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Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby (平装)
by Tracy Hogg with Melinda Blau
| Category:
Baby care, Parenting, Baby books |
| Market price: ¥ 158.00
MSL price:
¥ 148.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
With comprehensive and practical information including advice on wake up routines, diapering routines, bathing routines, body language guides, and cry deciphering, this book is quite a manual for new moms. |
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AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 14 items |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
As a first time mom who had no experience with newborns, I was struggling with understanding what my baby wanted when he cried. I was on bed rest for the last six weeks of my pregnancy and was unable to attend parenting classes. After my son was born, I went searching for information on my own and ran into two schools of thought - attachment parenting and strictly scheduled (cry-it-out) parenting. I was not comfortable with either philosophy and found this book to be a great middle of the road. It helps us teach our son that he is part of our family unit and there is no prolonged crying involved. The EASY routine is a routine, not a schedule. There's a big difference.
I purchased the book when my son was 7 weeks old and put him on the EASY routine. I am so glad I did! I learned that my son was not hungry as often as I thought he was, but was suffering from horrible gas pains! Once I started to slow down, listen to his cries, and watch his body language I figured out that he was in pain. We switched formulas and our son is a very happy little boy.
I know that some people have issues with the information on breastfeeding, but I had already made the decision to bottle feed by the time I purchased the book. It may or may not be the best routine for breastfeeding moms. I also don't buy into the five "types" of babies, but I can see how it might be helpful for someone whose child fits one of the "molds."
If you are a new (or experienced) Mom and you feel helpless when your little one cries, I recommend that you take a look at this book. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
I am a huge fan of Tracy's Eat-Activity-Sleep cycle. It helps you anticipate your baby's needs. How do you know if your baby is hungry, tired, just wants to suck...or maybe something else is wrong? EASY takes away a lot of the guesswork.
I struggled with my first child. I was attachment parenting and afraid that anything other than demand feeding and co-sleeping must be on the other side of the AP/cry-it-out dichotomy and therefore cruel, unnatural and potentially harmful to baby's psyche. But it's not all black and white (I know a lot of people could have figured that out on their own but I guess not me). My first son had to be nursed to sleep and would wake up if I tried to get out of bed. My second son goes to bed beautifully in his bassinet after a nurse-bath-lullaby routine. When he wakes up for his nighttime feed I just take him into bed with me. He naps well also. I cannot describe how great it is to be able to shower daily and take care of my older son and get my work done (I work at home).
The methods in this book really helped inspire my parenting strategy and keep me from feeling bad about not embracing every aspect of attachment parenting. I am much more whole and sane than I feel I would have been otherwise.
That said, there is some advice in here that I passed over completely, like not to co-sleep. I also feel that the "5 types of babies" thing is silly armchair psychology. And she says stuff like "babies like to look at lines because they look like they are moving" - I doubt there is any proof for that. But overall, it is a great book to have in your parenting toolbox - not a replacement for your own instincts! |
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Kristen M. Galley (MSL quote), Shanghai, China
<2007-02-11 00:00>
I read this book while I was pregnant, and again when my son was born, and had a difficult time napping and getting off to sleep at night. It was a helpful guide, which is what ANY baby book should be, and it gave me some ideas on how to get my son to sleep on his own, without letting him cry (I do think the cry it out method is cruel) What Tracy advocates, and I wholeheartedly agree, is to GET TO KNOW YOUR BABY above all else. The EASY plan worked pretty well with my son, but I've adapted it a little; he doesn't always sleep in his crib for naps, as long as he is getting a healthy amount of sleep, we don't mind where he falls asleep. Also, I don't watch the clock, I watch HIM, and just try to anticipate his needs before he gets frantic(this is my problem with demand feeding... I don't like the idea of waiting until he is so hungry that he cries... why not just watch his cues and feed him while he's happy?) I don't understand people's complaint about the breastfeeding stuff. I am breastfeeding, but not on demand... my son has been going every 2-3 hours since birth. Sometimes, he gets hungry sooner, sometimes later, but I have the sense enough to just feed him, not just follow the 'orders' of a book. Come on, people... no book is going to give you a cure all to your baby's crying, sleeping and eating, you do have to use a little commom sense, and get to know this little person. At 5 weeks old, my baby is not sleeping through the night... and I don't need him to be just yet; he's well rested, happy, and gaining weight like a champ... all because I used Tracy's book, and my own instinct! |
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S. Bishop (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
