Rating: 
Summary: Mom of 2 1/2 year old
Review: I noticed a very negative review from a first time mom of a 3 1/2 month old who did not follow the book and had a happy baby. Congratulations for now but, that doesn't mean there will not be issues later as the newborn becomes more cognitive particularly in the toddler years. The concept of the book is for the parents to be in charge rather than the child. By doing this the child learns to know what to expect and grows up confident rather than always wondering what will happen next. While this book may not be for everyone, I have to say it has done wonders for myself and several friends of mine. All our babies slept through the night early, continue to sleep well through toddlerhood and are often talked about for being well behaved children. We all give the majority of credit to this book for giving us a good basis to start parenting. THANKS!
Rating: 
Summary: This book could be dangerous to your child's health
Review: I feel very compelled to let possible buyers of this book know that the author has been accused of contributing to failure-to-thrive babies with the ideas he has put in this very book. I myself, used this book with my first child, and to make a long story short... my milk cut out because of lack of suckling from following the books guidelines. She lost 1 1/2 pounds at eight months old, and had to be put on formula. It was a traumatic experience for everyone involved. The principles contained are inconsistant... he tells you to be flexible, yet in the quick reference in the back, he says to NEVER feed your baby less than 2 1/2 hours apart. Fexible? not quite. Many, many other inconsistancies. I have since had two children and nursed them sucessfully abondaning all Ezzo philosopy. This man is a scripture twister, and has been deemed to have cult-like tendencies. You can buy the book, not follow it exactly, and possibly have sucess, but why waste your time and money- buy a good book instead.
Rating:
Summary: Saved My Sanity!!
Review: After reading some of the poor to average reviews on this book, I felt compelled to write one of my own. I am a mother of a 11 week old boy and I started using the Baby Wise methods at around 5 weeks. Yes, many of the guidelines in the book are common sense, but when you're a first time parent with wild hormones raging and a new baby at home it helps to get a little dose of common sense. This book is NOT about scheduling your child, but about getting them into a routine that helps them AND you know what to expect next. Before I started the rountine, it was very hard to know what might be wrong with the baby if he started fussing. Now I know what stage of his cycle he is in and I can easily diagnose what might be wrong. My baby started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks, and is doing great. The only criticism I have is that there is not a lot of practical problem solving advise. I would recommend using this book in conjunction with Tracy Hogg's "Baby Whisperer". Good Luck!
Rating:
Summary: I hated this book
Review: Someone gave me this book. She thought this book was great, I wonder if she actually read it. I have a 3 1/2 month old daughter who, without this book, has been sleeping through the night since she was two months old. She is a very happy and well adjusted baby. I don't follow the strict schedule this book talks about and I don't let her cry it out. I just want to warn people not to believe what this book says about parenting. It's too extreme. The authors of this book try to make us feel like we are not good mothers, your child will not be insecure, unhappy and confused if you don't follow a strict schedule. That's just an idea of the garbage that's written in this book. I think it's the other way around. You should feed them when they are hungry, not on some schedule, and you should be there for them when they need you. That's what makes a happy confindent and trusting child. I think being a mother means giving up just a little bit of yourself for that baby. They need you, mothers should not be so selfish. This book is a waste of time. I was never so happy to finish a book before. Isn't it coincidental, this book was written by two men. What do they know about being a mother?
Rating:
Summary: Successful Routine with Flexibility!
