Rating: 
Summary: PLEASE USE EXTREME CAUTION
Review: Most medical professionals will tell you that the feeding methods described by Ezzo can be harmful to an infants physical and emotional health. Carried to an extreme, these methods can and have led to death. If you decide to use these techniques anyway, please be extremely careful. Be honest with your pediatrician about your feeding schedule (don't lie b/c you think he/she won't like it), and if your baby isn't gaining weight, looks dehydrated, is extremely fussy or shows any other signs of illness, get your baby to the ER and choose another method. Realize that there are other ways of raising kids God's way.
Rating: 
Summary: One way, not the only way.
Review: There is very likely more than one way to raise a happy, healthy baby. "Baby Wise" offers one of the ways, but it is surely not the only way.Wait around long enough and most ideas will come back, perhaps slightly disguised. When my first daughter was born in 1990, an elderly lady who had raised her children in the 1930's said to me "If you want that baby to be happy, you put her on a schedule." Scheduling was very big in the early part of this century, but fell out of vogue. Now the idea of scheduling is back in "Baby Wise." And scheduling does bring advantages. As the authors claim, I believe that babies can learn to expect the structure of their day, and will appreciate the consistency, just as toddlers need and appreciate behavioral boundaries. The authors do not advocate rigid scheduling, but rather flexible scheduling. Much of what this advice boils down to is "Don't assume your baby is hungry every time she cries. Be thoughtful about her needs. If you do so, you will end up feeding larger meals less frequently, which is good for your baby and ultimately, good for you and your family." Some of the negative reviews of this book put words in the author's mouths that are ridiculous. If you follow the advice found in this book your baby is not going to end up in hospital, nor feel unloved. A couple of things that you might think about before you buy this book.
1) If you use this method, the need to be observant of your child cannot be overemphasized. The authors implicitly say this, but much of the success of this approach will ride on your ability to know your child's signals. This is true because flexible scheduling means feeding your child on a loose schedule. . .but feed her outside the schedule if she's hungry. So how do you know if she's hungry? You've got to be able to read her signals. Otherwise, you'll feed her every time she cries, just to be sure she's not hungry.
2) How does the parents' approach to their own lives fit in? If you are a person who HATES routine and schedules, I can't imagine that you would be happy using this approach, and I think your attitude would be communicated to your child.
3) Sometimes the book traipses off into speculation that is downright silly, for example the offhand comment that America's increasing problem with obesity may be traceable to mothers feeding their children to comfort them.
4) The book is about 50% longer than it needs to be. The ideas here are not complex, and while the writing is passable, the book is annoying repetitive. It feels very much as though they had a pamphlet's worth of material to communicate that they stretched into a book. There is more than one successful way to raise a baby. Baby Wise offers a reasonable guideline to one approach.
Rating: 
Summary: Sleep...finally
Review: When my first daughter came home from the hospital, I had no idea how to schedule her, how much she should drink or how much she should sleep. I was a wreck. She was bottle fed and did not sleep through the night until she was 3 years old and her baby sister was on the way. It was horrible finally having to realize that she would have just cry herself to sleep at the age of three. I had friends whose babies slept perfectly and ate perfectly. The one thing they all had in common was Babywise. With a new baby on the way, I vowed to do everything different. I read Babywise cover to cover several times before my 2nd daughter was born. I nursed her and followed the book as close as I could. It was amazing. She did everything the book said she would do. She was sleeping from 7pm to 7am by 15 weeks. Naps were not an issue. She would just go down at the scheduled time. She is now 5 and we are expecting sister number 3. I've given away my copy of Babywise, as well as purchased copies for my friends and family. I am about to buy myself another copy so that I will be refreshed when my new daughter gets her in a few months!
Rating:
Summary: Inaccurate medical advice doesn't deserve one star
Review: Common sense cannot salvage this book. There are too many erroneous medical claims, too many documented case studies of babies who have failed to thrive, and too many confusing pieces of advice... if one does as Ezzo suggests in a few places in this book to appease his critics and just "feeds a hungry baby" then what is the point of the schedule in the first place. Don't waste your time or risk your baby's health with this book. If you accept all the "it worked for me" claims, at least consider the "it didn't work for me" statements too.
