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Jan 07, 2008

Jaime rated it:

I was going to borrow this book, but mysteriously, everyone I know who used to own a copy chucked it into their trashcan and had nothing to let me borrow. I decided to read the library's copy and find out if it was as useless as I had heard.
As a general review: BabyWise inspires extremism. You either assume they are crazy and you do whatever you darn well want to or you assume they are geniuses and you believe every word. These are both dangerous schools of thought. The book starts out wit More...

3 comments like (17 people liked it)

Oct 19, 2010

Franziska rated it:

Seems like everyone loves this book. Here's what I thought(good stuff first):
- I liked that they emphasized the importance of a stable and well nurtured relationship between spouses as a healthy environment and support for the children
- I liked their idea of trying to establish a routine of eat/wake/nap time (mainly because that's how I do it at day care, and it flatters my ego to think people write books about the very thing I figured out on my own. Ha!)
- I liked their mention More...

0 comments like (10 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2012

Stephanie rated it:

7 comments like (10 people liked it)

Aug 21, 2011

Dimity rated it:

Here's a newsflash: don't have a baby if you're not willing to sacrifice some sleep while your baby grows to an age where they can sleep by themselves through the night and don't read this book unless you believe that babies come into this world tainted with sin as Ezzo does (although he does a good job covering it up in this little manual cleverly disguised to be attractive to a secular audience). It's also good context to know that Ezzo's grown children are estranged from him and since being More...

0 comments like (10 people liked it)

Aug 31, 2008

Kate rated it:

I know some people don't like the author or his ideas, but I found them lifesaving with our first baby. I saw how effective these methods were for my best friend, so I was very interested in reading this book for myself.

We started Babywise with Lily when she was two weeks old--basically, we started giving her life a consistent pattern of feeding, having waketime, then napping. The big difference between this and the way that most babies naturally operate is that babies like to fal More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2008

Margaret rated it:

Ok. I have TOTALLY held off on reviewing this book because of the stone throwing that might ensue. People either love this book or they hate it. But call me a glutton for punishment...I'm going to tell you that this book saved me! And I mean really! I honestly wish someone would have tackled me and made me read it when I was a mom with only one child. Although, honestly, I'm not sure it would have solved the sleep issues and colic that my first son had. But I read this book before I had m More...

7 comments like (14 people liked it)

Sep 24, 2007

Sarah rated it:

I used this with my first two, before I knew about their previous editions or the other books in the series that go into more depth with their system. I basically picked and chose the principles that I liked, and discarded everything else. Which is good, since they advocate what, to me, amounts to child abuse. Corporal punishment, manipulation, adults are superior, all these ways of getting your child to be obedient to you just because you're the parent.

Their credentials are questio More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 04, 2008

polly rated it:

Babywise was recommended by a friend of mine who had a baby a couple of years ago and swore by the 'scheduling' in the book (though the book would probably call it putting baby on a 'routine'--I think it is scheduling!) Whether or not you like the book or find it useful will probably depend on your style of parenting, temperament, and expectations. I read it at first before my son was born, then refreshed by reading some parts of it again after he arrived.

The more parenting I do, More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 22, 2007

Millie rated it:

Utterly appalling. The American Academy of Paediatrics has called for this book to be banned. If you are thinking of reading this book or using Ezzo's methods, please go here first:

http://www.ezzo.info/

I found this book in a secondhand shop and after hearing so many things online about it (ranging from "it is wonderful and I converted to Christianity because of it" to "Gary Ezzo should be locked up") I bought it for, I think $1. It is a "parenting More...

6 comments like (16 people liked it)

Mar 21, 2008

Laura rated it:

I've heard this author referred to as a "milk-Nazi", and having read the book, I understand the reference. "The natural way"? Hardly. I've had two tongue-tied boys (that makes for inefficient eaters, unhappy tummies, and frequent feedings). The advice in this book is harsh and without compassion for children. I think his response to baby's hunger is in effect answering the cry for food with, "Here: eat this stone, kid." Jesus had compassion on hungry adults. God the More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2008

Lynde rated it:

scariest book ever created. the authors are not professionals, doctors, have experience...they are just pulling out this advice from their nether-regions and testing to see who is gullible enough to listen. if you want to estrange your children, read this book. if you want to create a fearful environment for your child, read this book. this book has also been linked to thousands of deaths due to dehydration and malnutrition. it is pure danger and should be removed from all shelves and burne More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Darcy rated it:

Some good ideas, but too harsh for my tastes.

