Rating: 
Summary: Do your research before you follow this advice
Review: I wish I had known before I bought this book that the American Academy of Pediatrics and most baby experts are strongly opposed to the methods in this book. It goes against all natural instincts you have to care for your baby and instead teaches rigid schedules that are convenient for the parent, regardless of the baby's needs. I did more research on this before following it and found that some babies actually have to be hospitalized when the parents follow the feeding advice since they are undernourished. I was really hoping to find good information on getting my baby to sleep, but it's only a small part of the book anyway, and not very good ideas at that (put your baby in the crib and let him cry). I ended up throwing this book away and buying a more compassionate one called The No-Cry Sleep Solution. My baby and I are both much happier.
Rating: 
Summary: Does it really work??
Review: I read "Babywise" before each of my children were born. Both of them were sleeping through the night (an average 10 hours) at 6 weeks of age. Yes, the schedule the authors suggest does work. If getting your child to sleep is your goal, this is the book for you.
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Summary: PLEASE! Babies aren't machines that you can set timers on!
Review: It's absolutely horrible. Why would any parent deny their infants cries? Babies don't cry to manipulate their parents - they cry because they NEED something. They need comfort and closeness just as much as they need food. I do not recommend any parent follow anything this book has to say. All it teaches if for parents to deny their natural insticts to pick up and care for their crying baby, and it teaches babies to distrust their parents. Of course babies will stop crying and fall asleep after being left to cry it out - they are exhausted and scared. Would you let your husband/wife/partner cry for minutes or hours on end without going to comfort them? then why do it to your helpless infant?...
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Summary: Babywise Methods A Recipe for Certain Disaster in Adulthood
Review: I read Babywise when I was pregnant with my son. Because I have Fibromyalgia and am a very light sleeper, I was concerned that I'd never get any sleep again. Although that was my concern, I couldn't believe the atrocious method of "convenient parenting" I came across in this book!! I gave it away to someone to read for her second child (out of her interest in why I was so disgusted). I should have burned it.If you do read this book, make sure you read many, many other books too - and talk to really experienced, loving, and patient parents... It is as cold as the Victorian adage "children should be seen and not heard". How about just NOT having children then?!!... a recipe for disaster is what it is!
Rating:
Summary: Yes, it does work
Review: I'm a parent of six children, and the system described in this book does work.
Rating: 
Summary: Three Steps of Dicernment
Review: There is controversy surrounding this book (in case it wasn't obvious). Clearly there are different parenting practices based on various philosphical prejudices and presuppositions as to how babies best "operate." As a new parent, I read babywise about 4 times, and it just plain works for some people (many five star ratings are entitled: "It Really Works!" or something to that affect). But there are some problems too. For example, Ezzo lays things out as "the way things are," without a lot of room for conflicting studies. Yes, there are well researched studies that demonstrate contrary "facts" regarding babies, sleeping schedules, feedings and so forth. Let me suggest three steps toward better discernment before one is prone to leap at this book in a fit of sleepless exhaustion looking for the cure -- the quick-fix. 1) Read about fifteen to twenty reviews here on Amazon.com. Many are pretty short (except for mine?) ;) and provide you with the spectrum of possible responses (from the logical to the emotionally reactionary). Many are very intelligent and insightful, and I have nothing extra to contribute except a call to expand one's repertoire! 2) Well, expand that darn repertoire! In other words read a couple more books -- at leat one more! I recommend "What To Expect the First Year." That one's always updated and contains much hard data that is sometimes in contrast to Ezzo's work. Look, I can't tell you how many nurses said different things while my wife and I were at the hospital (citing studies to boot!) so if you're looking for the one LAW OF BABY, it just doesn't exist. The point is to become somewhat of an authority on matters yourself so you can make the best decision for your baby given all the available data. I'm not saying go to med-school, just get the spectrum. After reading a few reviews and expanding your repertiore of books-on-hand, you may find yourself realizing the next step. 3) Be flexible, all babies are different. Take what's good, throw out the bad; it's that simple. At least that part is. Putting anything into practice, especially where infants are concerned is anything but! Take Ezzo (and everyone else) with a grain of salt. It doesn't occur to many people who use babywise that there is a logical fallacy subtly at work: just because something seems to work doesn't mean it's hands down the best thing all the time for all people everywhere. Putting baby on a routine is great. Creating a sense of consistency in the household which a vulnerable infant can depend on for a sense of security is fine. Just don't get one book and follow it like an owner's manual for babies as though they were a Sears appliance. Ezzo is wrong about some things, and my main red flag from his book is the lack of forthcomingness (or awareness perhaps?) and humility about other perspectives. He also raises some excellent points that are worth considering in balance with other views. Worth reading, but not alone!