Review: The reviews of this book either give one star or five stars...there's not a lot of middle ground. People either love it or hate it. To share my thoughts, I need to address the "early childhood educator" (and others) who wrote a novel slamming this book all over the place. I will now write my own novel without getting ugly or personal like she did, and hopefully providing a more helpful review to searching parents. I, too, am a mother of two very loved, very secure, very well-behaved children who were trained in their eating/sleeping patterns using Ezzo's methods in Babywise from early on. Most people who adamently protest this book do so because they think it asks parents to ignore their crying hungry babies and to not allow a child to get "too secure or attached" with mom or dad. These beliefs are absolutely unfounded and nothing in the book will support those claims. Yes, there are times when the author recommends letting a baby cry, but not when they are obviously hungry. It teaches you to listen to the cues your baby gives you and to respond accordingly. Crying doesn't necessarily equal hunger...i.e. if your baby cries when you put him in his crib to sleep, that doesn't automatically mean he is hungry and that you should go pick him up to nurse him to sleep. The author suggests that a baby (of course) would PREFER to be rocked, nursed, and sleep all day long in mom's arms (who wouldn't want that?!), and that it may require a few occasions of letting him cry himself to sleep to train him to fall asleep by himself, without the aid of a rocking chair, a breast/bottle, or mom's arms, which is ultimately a service both to the baby and to mom. Even the "What to Expect" series of books promotes this same philosophy of laying your child down in his bed while he is awake. What happens if your child learns to EXPECT to be rocked to sleep or nursed til they fall asleep, and then it becomes a REQUIREMENT for them to fall asleep, and then you can't ever leave because you have to be there to perform that service. The baby doesn't know how to respond, how to comfort himself and help himself fall asleep. THAT can be a cruelty if they don't learn the skill of falling asleep on their own. The book does not suggest that you never rock or nurse your baby, but simply to do it at other times other than as they are about to fall asleep. I nursed both my kids for 7-8 months each, I rocked with them and loved them and had sweet bonding times with them that I cherished then and now. So when a reviewer says that this book is abusive and requires you to ignore the hungry cries of your baby, I take it personally. That person is either not correctly understanding the techniques and philosophies, or their child may have colic or other extenuating circumstances that don't lend themselves very well to these methods. My brother and his wife used this book with all four of their children. With their first child, who had colic (and they didn't realize it at first), it was excruciating for them because they were trying to be faithful to the methods in the book, but the crying lasted all day and much of the night. So they finally had to ammend their routines to accomodate this circumstance, and once they got past the colic stage, they were able to jump back in with success. To those reviewers who say this book requires rigidity and is too inflexible, if you think about it, just the opposite is true. Because YOU establish a routine early on, it allows YOU to plan your baby's day around your other activities (i.e. taking other kids to school, going to church, running errands, etc.), because both you and your baby know exactly when it is time to eat, sleep and be awake. If you don't have that kind of set routine, you don't know when your baby will decide they are hungry, and you could be climbing in the car rushing to pick up your other kids from school when baby starts screaming because he wants a "snack". Then what do you do? There is security for you and your child in knowing when to expect things to happen. Obviously there will be days and times when things need to be altered or changed. But one day of altering your set routine is not going to un-do all the many weeks and months when it is essentially the same. Without being critical of the "early childhood educator" who slammed this series and took personal shots at the author, I question her motives for writing all that. She is entitled to her opinion, but there is obviously some bitterness there, probably because some other pro-Babywise moms have made her feel bad for not using it, which is sad. I do agree that each parent needs to trust their instincts, love their child, and do their best. For me, this book provided what I believe to be the best methods in helping me train my babies to eat and sleep through the night, and I know those philosophies have carried over into other aspects of their behavior and lives by providing them with a foundation of love, security and trust.
Rating: 
Summary: Use Common Sense
Review: After reading the horrible review from an apparent child expert/educator/parent, I can't help but wonder how flexible this person really is. I used Ezzo's book for my first child and it worked wonders. Yes, it was difficult to let him cry until he fell asleep, but thankfully he complained for only a few minutes before dozing. I don't know if I would have been able to handle listening to him cry for 20 or 30 minutes. Also, he was a big newborn (nearly 9 lbs) and ate like a horse! He was able to eat four ounces at a feeding by two weeks old and quickly advanced as he got older. So getting him to sleep longer periods of time was not really a problem. He was sleeping 10 hours a night with three naps a day by the time he was 9 weeks old.
