Rating: 
Summary: Great for first time parents
Review: Loved this book. We give this to all our friends who are becoming parents for the first time. My daughter started sleeping eight hours at a time before she was three months old (even though she was nursing). It only took three nights and she continues to have wonderful sleep habits (she is now 2). Best thing I ever did!
Rating: 
Summary: Dangerous to the Nursing Relationship
Review: "Babywise" sets the stage for a lifetime of detached parenting where the parent's convenience is priortized over the emotional and physical well being of the child. However, that is not the worst thing about the book. The unfounded and untested theories of the uncredentialed author can compromise the breastfeeding relationship and has the potential to irreparably harm an infant physically. Ezzo's proposed feeding schedules will result in a reduced milk supply and could cause dehydration and failure to thrive. The book has been denounced by the American Academy of Pediatrics and by Ezzo's own church. I implore you to research and understand the importance of demand feeding to the nursing relationship prior to "babywising" your baby.
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Summary: What world are you living in?
Review: I can't even begin to think of how to respond to the reviews that have been written before me. People even want to blame their breastfeeding problems on Baby Wise??? Come on! I breastfed, my sister breastfed, we use Baby Wise - no problems. This book offers guidelines that make sense! For the women who are saying that this book is cruel and your baby will become undernourished - you're obviously doing something wrong. You need to read the book again. I can't even imagine how you would have come to this conclusion. You are way off. For those that mention a baby needs love and that no one is in therapy because their parents loved them too much...AND to the one who wrote that the "baby is the boss, not the parent". Whew! I'll go ahead and add both of your kids to the list of spoiled brats that have no structure and are throwing fits in the middle of Wal-Mart and the mother has no control over them. Bottom line... Those of you who are "anti-Baby Wise approach"...Do people comment on what a PLEASANT child you have? Do they say they've never seen such a happy baby? Do they say over and over that they can't believe how content your baby is? Is it a marvel to others how your baby sleeps 10 hours a night at 10 weeks old and has solid consistent naps? No? Hmmm...Maybe you don't really know what you're doing as well as you thought you did. These are all comments that have been made to me with my first child and my sister's three kids were the same - all were Baby Wise kids. Stop trying to blame your parenting deficiencies on a book. You are the parent. I suggest you act like the parent and train your child. Oh yeah - the comment about these kids are going to be running our country some day? God help us if your kids will be.
Rating:
Summary: Healthy, Happy Babywise Baby
Review: We have been using the Babywise program with our 4 month old breast-fed son. We found that the flexible routine was not something we had to force with him. It came very naturally. Initially, the most difficult part was keeping him awake long enough to have a full meal, not following the recommended 2 1/2 - 3 hour schedule. He was rarely hungry sooner than 2 1/2 hours, but when he was, we of course fed him! The keys to success in using this program are flexibility and common sense. At times, particularly during growth spurts, a baby may need more frequent feedings. We were able to recognize these situations and adjust while still maintaining a routine approach overall. Our son has been sleeping through the night since 9 weeks of age. Just as promised in the book, people comment daily on what a cheerful, well-adjusted baby he is - and how "lucky" we are. Because we can anticipate his feeding and napping requirements, we are able to better plan our day and enjoy successful outings with him. Since he is so well-rested and happy all the time, even friends who don't have children enjoy having him visit or join us for dinner out - and he enjoys the change of scenery and attention from admirers! Our son is healthy and in the 70th percentile for weight (50th for height). Our pediatrician supports the program, suggesting that keeping babies awake for a while after feedings encourages healthier digestion. I have had no trouble with my milk production and plan to continue breast-feeding for the forseeable future. This approach may not work for everyone, but we found that it worked very well for us.
Rating: 
Summary: A good *guideline* but don't ignore your instincts!
