Rating: 
Summary: The AAP has spoken out AGAINST it, so why would you buy it?
Review: The AAP and LLL have spoken out strongly against this book and it is in direct opposition to the recommendations of the AAP and LLL. What a terrible book! Please read Sears' "The Baby Book" instead, if you would like to be successful at breastfeeding and if you would like to have a happy baby who doesn't need to cry. Nurse your baby on demand, never let your child cry, and ignore this book if you want to have a good relationship with your child. In other words, treat your baby like a human being. I was disgusted by this book. It actively encourages parents to abuse their babies.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful "guide"
Review:
This book is a great guide line for common sense parenting. There are no "rigid", "unloving", "strict" "rules" in this book. Which book did those reviewers read? There is however sound, common sense, flexible advice, all of which is to be followed at the readers' discretion. Nothing unusual, dangerous and certainly not abusive. My son is 9 weeks old, exclusively breastfed, and in the 98th and 97th percentile for weight and length respectively. I read Babywise THOROUGHLY and made an INFORMED decision on which parts would work best for our family. We are all rested, unconditionally loved, happy, and contented.
I love extremists. They keep our community on it's toes ;)
Rating:
Summary: Triplets Sleeping Through The Night!
Review: This program works! I have 5-month old triplets, they've been sleeping through the night for over a month now! Technically, they're only 3 months old (adjusted age - they were 2 months premature); I had to readjust the program slightly due to their size/weight, etc. Plain and simple it works.
Rating:
Summary: Sleeping through the night
Review: We read the original Prep for Parenting book by Gary Ezzo and are thrilled with the results. Our son started sleeping through the night at seven months. We continued with the Parenting Your Pre Toddler book. We have followed the book about 90% and people come up to us all the time and comment on how well behaved our 2 year old son is in public. We are looking forward to the next book.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, commonsense approach to parenting!
Review: This book is a wonderful and well thought out GUIDELINE to parenting that does result in a very healthy and happy baby and brings harmony to the household... New moms and dads need to remember, when they read this book, it is a GUIDELINE. Weigh how much and how strictly you wish to follow and you will be very happy with the results.
Rating: 
Summary: Good references & ideas, but a little disappointing
Review: My first impression of this book was that it was written & geared toward intelligent educated parents. The authors provided studies & statistical data regarding findings of their studies which was helpful. There were quite a few grammatical errors which were a little annoying, I thought their editor should have been more careful in editing the content prior to publishing. The book does offer good advice.I feel they spend too much time attempting to convince the reader why they should put the baby on a routine instead of making the pitch & then providing real life examples & various scenarios, not just giving a small example & then say the baby should be on a routine. I agree that babies should be placed on a routine, but would have liked to have read more about the application of implementing the routine rather than just reading over & over how important it is for a baby to be placed on a routine. I would have also liked to have more timetables & more examples of how to interact with your baby during waketime & how to get them down for a nap. I would still recommend this book to first time parents to read at least once and keep in their library for reference.
Rating:
Summary: Credentials Needed
Review: It seems that for some there is an issue of credibility of the authors. It would be very interesting to see what the credentials of the evaluator is upon critique of the books. What creditials do the credential evaluators have that bears credibility in the eyes of the people reading their critiques? They may want to add those credentials next time, although it is not too hard to evaluate whether their comments are useful or not, with or without credentials. It is obvious that both of the authors have been granted degrees of MA and MD, which requires beyond average minimum daily requirements for having a thought life and the ability to reasonably put 2 and 2 together. There is also something to be said about "working knowledge." I would far rather hire someone that has a good grasp of how to work a job and that has superior natural ability. Sometimes it is hard for a school-educated person to accept the value of a person that contains wisdom naturally. Going to school means that you had to work for what you got. Having a sense for a subject without going to school is not fair because it comes easy for that person and they don't have to work so hard at it--is that it? It has always been tough to start a new line of thinking. Look at the history of a new drug development. How long does IT take to come up with the concept, do the testing, pass the governmental restrictions to be tried on the public and obtain a patent? Ezzo is no different. His true value will not be seen immediately, only over time, cumulatively, just like any other child development theorist has over time. His method will work for some who will be extremely grateful. For others, perhaps another way would make them more happy campers. To each their own. It is a free country. Differences in thought camps do not make one camp wrong and the other right. It just separates the camps and the people who are happy at Lake Placid go there and the people who are Happy at Camp Mivoden go there. When we come home from camp, we join our friends who went to the other camp and live peacefully together with the fruits of our labors. When we come right down to it, we all have choices. Isn't that just wonderful! We learn to work with one another even when we ARE different. That is a great America to live in. Perhaps it will be that by the time the next generation comes along, they will need to take another approach because it will be a new experience and uniquely their own. Does it mean that everything up to this point is no longer meaningless? No, not at all. It just means that there might be some other options for current times. We tried authoritarianism in the 50s. We tried laissez-faire in the 60s. We tried teacher-centered teaching in the past times. For the past 10+ years we have shifted to child-centered teaching. The results? What will the next method address? We create new situations due to the law of cause and effect. And, nothing is ever static. We live in a setting of complex dynamics. We develop habit patterns based on what works in our today. We respond to what our current situation demands. Part of life has absolutes. Part of it doesn't. That part is experimental and prone to mistakes and human growth. Shucks! Why do we always have to be open to versatility? I thought that things would always stay the same! --Karie Klim, BS Elementary Education, MA Reading Education