Rating:
Summary: This book is the worst thing for your baby you'll ever read.
Review: My sister-in-law followed the guidelines in this book and was rewarded with a baby needing to be hospitalized because she wasn't getting enough food.
Mr. Ezzo wasn't a parent when he wrote the first version of this book, he has no lactational training, he's not a doctor, and his grown children no longer speak to him.
The American Academy of Pediatricians has written statements against this book and his program because many babies are being hospitalized due to following it. In Orange County, California you can be charged with child abuse if you follow his guidelines.
If you want to know exactly what not to do to your baby, this book is the one to read. Just do the exact opposite of what he recommends and your baby will thrive.
Rating:
Summary: Babywise makes for a happy baby!
Review: I can't say enough good things about this book! I tell everyone I know who is having a baby how well the babywise scheduling works. Our baby is 8 months old now and she has been sleeping through the night since 10 weeks old. It just happened, just like the book said it would.
Our baby is so happy, she can fall asleep on her own and is such a wonderful independant little girl. She takes great naps and wakes up happy! I owe it all to babywise b/c it gave me the confidence to undersand my baby and react properly. I have so many girlfriends who have babies who are little snackers and still aren't sleeping through the night at a year, I just shake my head because it doesn't have to be that hard....
Thank you Babywise!
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Summary: Works Great for Breastfed Babies!!!
Review: I exclusively breastfed my daughter for a year and she started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks. At 2 1/2 she continues to sleep through the night and wake up happy. I owe a lot of it to Babywise. After reading a few books and articles, my husband and I chose to implement the Babywise method. The first few weeks I nursed on demand until breastfeeding was fully established. Then I eased into a 3 hour feed, wake, and sleep cycle. Yes, my daughter cried a little but that's what taught me to distinguish her cries. I never let her too much. Once the routine was set and she knew what to expect, she rarely cried and she became such a happy baby. I was also a happy new mom since I could follow the schedule and plan my activities around it. The book also allows for flexibilty such as unusual situations like plane trips or growth spurts. Now I'm exclusively breastfeeding my 7 week old son and he's on his way to sleeping through the night too. I'm following the 3 hour cycle and at 5 weeks he slept 5 hours, at 6 weeks 6 hours, and now sleeping 7 hours. I also just finished reading Childwise for my older daughter and plan on implementing Gary Ezzo's theories once again! His books are easy to read, simple to follow, and quick to work.
Rating:
Summary: A must have!
Review: It is the only book you need to guide you along those first months. My son cried nonstop the first week and my sister sent me this book. It just makes sense as babies must have a routine. Never wake a sleeping baby!!!! It's true and within 2 weeks I had a wonderful child who was happy and sleeping so much better. I loved the schedule in the back as any Mom or Dad knows you are just exhausted and this was an invaluable reference. I also loved the guidelines on where your baby should be at every 3 mo. interval. I gave it to my cousin who had twins and she too agreed it helped her so much. My new daughter was sleeping 10 hrs. a night by 7 weeks. She was in a routine within 2 weeks and is doing just great. We're all a happy well-rested family!
Rating:
Summary: A book that changed our lives!
Review: Any parent should take advantage of the skills this book has to offer. Our new baby, after only 4 nights, began to sleep through the night, EVERY night. Once you make it past the first stage of changing their biological clocks, it is worth all the effort! It changed our lives. No more getting up all hours of the night AND our baby is happy and cooing when he wakes up, EVERYDAY. Did I say he was doing this @ 2 months old... This helped my wife and I so much, the word is out at our office of 30,000 employees. Everyone is joining in the new rest and peace this book offers.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!!!!!
Review: I have been suprised at what I have been reading in reference to Ezzo's book ON BECOMING BABYWISE. My daughter is now three months old. She started sleeping through the night (7 hours) at six weeks, and now, she is sleeping ten hours. I have read some reviews saying your baby might be starving if you use Ezzo's approach. Well, not my daughter! She came into this world at 5lbs, and she weighs a wopping 12lbs now!!!
This is a great book, and has helped my husband and I to get the sleep we need too!!!
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