Rating: 
Summary: They should give this book away at the hospital .
Review: We worship this book. Before reading it, our son slept for three hour stretches, had no schedule and was miserable and cranky all the time. Within one week of implimenting the sound and reasonable advice in this book, he was sleeping through the night and happy all day. He eats like a horse and at 9 months tops 23 pounds, even though he was born one month pre-mature. To say that the advice in this book is "dangerous" is completely nutty. Why is it that so many people who use the baby wise method seem so "lucky" and have kids who are happy and well behaved- who sleep through the night every night, take their naps without a fuss and are happy and playful the rest of the time?
Rating: 
Summary: there's a better book
Review: I have read and instituted the practices in Babywise. I got mixed results. He advocates an eat, play, sleep schedule which I still find useful. However, his methods are a bit extreme. I found much more helpful advice in Dr. Marc Weisbluth's book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. He gives concrete information on how long a child of a particular age should sleep during the day/night and how long they should be awake between naps. It has been a life-saver!
Rating: 
Summary: Barely Babywise
Review: The first obvious questions any reader ought to ask before buying this book are: "Who is Gary Ezzo?" and "What relevant qualifications does he have to be giving advice about infant care?" It seems very little. Gary Ezzo has a graduate degree in Christian Education from Talbot Theological Seminary. This hardly qualifies him as a trusted medical professional, much less a "theologian" (as the Editorial Review by Liane Thomas mistakenly refers to him). On the positive side: I think many of the principles of this book are right on: Good parenting is not "accidental" but should be intentional. Parenting should be guided by reason and love -- not emotionalism. Secondly, raising great children requires parents to maintain a central focus on the quality of their marriage. On the negative side: His approach is very misleading, alarmist and divisive. Many of his conclusions are developmentally inappropriate for young infants and are at odds with the advice from respected organizations such as the La Leche League and The American Academy of Pediatrics. But the medical establishment is not the only one with concerns. At least two of his former churches (Grace Community Church and Living Hope Fellowship) have rejected his curriculum and publicly rebuked him due to his "lack of truthfulness and refusal to be held accountable." Also, in January of this year (2001), Frank York, former Editorial Director at Growing Families International (Gary Ezzo's organization) wrote an open letter to Multnomah Publishers urging them to consider ending their relationship with Ezzo. The area of main concern is his advice on scheduling feedings for newborns (with the goal of getting the newborn to "sleep through the night" by 8 weeks). Ironically, while this is the most attractive tag for his book, it is also the most weakly supported by relevant medical research. To support his claims, Ezzo relies primarily on anecdotal evidence and results from his own research -- which taken by itself hardly constitutes a trusted body of medical data. Who else has conducted this research and come to the same conclusions? Has anyone ever did a longitudinal study comparing children raised under PDF with those who have not? For example, Ezzo makes bold claims about the long-term advantages of PDF over demand feeding (ie. children who have been raised on PDF have less likelihood of sleeping problems, are more independent, obedient and mature). Since Ezzo's material has been around for about 14 years, It seems there's been plenty of opportunity to study just how demand-fed children compared with PDF children over that time -- but Ezzo cites no such research. This is surprising, since this would help his case significantly. Ezzo fails to demonstrate why "sleeping through the night by 8 weeks" is such an important goal to achieve -- except that it's convenient for the parents. Many newborns will naturally begin to sleep through the night somewhere between 8 and 12 weeks, anyway. But it is not clear how artificially accelerating this provides any value to the newborn. In fact, the AAP has found that Ezzo's program for newborns, in certain cases, has been associated with failure to thrive, poor weight gain, dehydration, breast milk supply failure, and involuntary early weaning. (See article in the April 1998 issue of the AAP News by Dr. Matthew Aney) There is not enough room here to include all issues and concerns with this book. For specific concerns regarding Ezzo, you can write to the American Academy of Pediatrics, The La Leche League, Focus on the Family or the Christian Research Institute. I would strongly suggest readers to exercise caution and discernment if you do buy this book. If anything, at least talk to a medical professional (specifically, a pediatrician or a lactation consultant) for their recommendations and insights. But in my opinion there are so many better books out there that are much less controversial, more substantiated by current medical research and more widely endorsed by parents, medical professionals and respected Christian organizations. In particular, I would recommend any book by the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American Medical Association. From a Christian perspective, I would recommend "Focus on The Family Complete Book of Child and Baby Care" (not actually written by James Dobson, but by their Physicians Resource Council). Also, two great books on general child rearing and discipline are "Raising Great Kids" and "Boundaries for Kids" by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for gaining a healthy, balanced perspective
Review: My child slept through the night after 7 weeks. Although we didn't follow this book like robots, we found it contained some principles and helpful tips on easing our baby into helpful sleep patterns. After 4 months, he slept 11 hours per night, had a consistent 4-hour sleeping schedule, and was a very very happy baby. I recommend all parents read this book, compare it to other more traditional wisdom, and decide for themselves which aspects remain relevant to them. Then, proceed humbly through the first several weeks, if not forever.
