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Summary: COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITH OUT IT
Review: I can't believe how many people think bad of this book, since it's actually the best thing i've read since i got pregnant. I couldn't believe it but my 3 month old is sleeping already from 8pm to 8am, and having 5 meals in the day. For those who say it's unhealthy, my baby girl has doubled her birth weight and some more, besides she's hardly ever fussy. I'll always be greatful for the person who recomended it. I've let a couple of friends borrow it and it worked for them too.
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Summary: No program works for everyone, all the time.
Review: I was thrilled to get ahold of a copy of Baby Wise, as I had heard it would solve all of my 4 month old's sleep problems. Unfortunately, I've had only partial success. I do believe that the eat, play, sleep schedule has made my baby somewhat happier and easier, but Ezzo leaves no room for flexibility (despite his claims.) My son seems to fight sleeping during naptime and no amount of "crying it out" gets him to sleep. He just stays up and gets crankier and crankier. Ezzo says: if you put your baby on a schedule, he'll sleep great and be happy and contented. But he never mentions what to do if your child does not settle into a schedule.I've found that people are either Baby Wise fanatics or detractors, with few in the middle like me. I think people assume that because Baby Wise worked for them, it must work for everyone, and you're doing something wrong if it's not working for you. OR folks think that because it didn't work for them, it is a cruel and inhumane way to care for baby. I say: try it, it may be just the ticket, but remeber, no program works for all babies, all of the time.
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Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: We have three kids who were all taught to sleep through the night with the advice in this book. They have also been lovingly disciplined in other areas as they have grown older. The basic idea is to love kids, not indulge them. Loving means disciplining them appropriately, teaching them wise character, and helping them learn proper respect for their parents. It saddens me that so many parents think they're loving their kids by centering the household on the kids, when all they're doing is teaching them to be self-indulgent and, ultimately, unhappy, because they've never learned to be satisfied and have never learned they're not the center of the universe.We have wonderful loving relationships with all three of the kids. They're happy, healthy and respectful. This book, and similar methods of parenting older kids aren't "for the convenience of the parent" as some other reviewers have written. They're for the long-term success of the kid.
Rating: 
Summary: Great advice -- if you're raising a dog!
Review: This book reminds me of the dog obedience training I completed with our puppy just prior to having our daughter. If you want to raise your child like you'd train your dog -- with obedience to the "master" and complete disregard for the child's feelings or emotional well being, then this book is for you!
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Summary: A Must Read For ANY New Parents
Review: I am a first time mom. My son is 5 weeks old and is thriving. I strongly believe that he is thriving because of the adice in this book. My husband and I started him on a scedule when he was 1 week old and now, at 5 weeks, he is going down for naps with no problems (we can even put him down wide awake and he will fall asleep on his own). He wakes up happy not screaming. Even in the middle of the night. I am not waking up to a screaming baby. Even when he went through a week of colic (due to a milk allergy), he wasn't in too much pain because he wasn't being forced to eat when he cried. His doctor made a comment on how well my son is doing. My brother and his wife raised their child by picking him up every time he cried. They also made their child the center of the universe. Well, they are paying for that now. He is now 2 years old and everytime he gets fussy, my brother and his wife have to drop whatever it is that their doing to try to please him. This past Christmas, my family got together and because my brother's son was fussy, they had to go home early. The child is out of control. He runs their life. With this book, you feel in control and therefore, the baby feels more secure. I strongly believe that your marriage comes first. If you can't prove to your child that you have a strong relationship, how will the child feel secure in ANY relationship. BUY THE BOOK!!!!
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Summary: Super guidance for parents who want "happy babies"!
Review: This book came to me via several moms who used it successfully. As first time parents, my husband and I loved this program for the peace it gave us in knowing how to handle all the different demands a baby has. We knew our baby's needs much better than parents who are always "guessing what's wrong". Now, as a mom of 3, I'm seeing the benefit in my kids and in my husband and I's relationship too. A major problem with lots of kids is their parents' lack of ability to teach them that they are not the center of the universe. Everyone has to learn to be happy on their own, follow a routine, signal for needs, etc. This book helps parents and babies do that effectively. Yes, when looked at from the "kids are THE most meaningful thing in my life and whatever they want, they get" point of view this book seems cruel. But as a former public school teacher I see the pluses of kids learning how to be happy in a world full of others. You will learn how to do the following with this book: attune to your child's cries, determine what they need, teach your baby to fall asleep without anyones's help, set up a routine that works for your baby and your family. BUY THIS BOOK! and use it with wisdom. All we heard from people who were around each of our babies is this comment: "Your baby is so happy!" and that wasn't just after naps. They knew what to expect and when. You will benefit greatly from this book.