However, my newborn who is only 11 weeks old, just now consistently started taking 4-5 ounces at a feeding. I wouldn't even consider starting her on a schedule until she could go at least 4 hours between eating. The point is, use common sense and judgement when "training" your baby. I think the techniques in Ezzo's book really helped keep my sanity with my first child. He's almost three now and goes down for his nap and bedtime without a problem. I really believe because we had a consistent schedule for him from the beginning.
Just one more point, I love my children more than anything. However, if you live your life with a child-centered family, I believe you will regret it later down the line. Children need to know how important they are in your life, but they also need to realize they are not the center of the universe. Children need to become part of YOUR life, not the other way around.
Being a parent is so very difficult and rewarding at the same time. Look at all the advice and use your judgement for what's best for you and your children.
Rating:
Summary: An Outdated and Widely Discreditted Parenting Style
Review: I have never felt so compelled to write a zero-star review, having never rated anything less than two stars on Amazon. First some facts:
1) The author of this book is Gary Ezzo, M.A. Note that his suffix is "M.A.", not "M.D." He is not a medical doctor. I am not sure why he feels compelled to note his Master of Arts degree - I do not know anyone with a Master's degree that signs his name this way.
2) Gary Ezzo is head of Growing Families International, a for-profit "parenting ministry" based in Simi Valley California. You will not find this information in this version of the book, because this is apparently the toned-down secular version of a previously published material which cites scripture as justification for the extreme and medically-denounced parenting style which he advocates in this book. Even if you are Christian, do some research on Growing Families International to make sure that you subscribe to his brand of Christianity, because this is the base on which he jumps off from to write this book. Robert Buckman M.D., the co-author, was added only for this secular edition. I do not doubt that some parents will find success with the rigorous scheduling style that the American Academy of Pediactrics has officially warned against by issuing a "Media Alert" (stating that "the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms its stance that the best feeding schedules are ones babies design themselves. Scheduled feedings designed by parents may put babies at risk for poor weight gain and dehydration."). Many babies will respond to rigorous scheduling and still thrive. I have seen and played with such babies personally. But just because some babies respond to such a style does not mean that the style is to be credited. After all, if I flip a coin and guess "heads" correctly, can I claim skill? Maybe, maybe not, depending on the circumstances. Similarly, just because such a style works for one baby does not mean it will work for all babies. But I also know first hand that rigid scheduling can and will harm. My baby became insecure, clingy, dehydrated to the point of drying tear ducts, and at one point literally passed out from crying for hunger. If you must read this book, I strongly recommend that you also read "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child" by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a back-up. Those who strongly disagree with such rigorous scheduling have probably already fled to "The Baby Book" by William Sears M.D. (not "M.A.") who can be considered Mr. Ezzo's foil. If you require a distinctly Christian bent, Dr. Sears has written a variation of his popular "The Baby Book" entitled "The Complete Book of Christian Parenting & Child Care: A Medical & Moral Guide to Raising Happy, Healthy Children" as a direct response to Mr. Ezzo's writings. By the way, my baby is now energetic, muscular, affectionate, and happy-to-the-extreme thanks to Dr. Sears.
Rating:
Summary: This book works - from "real parents"
Review: This book is great. It was recommended to me by my cousin who was having sleeping problems with her baby. This was an incredible help to her as it was to my wife and I with our baby daughter. Our daughter sleeps 11 hours a night uninterrupted and has been doing so since 4 months - thanks to the methods taught in this book. I couldn't help but write a review after reading yesterday's too lengthy and unflattering review by an "educator/parent". Quite simply, I do not agree with anything she has to say. It sounds like there's some sour grapes there - but do not be discouraged. This book works, it makes a lot of sense and it preaches love for you child. I, as part of a two working parent household, have nothing but praises to sing for this book and feel lucky that it was recommended to me.
