Rating: 
Summary: Use a little Common Sense Peoplr
Review: Someone gave me the Babywise book and before I read it I came to this site to read some of the reviews on it. After reading them I came to the conclusion I would have to read the book just to see what all the controversy is about. Since reading it I have realized that the people that are against it didn't want to like the book and the methods in the first place. They consistantly put down the author as being a tyrant and bordering on be an abuser of babies. They took just about everything he said and twisted it into what they wanted to hear to justify their cosleeping, constantly holding and making the baby the center of their family rather than an equal part. All I can say is the author constantly says to monitor your baby, your milk supply to make sure he is getting enough to eat and know your baby's crys. He never said let your baby cry and cry and cry. He said using his methods you will be able to tell what kind of a cry it is and when to respond as necessary. He also said it is fine to go in and comfort your baby. He also stated no one should use the clock as a soul source of when to feed your baby. He made suggestions for different situations. He even said, God forbid, that you are the parent and the decision is yours on how you want to handle situations that arise.So I will say I read the book with an open mind and I found it very compassionate towards infants, towards families and especially towards the importance of the two parents' relationship. And on the comment many people made about, "if an ederly person were treated this way...." to that I say read the book again because I didn't hear any abuse going on. If a ederly person were truly known and monitored, the way Ezzo suggests monitoring infants, they'd probably have better care than the nursing homes are currently providing. So to those of you thinking about using this method take in all the reviews you'd like but read the book and use your own common sense. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 
Summary: Burn this book
Review: Being a new mom and seeking all advice on becoming a good mom, I have tried "the babywise technique" among others. My girl cried 20 min the first night, 5 min the second night and 1 hour the 3rd night, afterwhich I run, full of tears and broken heart, to cuddle and comfort her. I have noticed a change in her in the morning, she was extremely sad, as normally she is a very happy baby. I felt like I let her down. I swore I will NEVER let her cry to sleep again. I now believe all babies are different, some will sleep through the night, some won't and some will sleep sometimes. The fact is that each baby has different needs and there is no way on earth you will teach your baby to fall asleep on her own if she just does not. She might need you, and if you are not there you will loose her trust and therefore her happiness. I cannot believe that this book was published in the United States and is available on bookstore shelves labeled for "baby care", where an advice seeking mother hopes to find doctors help in caring for her newborn. I think there is something wrong with American system to allow this to happen. This book should be labeled as "fiction". I also blame myself for trusting the system and not doing the research I have done afterwards, and thank God I followed my instinct.
Rating:
Summary: A Word of Caution!
Review: Let me first qualify my remarks by saying that I've been working with various types of dysfunctional families on a professional level for over 29 years now, including work in the fields of Child Abuse Prevention and Drug Abuse Prevention. I'm also the father of two adult children. This Ezzo approach to the treatment of children makes me afraid for the children of parents who might adopt the attitudes toward children held by this Ezzo fellow. I want to say that I've studied child-rearing approaches on both an historical and anthropological basis, and have *never* encountered an approach toward the treatment of children that poses a greater degree of threat to the well-being of children than is being proposed by Mr. Ezzo, whose only generally recognized accredited academic credentials consist of some non-degreed course-work at a community college. Apparently, his appeal to young christian parents stems largely from his claim that 'his way' is 'God's way'......as he is otherwise wholly unqualified to present himself as an 'authority' in the area of child-rearing. While there have been approaches practiced in the past which were designed to break the spirit and 'will' of children, I have never seen one that attempted to accomplish this task (beginning in infancy) with such *specificity*. I can only assume that this treatment of children is designed to create lost souls who will be primed for salvation. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I simply cannot fathom another reasonable explanation for this treatment of our young, short of accusing this man displaying sadistic tendencies. Please folks. Children are suffering unnecessarily at the hands of this harsh cruelty, and we don't yet know what the long-term impact this approach toward child-rearing will have on society as a whole. Will adherents of this ultra-authoritarian approach raise children who will isolate themselves in a tight-knit cult, or will we be seeing broken minds, broken spirits, and broken hearts spilling out into the general population? How many Failure To Thrive cases will it take to eradicate this movement? Will Ezzo deem it more pragmatic to hide these kids from the medical and health care professions in an effort to further his cause (along with his profits)? In the spirit of the teachings of Jesus Christ, please believe that you can be a good Christian without ignoring the needs of your babies, or beating your children into fearful submission.
Rating:
Summary: Not For New Mothers
Review: As a new mom, I purchased this book thinking it would help me learn how to get my infant to sleep longer at night. Reading this book made me feel like a failure as a mother for not having my 7wk old on a rigid three hour schedule of feedings and napping. Ezzo "talks down" to mothers and has an attitude of "this is simple, what's your problem", leaving no room for the differences babies have right from the beginning. If you'd like a helpful book on sleeping, read the Weisbluth book which has parent's personal stories as well as scientific data and research. Please do not buy this book for a new mom.
