On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep
by Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gary Ezzo, Robert BucknamEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2006-09-25
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 252
Publisher: Parent-Wise Solutions, Inc.
Book Reviews of On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep
Book Review: recommend with strict caveats
Summary: 3 Stars
We bought this book on the suggestion of several sets of friends. We recommend this book with some STRICT caveats (see below). First, our son is 9 weeks - and yes, he is sleeping through the night (achieved without any crying it out as the book predicted).
However, we followed only some of recommendations in the book. We combined it with our own common sense AND the incorporation of principals, philosophies and techniques included in two other books I highly recommend reading before employing any of the BabyWise techniques. These are the Happiest Baby on the Block and Bright from the Start - the Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3 (see my comments on these books at the end).
I would have given this book 4 Stars based on our success using Ezzo's Parent Directed Feeding principals were it not for his militant "crying it out" nap techniques that are not just unsupported by science but are actually rejected by science - and could even harm your newborn. I highly recommend that parents considering using any sort of crying it out technique for a newborn do a lot more research before they start down that path (Bright Start was a great resource for us).
We also rejected Ezzo's premise to avoid props such as swings/pacifiers/etc. to soothe the child (Happiest Baby was a great resource for us). The latter are just strategies in HIS opinion - and have nothing to do with successfully getting your baby to sleep through the night.
However, the basic underlying premise of the book is based on the importance of establishing a routine, organizing your child's sleep/wake/feed cycles, and ensuring your baby gets sufficient sleep. These are absolutely supported by science (again, Bright Start is a great resource). Even the American Academy of Pediatrics says that most newborns are capable of achieving full nighttime sleep by 12 weeks (and about 50% do). Consider buying the book published by the Academy (it is expensive though).
We generally set up a 2 ½ - 3 hour feeding routine as suggested. This meant we often had to wake our newborn during the day for the next feeding (which wasn't appealing to my son's two grandmas). Even our pediatrician, who is an admitted "old-school never wake a sleeping baby" doc, said that you should wake a baby in the day if your baby is sleeping especially long to avoid having him have his longest sleep cycle during the day instead of the night (you do have to train your infant to get his days/nights worked out). However, unlike some of the readers below who seemed to have lost their parental compass, it also meant that we REGULARLY deviated from the PDF schedule and often fed our son at 1 and/or 2 hours, and even 30 minutes on occasion (as the book repeatedly says - if your child is hungry - feed him)! The schedule helped establish a daily, consistent routine that worked for our son AND helped me better understand his needs (hunger, tired, wet, distressed) b/c if he had just had a good feeding 30 minutes prior, his cries were unlikely due to hunger (although in some cases, they were).
We also had grandmas and relatives staying with us nonstop for the first 6 weeks of his life - which meant he was held frequently during the day, and we never let him cry it out when put down for a nap or in the middle of a nap. We also swaddled him - and applied many of the 5 S's recommended in Happiest Baby (Swaddle, Side Hold, Sucking, Sushing and Swinging). However, we generally stuck to a consistent daily routine of feed/wake/sleep cycles that lasted 2 ½ to 3 hours in between feedings (some naps never happened, some were 45 minutes, and some were 1 ½). At bedtime, we consistently put him in his cradle (and then crib). If he cried, we picked him up, soothed him for as long as took, and put him back down in his crib. The consistency of always ending up back in his crib was important, even if it was exhausting to get up, and get up, and get up and get up to soothe our son before he fell asleep. He was sleeping 5 hours consistently by 5 weeks, 6 hours consistently by 7 weeks, and now is averaging 7 ½ hours at 9 weeks.
I am a firm believer that with so many parenting resources out there - there's no reason to "wing it." However, I refuse to believe ONE book provides all the answers. Read as much as you can, talk to your friends and family, use the latest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and trust your instincts. But, before employing any of Ezzo's techniques, I really encourage you to fist read Happiest Baby on the Block and Bright from the Start.
Happiest Baby will give you some perspective on the nervous systems of a newborn - and why they don't come with self-soothing capabilities. It's up to us to help soothe them. His techniques worked for us and weren't inconsistent with ultimately achieving a good night's sleep! It is also heavily researched - and is inconsistent with Ezzo's opinions against using "props" to help a baby to fall asleep.
Bright from the Start will likely become a very important resource for you. This book is by far the BEST and MOST RESEARCHED book on infant care through age 3 that I've read- and will give you both the "why's" and "how to's" of raising a child who will be receptive to learning later in life. It also takes a close look at brain development - and will show you why "crying it out" techniques in newborns/infants should be avoided. It is also chock full of specific recommendations of developmental games you can play (grouped by age group).
More On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep reviews:
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Summary of On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep
The infant management concepts presented in this book have found favor with over two million parents and twice as many contented babies. On Becoming Babywise brings hope to the tired and bewildered parents looking for an alternative to sleepless nights and fussy babies. The Babywise Parent Directed Feeding concept has enough structure to bring security and order to your baby's world, yet enough flexibility to give mom freedom to respond to any need at any time. It teaches parents how to lovingly guide their baby's day rather than be guided or enslaved to the infant's unknown needs. The information contained within On Becoming Babywise is loaded with success. Comprehensive breast-feeding follow-up surveys spanning three countries, of mothers using the PDF method verify that as a result of the PDF concepts, 88% breast-feed, compared to the national average of only 54% (from the National Center for Health Statistics). Of these breast-feeding mothers, 80% of them breast-feed exclusively without a formula complement. And while 70% of our mothers are still breast-feeding after six months, the national average encourage to follow demand feeding without any guidelines is only 20%. The mean average time of breast-feeding for PDF moms is 33 1/2 weeks, well above the national average. Over 50% of PDF mothers extend their breast-feeding toward and well into the first year. Added to these statistics is another critical factor. The average breast-fed PDF baby sleeps continuously through night seven to eight hours between weeks seven and nine. Healthy sleep in infants is analogous to healthy growth and development. Find out for yourself why a world of parents and pediatricians utilize the concepts found in On Becoming Babywise.Parenting Books
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