Rating: 
Summary: Bad for Breast feeders
Review: We started with this book, and after two months gave up. Our child went from being underweight-dropped more than he should have of initial birth weight_, was fussy and crying for hours per day (and night)on this plan, We were unable to continue breastfeeding with Ezzo's approach as well. Our four month old is now much happier, in the upper range for weight, and sleeps just fine through the night. Find another book, and check with the american academy of pediatrics when in doubt.
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Summary: "Babywise advice linked to dehydration, failure to thrive"
Review: This book should never have been published. It is a public health hazard for the most vulnerable of our society - our children. According to Matthew Aney, M.D.,"On Becoming Babywise, has raised concern among pediatricians because it outlines an infant feeding program that has been associated with failure to thrive (FTT), poor weight gain, dehydration, breast milk supply failure, and involuntary early weaning." This was written in a report for the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP). This is not referring to a specific case, but numerous instances. Some parents swear by this book. If you don't believe me, please listen to the medical community (the author has no medical background - he is a minister that has been denounced by some of his former churches). The following is from the same AAP article. The practices in this book are tantamount to child abuse. "The Child Abuse Prevention Council of Orange County, Calif., stated its concern after physicians called them with reports of dehydration, slow growth and development, and FTT associated with the program. And on Feb. 8, AAP District IV passed a resolution asking the Academy to investigate "Babywise," determine the extent of its effects on infant health and alert its members, other organizations and parents of its findings."
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Summary: Loads of dangerously incorrect breastfeeding "info"
Review: This book is what it calls itself--an infant MANAGEMENT program, not an infant CARE program. It will teach you how to distance yourself from your child and push your baby into a schedule convenient for you. If you have a compliant, "easy" child, s/he will soon sleep through the night, eat on schedule, etc. If you have a fussy baby, s/he will scream and scream for hours, hungry, or tired, and needing your help to eat or relax into sleep. Eventually, you may find that your child will no longer look you in the eye, having been abandoned and betrayed for days. The scariest part, though, is the breastfeeding info, which directly contradicts research on the subject. The more often you nurse, the more milk you will produce, and it will be higher in fat and calories, too. Spacing feedings can result in baby getting great big bellyfuls of watery milk, which don't satisfy and can lead to indigestion and fussiness. Many, many women who follow this program find that they lose their milk 3-4 months post partum, because their breasts just don't get enough stimulation. Think of it like this: If your breasts have a holding capacity of 2oz, you will need to feed more often than a woman with an 8oz capacity. If you are only feeding 2oz every four hours, your body will begin to think that either you are weaning or your baby has died, and it will shut off milk production. If you are going to breastfeed, please read the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding for accurate information. And if you plan to follow Babywise anyway, please be aware that Ezzo has *no* parenting credentials, *no* college degree...Since when is abandonment a legitimate parenting tool?
Rating: 
Summary: Becoming Baby Wise
Review: .... My 3 1/2 month old boy is flourishing, off the charts for height and weight. He started sleeping through the night at exactly 9 weeks. Since that was the week of Christmas, and we were traveling, it wasn't solid until week 10, but I will take that anyday of the week over the 1 year I hear other parents talk about. At the Detroit Auto Show my father-in-law paid me the biggest compliment, "Doesn't he ever cry?" He does cry, but only when I don't follow my own interpretation of "Baby Wise". This book doesn't give rules, it gives guidelines. Want to mess up your kids..... follow the parenting advise common in magazines which includes setting your kid in front of the TV baby sitter. I bought the book because 5 independent families told me of their results, a 6th didn't like it, and their child is well.... entertained for hours in a crib by floating fish and a mirror.
Rating: 
Summary: Serious issues with this book
Review: I've never felt compelled to write a book review until now. Here are some of the problems I have with this book: --Ezzo does not have any degrees pertinent to child care --he had to leave his church --his publisher has stopped publishing his book --most of the book is written with no examples from real life but uses made up examples (even if you do not like Dr. Sears all of his examples are from his practice or his home life) --most of the book is written as a reaction to attachment parenting --he seems to think on demand feeding is feeding the child everytime they cry instead of watching a baby's cues to eat so instead he advocates a strict schedule which has led to problems when implemented too stringently --people teaching his programs have advocated followers not too tell their doctors that they are following it --the AAP felt the need to address the book and scheduling in general I think that as with any book some good points to follow can come out of it but I would advise the buyer to beware because of all the points I made above.
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Summary: Get this book if you want to have a joyful, happy home!