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Sep 15, 2008

Jessica rated it:

Who wants their baby to sleep through the night and go to sleep without any fuss? Then you should read this book! I first read it when a family I nannied for wanted me to get on board with what they were doing with their daughter. It worked like magic! David and I decided to apply this same program to all of our children. I have 5 kids and they all slept through the night between the ages of 6 weeks and 3 months. The basic principal is getting them on a feeding schedule so that their metab More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Aug 11, 2008

Christine rated it:

I just finished reading this book after it was recommended by two of my good friends. I wish that I had read it before I had my first child. The scenarios it described about "demand feeding" fit my experience feeding Rebekah so perfectly, it was embarrassing:).

It was nice to read a book that I could not only see the benefit of, but that I actually found myself agreeing with the author on most parenting philosophies. It was obvious that the author had a great respect for More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 08, 2008

Michelle rated it:

This book seemed like a great idea. I was set on using this method until I actually gave birth, and I think in a different situation this book would have been wonderful. We did use the feeding schedule as suggested, but the sleep schedule/method was entirely unsuccessful.
I didn't like that it didn't give me any excuses, it made me feel like I was a failure for not being able to adhere to their method. They said to expect some crying in the beginning, or if you are implementing it late More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 12, 2008

Jen rated it:

I don't know - I have such a hard time with this book. Before my first baby I read it probably 5 times - certain that my child would come out of the womb and be on a schedule exactly how this book described it. And I read nothing else, so I had no backups. This book says there's no such thing as luck when it comes to having a good sleeping baby. I disagree. I guess the thing is this - if you're one of the 80% of parents who have a normal to easy baby, I think this book will work for you. I More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Feb 04, 2008

Raelene rated it:

If taken with a grain of salt, this can be a really helpful resource. I believe in routine and schedule and sleeping at night. Some parents don't - bonding and closeness are more important to them - and that's fine. But for me, this book was a great help in training my little one to sleep through the night (while carefully monitoring his eating habits and growth). However, I think you have to have a certain degree of detachment and know that this is not going to work perfectly in order to fe More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 04, 2011

Amy rated it:

The tone of this book is outlandish. The authors present their philosophies on parenting as the "gospel" of parenting and dismiss any other form as dangerous and undesirable. The advice is dangerous and in my opinion, heartless. I would not recommend this book and if I could, I think I would give it a -10. Seriously, the WORST parenting book ever written. Not only is it dangerous for babies, it's dangerous for parents. At least for me, it left me feeling like a failure as a mother a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 13, 2007

Diana rated it:

I absolutley love what these books have to offer, and find them to be right on. I studied infancy and early childhood development, so I didn't go into these books blindly, but found them to work really well, and to be on track with the long terms goals were are trying to help our children accomplish. And if you read the sites for their study work, it's amazing. I can't stress how helpful these were. Especially with my daughter who had GERD. Without this, I don't think any of us would have made i More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 29, 2011

Krissy rated it:

I must say that I did not approach this book from any kind of neutral stance whatsoever. I've heard friends talk about how uneasy the book's instructions made them because it went against their instincts, and I've read articles from the AAP linking the book to 'failure to thrive' in babies of parents who followed it to the letter. The book mostly attacks attachment parenting rather than really proving its own method. The only part that really seemed to ring true to me was the fact that by ma More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 10, 2011

Michele rated it:

I read this between having my first and second babies at the insistence of my SILs... and was not impressed. In my mind, if you can't handle waking up to feed your infant or are bothered by their cries, you probably shouldn't be having a baby. I could see using some of the methods with older babies - like at 9 months or a year - definitely if you're still having trouble with toddlers sleeping through the night, but I think it's too extreme for newborns.

