Rating: 
Summary: Buy this book if you want to have sad, scared, insecure kids
Review: Welcome to the sick world of the ezzos. If you can read this book without utter horror and distaste, you may want to go back and reconsider your reasons for having children. if you want secure, happy children, consider following your own instincts, and ignoring advice you will find in this book, such as leaving an unhappy child crying. honestly, how can a 6 week old baby have the thought process necessary to manipulate a parent? generally, when a nonverbal child is crying, it is our job as parents to determine why and to fix the situation. if you want to love, comfort and raise your child in an environment of happiness, don't buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't work for my baby
Review: I tried all of the methods in this book, and none of them worked for my child. She "cried it out" for hours and hours, and never fell asleep. And yes, we followed the rigid feeding schedule. The worst part of this method is that it made my daughter extremely fearful all of the time and she cried hysterically even when we were doing simple things like giving her a bath (she had NEVER done that before). This book does not take into account that some babies are more sensitive than others. It treats them in a "cookie cutter" manner. Also, I the author takes far too much liberty with the two fictional children that he describes throughout the book---one that is "trained" and turns out to be a great kid, and the one who is "not trained" and turns out to be a spoiled brat. What boloney!I've also tried Elizabeth Pantly's book, "The No Cry Sleep Solution." Ms. Pantly's book is much more sensitive and realistic, but the methods that she suggests haven't worked for us, either. In fact, our daughter wakes up MORE now since we've started using her methods. I've come to the conclusion that there are no clear-cut, easy sleeping solutions for some kids, and my kid is one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Babywise
Review: There are some little known medical facts to explain the controversy here. There is a 300% difference in Milkstorage capacity from one woman to another. For a baby to grow well he has to nurse when his body has used up the calories from the last feeding. Some woman have to nurse every 2 hours (or 90min.) as well as 2 to 3 times at night to have adequate milksupply for their infants. Some babies only need to nurse every 3 or even 4 hours because their mother has large milkstorage capacity and is able to produce and store many oz. of milk in her body for the baby to consume in one feeding. This is why some babies do well and thrive on the schedule and others are diagnosed with "Failure to thrive". Parents whose babies adjust easily would have had babies who slept through the night without Babywise. Parents who force their babies onto a schedule that does not meet their physical needs risk physical and emotional damage to their child. Letting a baby cry a little when he is obviously tired will not do much damage, especially if the infant is older. However letting an infant cry for the full 45 min. can cause neurological damage depending on the child's temperament. I know this from painful personal experience. My infant lost all interest in nursing after I enforced this program with much crying at 6 months of age(all within the alloted amount according to Babywise). He showed some symptoms of attachment disorder. It has taken much time and effort to rebuild his trust. I choose to co-sleep with my third child after this experience and have been amazed at the difference I have seen in their ability to handle emotions. Every woman should know that her instinct is one of her greatest assets and she needs to learn to value herself and her talents even when our culture may not.
Rating: 
Summary: The BEST book out there.
Review: I am a father of 15 month old twins. They have been sleeping through the night since week 10. Our children were born 7 1/2 weeks premature, but healthy. This "system" provided us with a road map, that if you follow, works wonders. It is amazing to me that a day care worker is critical of a book that he/she did not even read, let alone raise children with. Any child that has loving parents (parents that raise children on their own)and has read this book, SWEARS by it. It is the only advice I give new parents...until now. My new advice will be not to pay attention to those daycare workers who bash a book they have not tried!
Rating:
Summary: A classic in the annals of child abuse
Review: If you are interested in becoming a non-responsive parent with depressed, withdrawn children who have learned not to trust adults to meet their needs, then buy this book. If you are a person more interested in your own convenience and desires than in the needs of the babies you choose to have, this is the perfect parenting guide for you. If you really want to fail at breastfeeding and have a failure-to-thrive baby, follow Gary Ezzo's advice to the letter! And if you believe that babies' cries have no communicative value and that a being who is born at least 6 months away from being neurologically finished is actually capable of manipulating anyone, then you are right in sync with the sick [person] who wrote this book. YOU CHOOSE to have needy babies. THEIR NEEDS are the most important thing, not how much sleep you get. Being well-rested is not the end-all be-all of existence, especially when you buy it with your child's psychological well-being. This book is a recipe for attachment disorders.