Review: I got this book about 2 months after my oldest son was born. Some say it works better for formula fed babies but my son was breastfed and it worked great. He was always a chubby baby, and maintained that look through this training. He thrived! The key in this book is the general "routine" that is endorsed. Eat, play, sleep, eat, and so on. My son slept through the night by 2 and a half months old, ate well, played well, and is overall a great result from using this book as a guide to your routine. Ideally you want the schedule to be a 3 hour cycle, but initially of course it is not as long since younger babies obviously need more feedings than older ones. That's fine -- use your instincts and adjust the schedule time as your baby's needs indicate. Many AP parents slam this book, but I think the trouble comes from following ANY book to the letter. This is a good framework with which to regulate your days, and instincts don't get ignored if don't want them to be. There is no advocation of starving your child for the sake of schedule -- depsite what many AP parents seem to think. It clearly says that by all means, if baby is hungry, feed him! My son started off eating every 1.5 hours, and we still used this plan within that time, he gradually worked up to 3 and then 4 hours per "cycle" as he grew. This is NOT a book to read if you can't follow your gut, if you feel that any book has all the answers. There were certainly aspects of the text that rubbed me the wrong way, which I flatly ignored. But the gist was great -- get your baby used to a routine -- babies thrive on predictability, which is security to them. It also encourages you to learn the cries -- not every cry is a hunger cry and that can be a problem if you think you have to feed your baby every time he cries -- that can lead to discomfort for the baby and thus more crying. The other thing that is controversial about this book is letting your baby cry at bedtime. Again, this is a highly misunderstood practice. You don't just close the door on your child, or his needs. You begin gently teaching him (when his physical age signifies readiness) that bedtime is not negotiable. You don't just abandon your child...you reassure him and soothe him but within a framework that teaches him that crying is not how we get out of going to bed. My son is now 19 months old and he rarely ever protests bedtime (which is somewhere between 7 and 8pm every night). He goes down happily, usually without a fuss, and wakes by 8am the next morning very rested and happy. He knows crying to get out of bedtime just won't work, so why bother. I truly believe this healthy sleep habit came about because of our "wise" use of the routine and sleep training methods explained in the book. DO NOT follow any book to the letter. All books are skewed by opinions of the writers, and what worked for them may not work for you for whatever reason, yours or the baby's. But the framework and logic is sound, in my opinion, and adaptable to suit the needs of your household. One thing that I didn't like was the book does not encourage a lot of holding your baby -- I think that should have been emphasized more. Babies need to be held and loved on when they are awake, and since they are being taught a bit of independence in their sleep, there's no need to withold the affection in their waking time. Spoil them with love!!
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Summary: parenting is difficult. let me tell you how to get it right
Review: rule #1 babies are the boss..not you. accept that babies take a lot of work and a lot of effort on your part and that your life will change. 2. throw this book out and buy dr. sears 3. if you continue to follow the practices in baby wise, invest some money in order to pay your child's future therapy bills. and don't wash your hands of their problems in the future. 4. if you still insist on following these practices, please don't have any more babies...it's too cruel. to explain myself a little further, babies before 6 months do not need to be taught to sleep or eat and in fact babies do not need to be taught to roll over, crawl or walk (as one reviewer mentions)...my little guy is doing all of these on his own. babies before 6 months of age need to be loved, cared for and catered to...this way they learn that their parents are there for them and to be trusted. if you are worried about creating a spoiled brat, then worry about that after 1 year of age. most brats come from self absorbed and/or neurotic parents anyway...not from love and attention. and if you don't have the time for this, why did you become parents? get a plant.
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Summary: A very helpful and insightful approach to parenting
Review: My only regret is that I didn't read this book until my firstborn was 2 months old. I wish I had read it much sooner! As a first-time mom, I was pretty clueless. I read several books after my son was born to try to figure things out. This book was by far the most helpful. It teaches you how to teach your baby, how to get to know him, and how to best meet his needs. After 2 months of trying to figure out a nursing/sleeping routine and now 2 years of hearing stories from friends with newborns, I am convinced that so many parents mistake every cry for a hunger cry! After reading this book and following the suggestions, my son put himself on a schedule that seemed like heaven for me. No more nursing on one side every 2 hours and wondering when he would ever sleep for more than 2 hours. Then, with no further intervention, he moved from random nighttime feedings to 2, then 1, and then none within a month. So, at 3 months, he was sleeping completely through the night, nursing on a regular schedule, and thriving physically and mentally. We later decided to let him learn to put himself to sleep by letting him cry a little, but that was only after I saw how well this book had worked for us. My husband was also quite amazed! I am now expecting #2 and am so excited to have this knowledge to start out with.