Rating:
Summary: Different cooks, different flavors; children & results
Review: My background as an elementary teacher has given me a grand viewing of parenting style results. As is more the case, today, one of the major elements of the teacher's day is behavioral management. What a breath of fresh air to have children who have had an orderly approach to life instilled in their fibers by the time they are three years of age. Of the children I've observed growing up with Baby Wise guidelines, they are normal children in every way. Yet, they are more centered, sensing their connection with the environment around them. They have confidence that they are important, yet acknowledge that others are, too--even Mom and Dad. Therefore, everyone gets a turn to have attention. These children are sensitive to others and learn to help because they have a choice and the power to choose themselves rather than be told and prompted everytime a situation calls for it. The principles put forth in these books span a happy balance which is neither laissez-faire and authoritarian. It gives the adult a reason to take charge while respecting the individuality of the child at each development stage of life giving way to ultimate self control on both the part of the parent and the child. Self control comes from having a sense of order, autonomy, feeling safe... Perhaps Baby Wise is the safer form of Ritalin! While there could be a verifiable use for truly hyperactive and attention deficit children, I believe that learning the disciplines of parenting through Baby Wise could merit investigation. When I was in grade school, the occurance of Hyperactivity and ADD children was perhaps 1/20. Let any teacher now tell you what that ratio is! I don't think that you can fault this book or its author for lack of experience or credentials. The more important point is, "Does it work for most people who give it their best shot?" Every parent couple who I have observed using the methods have had excellent results and are raising responsible and respectful little human beings who believe that they are from the country of "the free and the brave." I see child raising like making a recipe. There is the recipe (the guidelines), the ingredients (what a parent brings to the situation, what the child brings). The ingredients are listed and compiled. It is the cook that gives it the flavor. Amazingly, you could have a number of cooks making the same recipe, and guess what? Each product would turn out with just a little different flavor. So it is with parenting. Then, you have to think about the child itself. Does the child have the responsive learning potential? It is also true that even the best of parents have children who would challenge any theory of parenting available to this point in history just because its the nature of the child. I have seen parents using various forms of popular child-rearing techniques from people who have stated credentials. Why is it that THEIR children so bratty? Why is it that other parents using the same guidelines able to get positive results with their children? I have also seen the best children develop in spite of poor parenting models. Why would that be? Life is not clear cut for anyone. We have to glean what we can from what others have found to work well and try them. And, just one try doesn't cut it, either. Most mastery comes from skill development which comes from practice. It is just as much a discipline to learn to be a parent as it is for the child to be within our tutelage. We all make our own mistakes and making them is part of the learning process. We are not perfect, we are "perfecting". We ultimately make our own "recipe" for life. Each time we repeat something that worked well, we keep improving upon it until by the time we are old men and women, they say we are "well seasoned"! At that elderly point in your life, if the younger generations were reared on Baby Wise, they will listen to you and glean wisdom! If you think parenting is important enough, you'll find a way to work with your individual child. You use what works. If you have the basic thinking and prioritization skills, if you have the love to add to the structure, if all the things you "add" to your parenting recipe are solid, plus the good basic "recipe" can yield a palatable result.
Rating:
Summary: Do Research Before Buying This Book
Review: The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued warnings about the feeding schedules in this book. The AAP endorses "demand" feeding for infants. You can read the media alert at...a lactation consultant mentions that babies may stop crying on this plan because they become accustomed to recieving less food than they need. Then a doctor suggests that if a young infant is sleeping through the night, you should wake him up to eat. Read this article at...There is a lot of Pro and Anti Babywise material on the internet. Research this method thoughly and discuss it with your child's doctor before deciding if this book is right for you and your child.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Against a Parent's Instincts
Review: The Ezzo's philosophy on parenting babies is outlandish. This book, just like their previous books go completely againts a parent's natural instinct. Yes, babies need some sort of schedule - but not one that is so inflexible and doesn't provide for their emotional well-being! There is nothing wrong with figuring out your baby's natural schedule and gently and lovingly fitting it into your current family schedule. Also, a parent's job is not to get baby to sleep through the night as soon as possible after birth so the parent(s) won't be so inconvienced. Don't have any children if they are going to be such a problem for you, and you cannot give up your self-centeredness! Try reading the parenting books by Dr. William Sears and his spouse Martha Sears, R.N. instead.
| 