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Summary: Read with caution!
Review: Just because it "works" does it make it "right"? Sure, I can see how a very rigid schedule can be convenient for parents, but what I'd like to see is how these children turn out 18 years from now. I personally love my kids too much to implement much of Ezzo's advice. My goal is to raise capable, loving, responsible people, not to make the early years as easy as possible for ME. I'd suggest you check out some alternatives such as: Dr. Sears book: Nighttime Parenting, Kid Cooperation by Elizabeth Pantley, or The 10 Greatest Gifts I Give My Children by Steven Vannoy. Make wise choices with your children - you won't get a chance to do it over if you do it wrong.
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Summary: Please think before you buy this book.
Review: This book came highly recommended to me when I was pregnantwith my second child and my first was in the "terribletwos." When I read it, I was frankly horrified. These books should be renamed "Parent Convenience Training." This philosophy is so disrespectful to children. The overall tone of the book is scary and insidious, but you are cautioned to be "flexible" in following their advise (like "your child will be immoral and out of control if you don't follow the schedule -- but do be flexible!"). Both of my sister-in-laws are using Ezzo's books (one is using Raising Kids Gods Way -- the same book but with the Biblical justifications for everything). While their children, one has a one year old and the other a 3 month old, do cry very little and are very docile, I believe this is because they've been left to cry it out so often, they now figure what's the use? An infant's primary instinct is to survive and if that means adapting to a rigid schedule and being isolated and not allowed to cry in order to be accepted, of course the program will appear to "work." My one brother and his wife are both business executives and have a nanny who meticulously follows Ezzo's program at their insistence. The baby often goes days without seeing either of them, since the rigid schedule they have adopted for him calls for him to rise at 7:30 a.m. and go down at 7:30 p.m. and they are usually either putting in extra hours early or late, or travelling. They think being a parent is easy -- and it is for them! -- But at what price has this come I wonder? How emotionally healthy will a child grow up to be who receives the message as a tiny infant that, essentially, "I will only love you if you fit into my schedule and do exactly as I direct you to do -- or suffer the consequences"? So much for unconditionally loving of your children. Isn't it common knowledge by now that children who are raised by conditionally loving parents end up in therapy (hopefully) or are unable to maintain a healthy, intimate relationship? As a working mother of two, it would have been very convenient to buy into the idea that as long as my new baby was clean and fed, it was o.k. to leave her to cry it out. However, I knew instinctively, intrinsicly, that this was dead wrong. I hauled myself into the office many a morning after long nights spent holding and comforting my baby. But it was worth it. My children, now 5 and 2 are extremely bright, curious, emotionally-healthy, empathetic towards others, well behaved and all-together wonderful. My children speak their minds to my husband and I, but are respectful. They tell us if they are feeling sad, joyful, silly...whatever. They are willing and able to articulate their feelings to us because they know our hearts are always open to them and there is no "schedule" to dictate when they may experience our love for them.
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Summary: It might take a while, but...
Review: It took a little longer than I thought it would, but it was well worth it.When we put our baby down for the night, she doesn't fuss at all. She's 10 wks old and sleeps through the night. People always remark on what a good baby she is. It really gave us direction as first time parents.
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Summary: The worst parenting advice I've ever seen
Review: This is a crazy book. The scheduling is so confining that you would be unable to have any life at all. There is no room for flexibility, such as going out of the house to do errands. The strict feeding schedule is incompatible with hungry babies. Yes, your life will change when your baby arrives, but you can incorporate the baby into your life. I've read many parenting books and would recommend "The Baby Book" by William Sears M.D. and Martha Sears R.N. Also, for breastfeeding mothers, I caution that by following Ezzo's recommendations for feeding scheduling, you will in effect be reducing your milk supply and will end up with a crying, unhappy baby. Follow the AAPs breastfeeding guidelines instead, which are to breastfeed when the baby shows signs of hunger (not a schedule) and that crying is a late indication of hunger.
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