't had time to read Babywise closely from cover to cover yet, I have skimmed most of it, completely skipping the twins chapter, seeing as I have just the one. (I'm only giving the book three stars at the moment, because I don't yet know if it's going to prove to be wonderfully useful or just be a book that provides another perspective yet, as we've really just started with it.)What's all the fuss? Ezzo's main point regarding feedings is that you should breastfeed your child at 3-hour intervals, 2 1/2 hour intervals if you're having problems with that. Funny, that's the exact same thing our pediatrician told us -- try to get Nate on a 3-hour feeding schedule. I've seen several places where flexibility is suggested, and nowhere, nowhere at all do I see anything saying that your child shouldn't be fed sooner if he's hungry. For instance, on page 175, in a Q&A problem-solving chapter: My two-week old daughter nurses on one side, then falls asleep. One hour later, she wants to eat again. What should I do? If she is hungry, feed her, but work on keeping your baby awake to take a full feeding from both breasts. He goes on, but you see the point. The very next entry is very similiar; someone says their 3-week old starts to cry an hour after a feeding; the first words in the response? "If baby is hungry, feed him." Most of the suggestions in his book seem to be along those lines -- essentially, they're common sense. If your baby has a full stomach, he'll sleep longer. If you can keep him awake and get him to take a full stomach, the time to the next feeding should be longer. Why on earth is this so controversial? Oh, wait, I think I know. Is it possibly because he disagrees with attachment parenting theories? Is that what this is all about? We all hate Gary Ezzo because he's not a fan of the family bed and constant babywearing? My wife and I find useful information about raising our son from a variety of sources. Spock, Sears, Ezzo, and my personal favorite, Vicki Iovine, all have been quite useful to us, and we've taken various things from each of them. Ezzo's persepective doesn't seem to be wacko or dangerous to me; rather, it seems to be a well-reasoned look at a way to help your child sleep through the night. Relax.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is both pro-parent and pro-child
Review: I have a one-month old baby at home and have used the methods in this book on the recommendations of a friend. I was purchasing a second copy for my sister, when I saw some of the bad reviews. This book is not at all abusive. I am a very loving person and would not subject my baby to child abuse! Although the book tries to help parents put their children on routines, it also tells you many times to feed your child if he or she is hungry! About the weight gain -- I have exclusively breast fed my baby. He GAINED 5 oz in 1 week and a total of 2 pounds, 3 oz in 1 month (well ahead of the curve). Unfortunately, I believe most of the bad reviews come from people who either did not read the book or did not understand it. The book has been extremely beneficial for me, my husband, and my healthy, happy, not abused, one-month-old baby!
Rating: 
Summary: It should be called Baby Dumb
Review: This book is for new parents who want a quick fix. Any good pediatrician will tell you that you cannot spoil a newborn and they cry to communicate. ALSO THEY SHOULD NOT SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT AT FIVE WEEKS, THEY NEED TO EAT! This book is for lazy parents.
Rating:
Summary: Great Method When Used With Common Sense!
Review: I was very surprised to learn that this was a controversial method! I started my baby when she was 4 weeks old. Now she is 8 and is sleeping through the night, takes great naps and the best part is I don't have to nurse her or rock her to sleep for every nap and at night! The first night I tried this she did cry for almost a half and hour but it wasn't solid crying and I sat next to her and rubbed her tummy the whole time until she fell asleep. Now that she goes down without a fuss unless she has some other problem. If you know your baby you can tell after a minute or two of crying if there is something else wrong. If your baby is still crying everytime you may be putting them down too early. If the infant isn't tired then of course they will cry for a very long time. Make sure they are very drowsy when you put them down and you shouldn't have any problems! Use your common sense!!! Don't follow the method to the T but adapt it for your baby and they results will be the same!
Rating:
Summary: GET A GRIP PEOPLE
Review: The book is not a bible it is a BOOK!
If you don't like it~ DON'T USE IT! But for goodness sake, let's not condemn it for EVERYONE!
We used the principles of this book after our first child was born. Contrary to what we learned from several lactation "extremists" here in the Seattle area, our son was not hungry every time he cried.
He almost immediately went to the routine that is suggested in the book, and NO, he did not CRY, ALONE IN HIS BED, WIMPERING FOR FOOD THAT WAS BEING WITHHELD BY HIS MEAN PARENTS! We just tried to entertain him for a few extra minutes over a couple of days to stretch out the time between feedings~ He then ate a little more, and was happier longer!