This book has great guidelines and advice, teaching you to trust your judgement, watch your child and respect them. If you're looking for the Bible or Magic Pill for baby care - keep looking (and if you find it, tell someone). But using the general ideas and background principles helps so much and most importantly, gives you somewhere to start. I realize, that as the mother of a Touchy Angel and Angelic Spirit is already a lot better off than another mother of say, a Sensitive Grump (we prefer Sensitive to Touchy, but hey), but they're both so different and there are so many practical ideas and things to try. I have the great luck to live overseas and be able to afford childcare, and we have our child care providers read this. WE re-read it (especially the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers now) to reconnect with the basics on occasion. I did not find this book (or apparently read it to mean) militant schedules (in fact, I think she says to be flexible about it) or not advocate breast-feeding (which I did until 12 months for both children, adjusting the recommended solids and introductions accordingly) - but I also disagree with the idea that moms 'instinctively' know because goodness knows I didn't. We tried a few things (Babywise - too rigid, Attachment Parenting - too flexible), and this worked for us. I hope it does for you. |
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K. Smith (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
I received this book as a gift when my baby was 2 weeks old. I wished I had it sooner so I could have read it before she arrived and utilized this great advice from day one. Nonetheless, as a first time mom, I have found this to be an invaluable resource... I dog ear all the pages I continually reference! It is very easy reading and all the advice is easily applied if you are willing and flexible. I have implemeted Tracy's strategies and find that my daughter is more contented and so is mommy! I love the flexibility of her EASY schedule... and it has been very adaptable to our day and my baby's needs, and is much more realistic than "on demand". It has also been helpful when others have watched her, as it helps them anticipate what she will need and when, therefore making their experience a postive one, and keep volunteering for more! Another aspect that has been a lifesaver is her SLOW method and how to interpert your baby's cries and body language. This assisted me to learn what she needed and helped me to avoid things like overfeeding or thinking she was tired when she was not. This book is truly an essential for any expectant mom, and she will thank you endlessly for such a thoughtful gift! I know I am so grateful to the thoughtful mom that gave me my copy... it was her favorite book, and she did not find it until baby #8 and she now has 10! |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
As a mother to an 18 month toddler who has read just about every book on baby & sleep out there and tried every method, let me be brutally frank about how wrong the book is about getting babies to sleep. Like other first time mothers, I desperately wanted to believe that this book's promise of "no cry sleep solution" would work. I couldn't stand my baby cry for a minute and couldn't imagine the alternative self-soothe method. But I tried the no cry solutions suggested in the book - ritual, rocking, putting them to bed when they are sleepy but awake, if they wake in them middle of the night, taking them out and rocking them and then putting them back into their crib. I tried this book's sleep approach for over 4 months. There was no improvement in my baby's sleep. What really got me to stop listening to this book was that one night, after the rituals and after an entire hour of rocking him, my baby was so sleepy but would not let go of me, that he tossed and turned in our bed and accidentally hit his head on our bed's headboard so hard that he lost consiousness. I decided that this is not the way to teach a baby how to go to sleep. I read two other books on sleep by doctors who have professional training and research on infant sleep and found that they had very different perspective than this book. The two books - Sleeping Through the Night by Dr. Jodi A. Mindell and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth - both advocated the cry it out/self-soothe method. I did a large poll of mothers and found that 90% of those who were happy with their babies sleep had in fact used the cry it out/self-soothe method. So I decided that I really should try this alternative even though it was with great anxiety that I embarked upon sleep training my then 13 month old . I worried and obsessed and was really scared to start it. But it really really does work. The first night of sleep training, my baby cried 10 minutes. The night six nights he cried about a minute each night. After a week he went to sleep happily. After two weeks, he no longer woke up in the middle of the night. He is now sleeping 11-12 hours through the night and is a very happy boy. I wished that I had not read Tracy's book and had instead read the Mindell and Weisbluth sooner. Avoid the sections about sleep in this book - getting your baby to sleep enough, sleep through the night, or getting babies to go to sleep on their own - it didn't work for me. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
I gave this four stars because the book accomplishes what I bought it for and what the title suggests-a practical guide to understanding and interpreting baby language. The other sections on breastfeeding and sleeping with your baby are not as well written or even correct.