Rating:
Summary: This book works - from real parents
Review: This book was recommended to me by my cousin who was experiencing problems with her babies sleeping patterns. This was an incredible hel to her and it has been our own daughter as well. She is 13 months old and has sleeps for 10+ hours everynight and has been doing so since she was 4 months old. I read a bad review yesterday by a "child educator" and it just didn't make any sense to me nor did it correspond to my experiences at all. This book teaches nothing but love for your child and really makes a lot of sense once your read it. Our child is so happy and fun to be around when she is awake and this book has a lot to do with it.
Rating:
Summary: A Mom/Educators view of Ezzo's methods!
Review: As an early childhood educator, children's ministry administrator, and mom of two well-behaved children I strongly feel that the information presented in this publication - and most of the other books by Gary Ezzo - is manipulative, deceiving, and possibly harmful. I have witnessed this publication, and the classes based on books by Ezzo cause undue stress on new families. The mother's innate desire to comfort the child is stifled by the methods endorsed within On Becoming Babywise: More Than a Survival Guide. The basic premise presented in this book is one that leads the parent to believing that he/she shall control the newborn baby's routine. Actually ignoring crying and so forth. Gary Ezzo makes it sound so simple: Feed your baby. Allow for some awake time. Make them nap (the crying is good for them). Repeat. Don't use a sling to hold your baby near you! Parents are taught that sling-type baby carriers are too child-centered. Oh, for sure, you wouldn't want to have your precious young one near you.... The hogwash goes on:
"Curriculum also teaches that mothers should not rock their babies to sleep; that they should not comfort or feed crying infants in the parents' bed -- and especially that moms should never sleep next to their babies." Initially, these books may present themselves by premise as gentle as a sheep, but buyer beware - the wolf is present waiting to lure! I don't deny the techniques will work for SOME babies, and for SOME not all families. If you want, give this a read and try the portions that sound appealing. Not every baby will succumb to the methods discussed. Just don't feel guilty if the methods fail to yield response, and don't allow the manipulation to force you into believing that these theories are the only manner in which to maintain a healthy 'after baby marriage' or the only way to yield a 'well-behaved child'. Perhaps his parental instruction began innocently, but it certainly grew into this mans obsession for the dollar earned and implementation of control over families. Even his home church recognized the shortcomings and tried to implement correction. When Gary Ezzo declined to recognize his areas of error, he chose to depart from his Pastoral position. Often the classes and publications provide strain on marriages, when some Fathers - having merely skimmed the pages - become resentful of their wife not "just doing what the book states!" Understand I know that not all spouses will respond in this manner. As my darling husband stated... this would be a grand approach if children were robots! Thank you honey, for partnering with me and realizing that all children are unique individuals! There is no way that these methods would work for either of my daughters (nor for most of the children I have cared for / worked with). We do not cave to superimposed judgement by authors like this! That is where this book gets abusive. By implying that children should be routined like a car would be scheduled for maintenance by mileage. And, by suggesting that parents are headed for marital failure if they don't oblige. Further a cult like following of supporters wage attack on those not supportive of this man and his theories. This alone speaks witness of the unhealthy manipulation. Honestly, I wouldn't even apply these control mechanisms on a dog! Gradually Gary Ezzo and his theories are being realized for the deceptive manners that they contain. As parents we need to provide unconditional love and consistent support for our precious blessings from above! Trust your parental instincts and never let anyone superimpose judgement onto your chosen method. Many wonderful publications are available, and what will work for your family unit will most likely be a combination of several suggestions that are adapted to meet your lifestyle and the innate personalities within your home. Children are innately different from each other, and deserve to be raised in a manner that allows them to be who God wants. I pity the society that succumbs to rubberstamping children! Artist Sandi Patty sings a remarkable song Masterpiece. The lyrics let us reflect on the beauty of our newborn children. "You are a masterpiece. A new creation He has formed. .... He breathed in you a song .... Because I see in you a reflection of me... What else is there to say. Just be the masterpiece He created you to be." Amen! God created, our children are meant to be loved and guided into adulthood.
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