Rating:
Summary: OK, but there are MUCH better ones.
Review: This book SEEMS great, if you are having your first baby. You'll think you have a plan, are ready, and have your handbook. Not so fast! This book could be dangerous, and the experts agree. It does have good advise about making the parents' relationship the center of the family (not the child) and about getting your baby on a schedule. However, it demands that you supress your instinct to go to your baby if he/she seems in pain or otherwise needs comfort. It goes as far as calling you weak if you go to comfort her. This is a bit drastic. If that baby needs you and you feel the need to go to her, you go! She could be scared or gassy, not just manipulative. We don't need this guy making us feel guilty for going in. My 2 kids have been sleeping through the night since 10-12 weeks old and still are at 3 and 1 year old. Get a book that helps you, not supresses your instincts. Pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: With baby-centered parenting baby and we do GREAT!
Review: AS others have stressed, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a warning on this book's feeding schedules. Especially if you are breastfeeding, baby will not thrive if you go 3 hours between feeds. from a lot of the testimonials, citing success with 5 to 8 week old babies on sleep, about 6 weeks is when mom's baby blues wear off. That is also when your milk supply is more established and baby automatically went longer 2 to 21/2 hours between feeds. What about baby's growth spurts and bringing up my milk supply if I don't feed him on demand? Why would one go totally against nature? I like all of the Sears books, though I would say follow your own common sense and instincts with any book. This book is not baby-wise, it promotes selfish parenting! My baby just turned 7 months, and sure, our and esp. my stay-at-home-mom life is centered around him, but his is centered around us too, and everyone comments on how "easy" he is, that is because he knows that if he really wants me, i've never kept him waiting more than 30 seconds before I respond to him. Frankly, maybe its because of the breastfeeding, I can't bear to not respond to him. He is very secure, and happy to explore his surroundings by himself for 15 to 20 minutes at a time while I do other stuff. He cries for all of 2 minutes a day, fusses for maybe 20 minutes and is developing on schedule and growing off the charts on every statistic! Around 3 1/2 months, he started sleeping many nights for upto 6 hours. Around 5 months, he automatically matured enough to want to go upto 3-4 hours(especially with his 2 hour afternoon and evening naps) between some feeds without complaint, and yes, it is good to teach them to fall asleep on their own. You can do that with no tears! And yes, set limits,a simple one he learned within a couple of days at 4 months is not to bite/teethe while feeding :-)
Rating:
Summary: HOw to abuse your baby
Review: I don't even want to give any stars for this book. His research clams are flawed. Many, if not ALL, child development experts warns against his method of raising a baby. You are putting your baby at risk for death and/or permanent emotional damage if you follow this book. American Academy of Pediatrics has written a formal warning against this book. Many doctors have seen "failed to thrive" babies due to this book. This book is for parents who wants to raise their baby by forcing the baby into their lifestyle instead of understand baby's nature. As a Christian mom, I highly disagree with this book. The author is kicked out from the church where he was an associated pastor. HE's not even ordained. Many christian doctors, pastors warns against this book. You are setting yourself for bad parenting practices.
Rating:
Summary: AT LAST!
Review: I'm not a pediatrician, but I am a mother of six children. The first four were fed "on demand" and became very demanding toddlers/children. A friend gave me Baby Wise when I had my fourth child, and all I can say is "What a difference!!!" My last two children are calmer, more generous, more affectionate and more self-disciplined. Much of the content I had already figured out from trial and (a lot of) error with the first four children, and I kept saying to myself, "why didn't someone tell me this for my FIRST one!" It certainly would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights (and days!) I now give every new mother I know a copy of this book - no nursery should be without it!
Rating:
Summary: On Becoming Baby Wise
Review: Although controversial, the principles set forth in this book and put to use in our home has resulted in a baby who sleeps through the night (begining at 9 weeks) is well nourished and healthy, and is continuously happy and smiling. This program may not be for everyone, but it sure has made our transition into parenting much easier.
Rating:
Summary: Be WISE parents
Review: I read Babywise when my daughter was 2 weeks old. She is now 4 months old and sleeps through the night. I don't need to rock her endlessly or nurse her to put her to sleep. She is a content and happy baby, gaining weight and thriving. I know the principles of Babywise helped me in developing my parenting style. Do I follow the book without any deviation ever? No. I've taken the advice of Ezzo and Buckman and incorporated it with my own common sense to develop a routine that's comfortable for my baby, my family and myself. If you're an advocate for child-centered parenting, don't disregard this book entirely. It may just offer you some suggestions that you can incorporate into your parenting style.
|