Rating:
Summary: It really does work!
Review: My first child is now four months old and has been sleeping through the night since she was seven weeks. I used this book to learn about how to feed her to get her to sleep through the night when she was first born and now I am using it to learn how to introduce solid foods. It is easy to read and understand. In fact, I have certain pages marked to refer back to from time to time. My baby is happy, well rested, and growing like a weed. This strategy is wonderful for parents who would like to be well rested and be able to appreciate their happy, growing baby during the day!
Rating: 
Summary: Be Wise to Baby Wise
Review: The Ezzo's make the case that nearly all of the babies following their routine sleep through the night at 3 months, and some as early as 6 weeks. I don't doubt their claim--it is characteristic of all babies, whether they follow the Ezzo method or not. This book is based on the premise that by following their recommendations your baby will sleep through the night. The problem is that you cannot prove the cause and effect relationship that they claim. Every baby starts out sleeping for fairly short periods before waking for a feed. As the baby matures, it sleeps for longer periods between feeds. I have two children whom I raised in exactly the same way. My first was able to sleep for 8 hours before waking for a feed starting around 6 weeks of age; my second took nearly 6 months to get to that point. What can explain the difference in their behavior? I believe it is simply that the first baby's internal clock was quicker to adjust to nighttime sleep than the second baby's. If you try and influence your baby's sleeping pattern, as I did with my second (because I was sick of getting up at night!) you will end up with a very cranky baby who needs a lot of extra holding and comforting. This adds an extra burden to an already tired mother. A baby that is well rested is happy to play with his toys by himself for 15 or 20 minutes stretches, enough to give mother a break now and again. And a baby is only well rested when he is allowed to sleep when he feels the need to do so. I tried to follow the Ezzo routine and was left utterly frustrated and despondent. Having said that, though, it is only fair to point out that one of the traits of good mothers is their ability to be very well organized. I agree in adhering to a schedule, but not as a means of controlling a baby's behavior; rather, to make mother's life a little bit easier.
Rating:
Summary: MUST HAVE
Review: This book was given to me by a friend and of all the wonderful gifts that first babies bring, this was the best. I have twins and they were sleeping peacefully through the night by three and half months. They go to sleep in a timely manner without much fuss and they wake up happy. Every parent should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: On Becoming Baby Wise: Learn How over 500,000 Babies Were
Review: I am the mother of two, and expecting a third. With my first child I nursed on demand, and didn't get more than 2 hours straigt sleep for 6 months. (I finally resorted to breaking that habit, and my heart by letting my baby cry himself back to sleep for about 4 nights in a row.) He was thriving, in the 95th percentile for weight. With my second son I followed the Baby Wise guidelines (I came from a neighborhood of new moms who swore by it) and had a baby who slept through the night at 7 weeks. I never had to listen to him cry himself to sleep, it just happened. He was also much more content during daytime hours. He, too, was thriving, gaining a full pound his first week and four during the first month and always in the 90th percentile range. I'll be using the Baby Wise guidelines with our third. I am surprised that some readers think the authors are telling you to ignore your child. I never got that from reading this book. I understood them to say babies cry for different reasons, don't automatically assume it's hunger, and don't respond with a bottle or breast if hunger isn't what's bothering them. They also write of babies need to play and for companionship, and encourage you and other family members to fulfill these needs. If you want a book that helps you sleep through the night (which I believe is beneficial for baby and mom) by establishing a rather flexible routine, then Baby Wise is for you. If, however, you'd prefer to let your baby make all the demands, and are okay with an erratic schedule (and all the moodiness for baby, mom and dad) which can occur, then maybe this book is not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Scary and dangerous
Review: The ideas in this book were scary! I am so glad that after reading this book I read others and researched more! Numerous researchers have shown that the guidelines set in this book concerning feeding guidelines are not only inhumane but can be dangerous. Many "failure to thrive" cases have been linked to the feeding schedules outlined in this book. Many of the other premises set forth in this book also are potentially as dangerous. Before taking the information in this book as "gospel", research all sources and check with your pediatrition.
Rating:
Summary: A Creepy and Evil Book!
Review: I was lent this book (good because it's not worth the papaer it's written on. All of these ideas are archaic (I'm amazed they didn't state that formula is better than breastmilk), useless and mean spirited. A newborn's sense of security comes from knowing its parents WILL come when it cries and feed it when it's hungry..not from a schedule being forced upon it and its screams being unanswered (at one point they advise to let a baby cry itself to sleep....it'll last no longer than 45 minutes: Yeah, after the baby has made itself sick and everyone has a splititng headache!)To the greatful couple that posted a positive review stating their baby slept through the night at 8 weeks: that's relatively normal and your baby might be up all night tomarrow!I'm not a huge proponent of letting a kid have reign of the house, but this book is just nasty. If you're not prepared to deal with less sleep for awhile, don't have a baby.P.S. In his next book will this sadist suggest that whipping the kid is an effective form of discipline?
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