This book has been a HUGE help in educating about what the title says-communicating with your baby. I found this to be an invaluable aid in interpretating our baby's language. Ms. Hogg talks about baby's signs and noises as an actual language (which it really is). Ms. Hogg was absolutely right on in all of her descriptions of what baby is really saying. She gives accurate descriptions of body language and verbal cues along with a thoughtful way of approaching listening that help tremendously in figuring out what the baby is really saying. She also portrayed the world from a baby's perspective quite well.
It's easy for many parents to think that every time the baby cries she is hungry or needs to be changed (Us with our first!). This book talked about all of the other myriad reasons that a baby fusses (overstimulation, attention, change of scenery to name a few) and gave practical, easy to do actions that meet baby's needs BEFORE she gets into a full blown cry. By listening to your baby, watching her body language and taking note of the environment before acting, it is possible to have a happy more relaxed baby.
That said, I agree with some of the other comments about the short shrift that Ms. Hogg gives breastfeeding. She seems to be trying to to make a very strong case for accepting formula feeding. Breastfeeding IS better for the baby-better for boosting the immune system, better for overall nutrition, WAY more convenient (no bottles, bags, mixes, etc. to bring along), and it's always the right temperature. There are also benefits to the mother as well which I won't go into here. Suffice it to say that the breastfeeding advice leaves a lot to be desired.
The "family bed" issue is also a bit misinformed. There are different styles for different families and we have experienced the upside of letting the baby sleep in your bed. We also had a crib with my older daughter in the room with us and currently a bassinet for our newborn also beside the bed. This does not seem to be an option in her book. Why is it always the extremes that are discussed-total coziness in the bed with mom and dad or total separation in another room? We do the best of both worlds. The baby is close enough and can easily snuggle and do convenient night feedings and comfortings but we can also put her in her own bed quite easily without fuss when the bed is just a few feet away.
We did the same thing with my older daughter, who is now eight years old, and she never had any problems switching to her own room or sleeping in other places (grandma and grandpa's house). I feel that this is because sleeping for her was always a safe and comforting affair both in her crib near us and with us in our bed. She grew up without hang ups about sleeping. She never had to wait to be comforted and she could hear us nearby so sleep was never a stress filled event.
I would highly recommend this book for the communication aspect. Supplement the breastfeeding and co-sleeping sections with Dr. Sears' Baby Book. |
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C. McIntyre (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
I found this book to be extremely helpful at helping us put together a "structured routine" for our first child (2 weeks old as I write this). Hogg's E.A.S.Y. method makes so much sense - and has helped us quickly learn how to read our baby's signals and "troubleshoot" his crying because all three of us know what to expect: nap, diaper change, feed, "play," repeat. If he's crying and we know he's full and his diaper is clean, then chances are he's overstimulated and is ready for a nap, etc. We really feel like it's kept us in tune with his true needs rather than offering him the wrong things at the wrong times.
From reading other reviews, it's clear that not everyone found this book to be helpful, but if you find that what a book tells you (or what anyone else tells you, for that matter) isn't working and is causing problems, then trust your instincts and make some changes rather than have everyone in the family suffer.