Review: Every time we are out, someone comes up and comments on what a happy child we have and then tells us how lucky we are! My husband and I attribute this book to helping us think long term about what we are teaching our baby about playtime, mealtime and sleeptime. Every moment is a joy and we know we are giving her skills to last her lifetime. We know many parents who have parented by these principles and their children are a joy to be around and always welcome in other people's home. This sold us on Babywise. The book is not a day to day parenting guide. It gives guidelines for parenting but does not tell a parent to check their brain at the door. I don't know why there is such controversy over it - it reads like common sense. Why not teach your child correctly the first time what is a toy and what isn't a toy or how to act at the table instead of waiting until they are two and then have power struggles and battles every day? Moreover, it talks about the importance of the marriage and to not let being parents become so overwhelming that it hurts what is the foundation of the family. I have given this book to many friends who all say it made a huge difference in their home - they are happier and their babies are happier. I hope this is useful to you. Another book you may want to consider is Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. Same philosophy, but more examples of day-to-day decisions.
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Summary: DO NOT PURCHASE THIS BOOK!
Review: I don't believe in banning books, but if I did, this would top the list! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and theories with respect to child rearing, but when they market it under the guise of a scientifically proven theory without any supporting evidence, I call that a blatant lie, pure and simple. It makes me sad to know that parents continue to buy into this quasi-Christian method of dealing with babies. Many of them don't realize that most of the theories and methods are unsupported. The authors recommend that parents "train" their babies right from the start. They advocate letting children "cry it out" from an early age, so as not to set up a scenario whereby the infant continues to "manipulate" the parents in order to have control over them. Not only is this ridiculous, it is totally unfounded. Baby's wants are baby's needs - and the author suggests that one should dismiss or ignore what babies really need, the safety, security, love and warmth of another human being. Babies NEED contact with their parents, sometimes almost continually. Efforts to encourage independence in a newborn only keep the child stuck. If babies are allowed to be dependent on their parents for the first few years, they are more likely to move onto the next stage (independence) when they are ready. Babies should not be subjected to rigid sleeping or feeding schedules because this is more convenient to the parents. Feeding a newborn infant according to a rigid schedule sets up problems, especially when it comes to breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that breastfeed infants have 8-12 feedings in a 24 hour period. Feeding a newborn every 4 hours allows for only 6 feedings, not enough to keep baby healthy and to keep mama's milk flowing... Much of the advice in these books directly contradicts what is recommended by the APA and other respected organizations. AND what some may not realize, is that "Baby Wise" was originally published under the name "Preparation for Parenting," by a fundamentalist Christian organization called Growing Families International (GFI). Their stated goal is to establish "a biblical mind-set for parenting, a mind-set that can be passed from generation to generation." In order to pollute the mainstream with their wacky ideas, they removed all biblical references from the original text and renamed it "On Becoming Babywise." Know that the reason the Ezzos advocate letting infants as young as eight weeks cry it out is because God allowed Christ to cry out on the cross. Just know that this belief is what is behind all their unsupported theories. Also keep in mind that all the currently available evidence demonstrates that night wakings by infants serve an important purpose in establishing and maintaining a mother's milk supply. New evidence suggests that uniterrupted sleep cycles in infancy may raise the risk of SIDS. If you still feel compelled to read this book, go right ahead, but do so with some accurate information.
Rating:
Summary: Don't buy it
Review: Ezzo's philosophy is harmful to babies. If you are looking for a parenting book, try the DR. Sears Baby Book.
Rating:
Summary: don't buy this book
Review: Christianity Today, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr Jay Gordon and many others have
denouced this book and the authors methods as being dangerous. Babies who are breastfed
on the scheduele included in the book, have suffered dehydration, failure to thrive, and severe
complications. Parents using this method have been convicted of child abuse! Please do not buy this book. Try The Baby book by Dr. Sears or You Baby and child by
Penelope Leach instead.
Rating:
Summary: Works like a champ ... spread the word
Review: My wife and I have used the methods outlined in this book in a more faith-based version of the material targeted to small group study led and supported by more seasoned mentoring couples. The approaches outlined are a good foundation and provide relatively quick results for parents who stick it out. We know it has worked like a champ for both of our daughters. Our first daughter (now 4 1/2 years) was sleeping through the night at 10 weeks old and still takes about a 3 hour nap most days. Our second daughter is now 3 months old and started sleeping through the night consistently at 9 weeks old. At one point in time I saw another review on Amazon appearing to be a bit alarmist making vague warnings not really describing what sent kids to the hospital using these methods. We are loving, involved and concerned parents who would NEVER do harm to our children. This book's concepts have actually enhanced our daughters' lives as well as our own by providing us with common sense strategies to bringing peace and order to our babies cycles of feeding, wake time and sleeping. In fact, both our daughters have been extremely healthy with very few non-routine visits to their pediatrician. The personalities of both daughters are quite different, yet, this material has benefited both girls even with obvious differences in their early babyhood. With all of the drivel out there and utter nonsense about rearing children it is refreshing to have more sane and simple approaches to handling the early weeks and months of a child's life. We know when we went through it we found that the ideas communicated always seemed very down-to-earth and reasonable. My sister is now 5 months pregnant and I will be getting her this book as an important primer for her early months as a new Mom.
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