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Summary: oxymoron "trained the natural way"
Review: I was given this book as a baby shower gift. Why I have no idea. It is in the garbage now.
How can you "train" a baby to sleep and expect it at the same
time to sleep naturally.
This book is TOTALLY anti-attachement and very ANTI baby if you ask me.
Rating: 
Summary: Read the entire book before judging!
Review: The people who have written negative reviews have the concepts of the book all wrong. There's no way they could have read the whole thing thoroughly and gotten the impressions they did. This book teaches you that 1)Full feedings are important for the baby 2)Babies can go to sleep on their own if you give them the chance and 3)You should not always assume your baby is hungry just because it cries. It does not tell you to withold food unless it has been 4 hours since the last feeding, that is a false statement another reviewer wrote. It tells you that you should get to know your baby well enough so that you as a parent can decide what it needs and give it to your baby. And it stresses that if you asess your baby and think it is hungry, by all means, definitely feed the baby no matter how long it has been since the last feeding. And it does not tell you to be unresponsive to your baby's emotional needs - the whole concept is to be able to decide what your baby needs and give it exactly that. We've been using the book's teachings only a few weeks and parents and baby are happier and healthier already.
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Summary: Some good points but overall RIDICULOUS
Review: I am a day care provider who read this book because a baby in my care was on the baby wise plan. The author has lots of good points about having a good marital relationship with your spouse but as far as his parenting philosophy:teaching an 8 week old to eat every 4 hours and sleep all through the night is absurd! The book is anti-bonding and Ezzo's philosophy is to not hold the baby too much because he or she will become spoiled. The little boy I watch is 4 months old and a nervous wreck. I suppose the parents are happy because he DOES sleep through the night but he is not a very happy baby. He is lethargic, cranky. (He still cries and screams 3 hours after eating). His parents come to pick him up and he doesn't smile at them and doesn't even look them in the eye! His mother wants us to keep him awake 2 hours after a feeding to "play" but he is so grouchy he usually cries for 15 minutes and then falls asleep.
There is also a 3 month old I watch that is demand fed, smiles and coos, AND sleeps 10 hours a night by herself!
It makes me sad that this is happening all over. I wouldn't recommend it to ANYONE!
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Summary: You can Sleep Again!!
Review: A co-worker of mine recommended this book to me after I had not slept more than 4 hours at a time in 6 weeks. I was convinced my daughter had insomnia. She never slept more than 30 minutes at a time during the day and only for one four hour stretch at night (and that was a good night). After reading this book and using it's schedule, my daughter started taking regular 1.5 hour naps throughout the day and sleeping at least 6 hours through the night. This book is very easy reading and speaks in very plain terms. The basic philosophy is to teach your child how to eat regularly (not snack) and establish healthy sleep patterns (without the use of props, such as swings, rocking, etc.). I had to learn to listen to my baby cry in her crib for a while so that she learned to fall asleep on her own, but the payoff was a much happier, more content baby during her waking hours and a mom who felt in control and well rested enough to actually sing and play with her baby. It's a must for all new moms.
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