We made some tweaks to Hogg's advice to suit our needs, but even still her experiences gave us a great foundation for developing our own routine. You don't have to agree with everything she says for there to be helpful information in her book. For example, as I read her book, if a child cries when you put him down for a nap, she recommends that you pick him up, comfort him, set him back down to try and drift off again, and repeat until he falls asleep. We tried this the first few days and then decided to let him cry a bit - he fell asleep after 5 minutes of crying... we realized all of our picking up and putting down was just making him more overstimulated. Now, we know that if his tummy's full and his diaper's clean that he might just need to cry for a couple of minutes before falling asleep, and we can tell the difference between the "I'm overstimulated" cry and the "Hey, I need something!" cry.
Another adjustment we've made is that if he's awake longer than normal and he essentially skips a nap session, rather than trying to force the nap to happen before feeding him, we simply skip the nap and start over again with the feed. This varies from the routine slightly, but so far he has always fallen right back into it again.
And while I found the baby profiles interesting, I didn't find them the most useful part of the book since our little guy acts like different "types" at different times. What I did find helpful was the E.A.S.Y. approach, the S.L.O.W. method of diagnosing a situation, the cues on how babies fall asleep, and the charts on different types of cries and body language to help understand what baby is telling you.
Despite the problems others have had, I strongly encourage new parents to read this book, and - as with any other advice - take away what works for you, ignore what doesn't, and trust your instincts! |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
I agree with other reviewers who say that for a self-described lactation consultant, Tracy Hogg sure does give a lot of support for formula feeding. That being said, I know breast is best, but formula worked best for our situation, and only in this book did I find the confidence and reassurance that I wasn't a bad parent for using formula.
I read and re-read this book before my daughter was born and found many of the author's suggestions to be very helpful. We knew that we wanted our daughter to sleep in her crib from day one, but we do not believe in letting her cry. This book provided us with techniques that provide both comfort and security for our baby but also would help her to fall asleep on her own. Sure enough, at two months old our daughter was sleeping through the night and would nap without a problem, and is still doing so at 10 months old. She is able to soothe herself easily but knows we will come when she calls. For this alone, this book was worth the money!
Tracy's description of routines vs. schedules were also a huge help. Her E.A.S.Y. recommendation helped me to observe my daughter's natural rhythms but also establish a basic routine around them, so we both felt more comfortable because we knew what was coming. I'm also a fan of her comment that children are born into your family - they do not rule it. Our daughter is our number one priority, but that doesn't mean my husband and I should forget ourselves as individuals. Taking *me* time does not make me a bad mother, and Tracy acknowledged the importance of that. Thank you, Tracy, for helping me be a better parent.
As other reviewers have stated, being called "luv" or "ducky" sure does get irritating, but the suggestions in this book are well worth overlooking that. Whether you are breastfeeding, formula-feeding or both, this book has some wonderful parenting advice. |
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Linda (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-11 00:00>
If you intend to breastfeed, you should be warned that following the feeding advice given in this book could cause you to have serious problems with your milk supply. The author is openly against feeding on demand, even for newborns, and recommends that mothers start to space feedings out and offer only pacifiers between scheduled feedings when the baby is only one day old. Breastfeeding is designed by nature to be an on-demand system, and a mother's milk supply is stimulated by a newborn's desire to nurse frequently. Forcing a newborn to space out breast feedings short-circuits nature's system for establishing a mother's milk supply, and this can lead to a serious supply shortage. Another reason not to follow any breastfeeding advice from this author is that she does not seem to believe that breastfeeding offers any significant advantages over formula feeding, and leans heavily toward formula supplementation frequently being necessary... these are red flags that this person is neither supportive or knowledgeable about breastfeeding, and her advice is suspect. There may be some value in her recommendation to follow a routine of wake up, eat, do some activity, then sleep, and to have a consistent daily routine in a baby's environment. But her breastfeeding advice may be harmful, and her bias against ever sharing sleep with your baby both go against how nature intended babies to be cared for. As alternatives to this book, I recommend The Baby Book by Sears, The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley, Good Nights by Gordon, and Baby Matters by Palmer.
(A negative review. MSL remarks.) |
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1 2 | Total 2 pages 14 items |
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