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Deanna rated it:

There is an amusing amount of controversy over this book, considering it is pretty limited and practical. It is not a comprehensive parenting book, but it does give a good starting place for the mother bringing home a newborn. It gives a nice general structure for feeding, sleeping and playtime and is not as rigid as critics imply. There is no reason to take it overboard as some fear. The one downside of this book is that it says that if you maintain a structure as they recommend, your baby More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 06, 2009

Brittany rated it:

I’m not ashamed to say that I was an absolute mess the first few weeks after Abby was born. I usually pride myself in being a relatively prepared person, but for prepared for infant, I was not.
My sister recommended I read Baby Wise. The theory behind Baby Wise is basically to let your baby ‘cry-it-out,’ pretty much from day one. My implementation of this technique lasted for about…two nights.
In my continued desperateness, I had a couple of people recommend The Baby Whisperer. T More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 11, 2009

melissa/missy rated it:

Can I give it zero stars? Or negative two? After reading that the American Academy of Pediatrics has criticized this book (and even linked it to specific cases of babies' deaths and malnutrition/dehydration cases), I picked it up just to take a look. (Couldn't bring myself to read very much of it.) But I read enough to notice plenty of errors on a basic biological level; did we forget that feeding schedules have been proven to be the absolute worst thing for breastfeeding babies?? Babies ne More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2009

Shelley rated it:

What a lifesaver this book was for me. I highly recommend this book to all new parents. If the hippie drippy co-sleeping based on the misconcieved birth trauma theory isn't working for ya, try this! To me this book is sanity in a world gone child-centered mad. The proof is in the pudding and both of my very different children were sleeping through the night by 8 weeks old (5 or more hours). At 2 years old my son was so familiar with the feeling of being tired and what to do that if he got c More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 04, 2011

Molly rated it:

This book was sent to me by another blogging friend who was a new mother. She knew I was expecting a baby and thought she would pass it along. She told me there were parts she really liked and parts that just didn't work for her. She sent along another parenting-get-your-baby-to-sleep book later that she preferred. Since I appreciate as much knowledge and options as possible, I read them both and felt more aligned with the methods presented here.

As a first-time parent, over the hil More...

1 comment like

Nov 09, 2011

Kendall rated it:

The beauty about this book, as well as every other parenting book, is you can adjust the advice to fit your baby, life, and comfort with the advice. As a first time mom, I found the book to be extremely useful and a lifesaver because I had to start back with school and an internship 5 days after giving birth. The book recommends focusing on "full feedings" with new babies, and as this was the advice I left the hospital with, I found it to be helpful and relevant. My baby naturally More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 07, 2011

JeniLynn rated it:

We used most of the methods in this book and are some of the only parents with a baby that sleeps 12 solid hours from 12 wks on - our daughter is 14 months now. She takes her naps and goes to bed without ANY fuss - of course it took a lot of work to get there, but I'm glad we put out the effort. And believe me, it's WORK, working so hard you actually cry, and then all of a sudden you have the ONLY happy baby in the nursery, at the grocery store, in the car, etc. because she is the ONLY baby who More...

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Oct 05, 2011

Alyssa rated it:

After 8 months of no sleep unless I was holding my baby (and constant fears that I would drop him or my husband would roll over and smother him) someone suggested this book. I cried tears of joy when I read it. I needed that strength to help me let my baby cry and not feed him every hour when he did. Where before he was a colicky mess, crying, spitting up and generally uncomfortable, after implementing this we were both so much better for it. I'm shocked to hear so much controversy, but I know t More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 20, 2011

Keegan rated it:

Well, it will quickly become clear that I'm just generally not too fond of parenting books. This one particularly annoyed me because it seems to suggest that the only way to raise a healthy, happy child was to do it by this method. I DO know a baby whose mother used this method and he is a delightful healthy, happy child, but they still lost me on that because I already have a three-year-old with whom I broke many of their rules and he's a delight and he sleeps fine in general and has for quite More...

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