Rating:
Summary: I work in a daycare
Review: I work in a daycare, and we have a child who is on babywise. This is the worst program I have ever seen. For the first few months this child cried and cried. Do you want to know why? They were hungry. According to the book the chil could only eat every four hours. I know some adults who eat more that. This child is not a "Happy" baby. When the child falls the child does not want to be touched. The child shows not emtion whatsoever. How can a man who has no expiernce claim to know what a baby needs. Any parent who decided to use this book and put there children in daycare need to know the facts. This book makes your child stand apart. When the other kids are eating they will not be able to, becase this is not in the schedule. This book is another form of child abuse. When a child is hungy feed it. NOT wait until another 3 hours to feed it. That is horrible. Poeple please think twice about using this book. And if your only reason for using this book it to have your child sleep through the night. do not have children then. Children make thier own schudules with time. Not you
Rating: 
Summary: Convenient Babies
Review: Mr. Ezzo and company have written an interesting book that may be useful to some parents. Some parents will have babies that are easy-going, undemanding, and content. The methods described in this book will work well with these types of babies. However, please be cautioned. Many babies do not come equiped with such convenient temperaments, especially in the early months. Thus, Mr. Ezzo's methods may prove detrimental for a great number of infants. If mothers plan to breastfeed their little ones, they must understand that babies have extraordinarily tiny tummies (the size of a fist)and that the growth in their early weeks and months is very rapid. Thus, to rigidly schedule (even to rigidly and flexibly schedule) a young infant's feedings may slow his or her natural growth and development. Not something to be taken lightly. Also, mums need to breastfeed during the night in the first months of nursing... milk supply is driven not only by demand, but also by hormones (which are produced at night).The more you nurse at night, the more breastmilk you will have for your baby during the day. Babies are not convenient. I can pretty much guess that they are not intended to be. They are vulnerable and need intensive care, 24/7. In earlier publications, Mr. Ezzo has claimed Biblical grounds for his methods. However, I do not see "parents-first, baby-second" advocated anywhere in the Scriptures. Parents need to look at this book cautiously, with full knowledge of their babies' needs and a willingness to fully parent their child. Mr. Ezzo, I'm sure, had the best of intentions when he developed this material. It comes from his first-hand experience of parenting and his methods worked well for his family (I believe he has all girls). We all love to share our success stories, especially with people who are seeking answers or who have concerns. However, many parents have used different parenting methods with equal sucess to the Ezzo's. (Me, for example). If you require support in this area, also check out writings by Dr. William Sears ("The Baby Book", "The Sleep Book", and "The Discipline Book"). A fabulous book has been recently published by Elizabeth Pantley titled "The No Cry Sleep Solution" (I wish I had this book when training my son to sleep through the night when he was an older baby). These books will help balance the information in Ezzo's book so you can truly make an informed decision about how to parent your newborn. In addition, Dr. Martin Seligman's book "The Optimistic Child" will give you insight into the origins of childhood depression, which can have roots as early as infancy depending on how we are parented. Seligman cites compelling research that suggests that children can "learn" helplessness at a very young age if parents are not responsive to their needs. Something to think about. We all want to be good parents. We all want to have great, responsive kids. However, as my mother would say, there are many roads to the same destination. (Also, regarding interrupted sleep, she would say, "This, too, shall pass"... and it does!). Your baby's physical and emotional well-being is probably more important to you than a full-night's sleep. Good luck!
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST PREPARATION FOR A NEW PARENT!
Review: I give this book to all my friends who are expecting their first child. I read this book before the birth of my first child, and I credit it for making me a confident new parent. When I brought my daughter home from the hospital I really felt like I knew what I was doing. My children are now 3 1/2 and 18 months and they have always been extremely healthy, happy, and fantastic sleepers. They began sleeping through the night regularly at 6 weeks and 3 weeks, respectively, and to this day go to bed and take naps like angels. My friends who didn't follow the Baby Wise principals eventually resorted to letting their babies cry during the night after they had not gotten a good night sleep in a year! I have received numerous comments about how "lucky" I am to have babies who are such good sleepers. It was not luck. It was Baby Wise.
Rating:
Summary: On Becoming Babywise
Review: If you want the worst book on parenting, this is it. Assuming you love your baby, I suggest that this book has value only as reference on how not to parent your child. It is generally only the simplistic opinions of the authors and I have to wonder what their true motivation is for writing it. For the real goods on parenting, head straight to the Sears' Attachment Parenting. If you want the most profound understanding of parenting and how the mind develops then Joseph Chilton Pearce's Magical Child is the book for you. Please avoid any Ezzo material - for the sake of your child's mental health.
Rating:
Summary: The only book I ever threw in the garbage
Review: I couldn't stand the thought of another parent reading this book and applying these cruel methods of pseudoparenting to their child so I threw this book in the garbage can. Ezzo has no credentials. Parents who have used his methods have seen their children suffer from failure to thrive. Mothers have seen their milk supplies depleted as a result of his strict scheduled feedings. Lawsuits are pending against Ezzo. Ask yourself, do you really want to take a chance with your most precious gift, your children?
| 