Far from failing to thrive he was a very happy and content baby. If you want to give the scheduling idea a try, DO IT! Don't let the naysayers get you down.
And if you DON'T want to do the scheduling thing, THEN DON'T...Go buy a SEARS AND SEARS book instead and let me raise my kids my way too!
Rating:
Summary: You Either Love It Or Hate It
Review: I for one hate it. While this book may work for some, it is certainly not for everyone. I have found that a seperation develops between those who "BabyWise" and those who don't. People are extreme about this book, as you can see by the many review. I would encourage you to read it and decide for yourself. I have friends who sware by this book and others who sware at it. I am of the latter group.
Rating:
Summary: Do Your Research
Review: Please do some research before you buy this book. You might find www.ezzo.info to be very informative. The following is a quote from "Analysis of GFI (Growing Families International) vs. AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) Comparison Chart", by Dr. Matthew Aney, M.D. "First of all, it should be pointed out who the authors are. Mr. Ezzo has a high-school diploma and a master's of arts in ministry designed for non-college graduates that gives credit for life experience. He does not have any background in medicine, lactation, psychology, or child development. He is not in the position to contradict medical research and provide information on delicate professional topics such as infant nutrition, lactation, and child development. Furthermore, he has been publicly deemed unfit for Christian ministry by three churches spanning twenty years due to character related issues. This is important because there is a lot of misinformation contained in his books. Also, the On Becoming Babywise book is co-authored by Robert Bucknam, M.D. However, he did not write any of the material contained in this book. This book was borne out of a previously written book, Preparation for Parenting (which was written by Gary Ezzo several years earlier). On Becoming Babywise is virtually identical to Preparation for Parenting with the exception of the religious content being removed."
Rating: 
Summary: This is not a "Cry it Out" method book
Review: After reading Baby Wise I was shocked by all the reviews that said it encourages letting hungry babies "cry it out", which I'm not sure is even possible. One clear message I got from the book was "always feed a hungry baby".
The book does say it is common for your awake child to cry when you put him down for a nap or evening sleep period. The author suggests letting your child cry for 5 to 10 minutes to see if they are just using their cry to settle themselves down, keeping an ear out for "distress" cries which would signal something else is wrong. He never says that you should not go to your child if they are crying, he just is saying give your child some time to settle down for sleep themselves before going to them. This also isn't advocated to start at birth but several weeks later. If you are not a person who chooses to let your child cry at all, then this book is not for you.
Nowhere in the book does it say that you should let a hungry baby wail in the middle of the night because it does not meet a "schedule". I went to the Ezzo.info web-site and the few articles I read criticized the book for things I never found the book to be promoting. Perhaps there are earlier additions of the book that are more rigid, but I actually liked this book for its flexibility. On another note, there are many comments on "God's plan", "sin" and "evil" with respect to our children. In the latest addition I read there is no allusion to any of this, perhaps in previous additions there were, but not the latest.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful
Review: This book was a huge help for me. I read it when my baby was 6 weeks old. My son had decided he didn't want to nap at all and wanted to feed every 2 hours at night, and my husband and I were dead exhausted. Within 2 weeks of following the advice in this book, he was sleeping MUCH better and was a much happier baby when he was awake. He's now 4 months old, and everyone tells me how lucky I am to have such a good sleeper. It wasn't luck...I have recommended Babywise to everyone with a young baby.
Rating:
Summary: Beware
Review: http://www.ezzo.info/ (The site is about Babywise and Gary Ezzo, the
author.) Very few people know that this book is very
dangerous and that it promotes child abuse & neglect
and has caused thousands of infants to develop Failure
To Thrive syndrome. The American Academy of
Pediatrics has a warning out against the book, (as
does the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Orange
County, which did an extensive review of the book). Many, many people are still using this book, without realizing the harm they are doing to their children.
What's worse, many people are reading the OLD version,
which contains 35 bits of falsified medical
information. Since Gary Ezzo was exposed for being
crazy, his publisher broke their contract and he is
now self-publishing a slightly less horrible version.
(However, it is still horrible!) I had a couple of friends who were using the book and
they were VERY grateful to me for letting them know
about this website.
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