I believe the parenting style of this book is so loving and empowering to baby and parent. The most important thing I learned from this book is how important sleep is to babies. Before reading it, I was concerned with me getting more sleep. After reading it, I realized that babies are people too and without enough sleep, they will be cranky, they will not eat well, and they will not have the energy to grow and learn. It's now 2 years later and I've had so many comments on how pleasant Josh is. He reminds me every mealtime to say prayers and he can say his prayers almost all by himself. I never would've started that had I not read it in this book. I also get many comments on how good he is about going to sleep. He appreciates his sleep time and I appreciate that he sleeps 11-12 hours and night and 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon. Following this book doesn't mean you have to let your child cry for an hour all alone or that you have to withhold feedings (like some of the reviews imply). My advice is to read it and try it for 1-2 weeks. I think you'll be amazed!
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Summary: Use Common Sense and Instincts
Review: I agree with the others who say that this book is wonderful as long as you use common sense and trust your instincts. It is a wonderful basis for setting up an eating, sleeping, and waketime routine for your infant. Of course, you should follow your instincts and not starve or ignore your baby in any way! Use this book as a GUIDELINE for setting up a routine.
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Summary: Do your research before you follow this advice
Review: I wish I had known before I bought this book that the American Academy of Pediatrics and most baby experts are strongly opposed to the methods in this book. It goes against all natural instincts you have to care for your baby and instead teaches rigid schedules that are convenient for the parent, regardless of the baby's needs. I did more research on this before following it and found that some babies actually have to be hospitalized when the parents follow the feeding advice since they are undernourished. I was really hoping to find good information on getting my baby to sleep, but it's only a small part of the book anyway, and not very good ideas at that (put your baby in the crib and let him cry). I ended up throwing this book away and buying a more compassionate one called The No-Cry Sleep Solution. My baby and I are both much happier.
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Summary: Pediatric Nurse and former Ezzo Parent Concerned
Review: My husband and I faithfully read this book and the full Growing Kids God's Way curriculum. We were excited to be presented with seemingly sound advice and felt prepared to face every part of parenting. We followed the advice on feeding and sleep schedules very closely, until my 5 week old son began failing to gain weight. Fortunately I am a pediatric nurse and noticed the early signs before his health was severely affected. I visited a lactation consultant and learned that my milk supply was almost gone (pumping only produced less than half and ounce from each side). We formulated a plan to help him catch up and to get my milk supply back to normal. This involved: a supplimental breast feeding system (don't ask), renting a scale (my idea), medication, and routinely pumping after each feeding. After 7 days my son had regained his weight and then some, but it took 6-8 weeks before my milk supply was restored. I dismissed the idea that his feeding problems could be related to the Babywise program (I don't know what I was thinking!) and continued with the program. As time passed and I began to really process some of the Ezzo's ideas, I began to have some questions. My husband did too. We studied and prayed, consulted a Christian psychologist, and read other Christian parenting books. Eventually we decided we could no longer follow the progam. Five years have passed and I am now horrified at the very program I once followed. After reading article after article that gave stories of feeding problems nearly identical to mine, I now have no doubt that following the feeding schedule presented in this book led to our breastfeeding difficulties. I also take issue with many of the parenting techniques presented. However, I find the most damaging result of this program is the divided feelings among Christians, and the elitist attitude of "Ezzo parents" towards those who use other parenting advice. I would urge parents to read other authors (Cloud and Townsend, Dobson, Sears), pray, and consult trusted mentors; and formulate their own parenting style. God gave each person a loving heart and a beautiful mind, we are given the job of raising our children with love. We should think very carefully before we let any one person dictate our course. If God trusts you with His children, shouldn't you trust His choice?
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