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110 reviews for:
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
Melinda Blau, Tracy Hogg
3.54 AVERAGE
110 reviews for:
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
Melinda Blau, Tracy Hogg
3.54 AVERAGE
This is for moms with babies younger than the 11 month old that entered my house Nov 8th of this year but our library didn't have the toddler version. EASY (the Eat, Activity, Sleep, then do something for Yourself schedule she wants you to put the baby on) makes good sense. She's got a good conversational tone, some common sense stuff that it's good to have at the surface, but overall not very enlightening. (But maybe that's because I was reading it a lot too late!)
I really liked the ideas in the book. It's not preachy or out to make you feel guilty. It's sort of makes me feel like i'm sitting down with the author in a comfy living room chatting.
Following the ideas really helped me and my son connect, I felt like a much better mom, just because I better understood his needs. He sleeps much much better and we are both more calm and relaxed all day. I would definitely recommend to all my new mommy and daddy friends.
Following the ideas really helped me and my son connect, I felt like a much better mom, just because I better understood his needs. He sleeps much much better and we are both more calm and relaxed all day. I would definitely recommend to all my new mommy and daddy friends.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
A fellow mama lent me this book and said it was her bible. I read the entire thing and found the advice offered made sense. Some of it went against everything else I had read though, particularly the parts about breastfeeding. (Only 3 weeks into being a mom and I've learned that everyone has a different way of doing things; you have to find what works for you!) One thing that stood out was that Hogg advises against feeding on demand, but that is exactly what I had been told to do for Mabel, by La Leche League, websites recommended by other moms, and most notably by her pediatrician. But! Later in the book, Hogg says that you SHOULD feed underweight and premature babies on demand. The section I found the most helpful was on sleep. We've only had a couple nights to put this into practice, and I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but we have seen a slight improvement in Mabel's sleep! Anyway, I could go on and on about this book and baby advice in general, but I'll wrap up with this: You might find this book helpful, but just remember, do what works for you, even if that means cherry picking advice and practices from different sources!
Practical, common-sense parenting advice for babies from a comforting voice. We'll have to see how well it works in practice when the baby gets here, of course, but I appreciate Hogg's (aka the Baby Whisperer's) approach to communication and a structured- but flexible- routine. I also like that she does not take many hardline stances, allowing for different parenting approaches on issues like breastfeeding and cosleeping. While she does have a certain slant, her voice is nonjudgmental and refreshing- she sounds more likely to bake you cookies than berate you for formula feeding. And her advice and routines just plain sound like common sense- easy to understand, and obvious, once you think about it. Of course, putting it into practice may reveal just how difficult it is to follow her "simple steps," but as far as baby advice goes, this has been a much-needed respite in the sea of judgment and opinions. I'd heartily recommend it to any expectant mama.
I liked the author's nonjudgmental attitude. Obviously, everyone has to do what is right for their baby, but her advice makes sense to me.
In the endless sea of parenting self-help books, this one stands out from the rest. First let me state the obvious: being a new parent is hard. It's very hard. That "hardness" doesn't detract from the amazing experience of having a baby, but you become obsessed with doing the right thing and the best thing for this new little person that is suddenly 100% reliant on you.
I found Tracy Hogg to be a compassionate yet very well informed voice to new parents. She is simultaneously comforting to read and makes you feel like you're doing the right thing no matter what. However, what mostly persuaded me that this was a source to recommend to other new parents was the fact that she allowed the reader to customize their reading experience based on the the TYPE of personality your baby has. The book begins with a simple questionnaire to determine if your baby is an Angel, Textbook, Touchy, Spirited, or Grumpy baby. Then, the rest of the book provides information that you can apply to your specific child. I loved this. I found out that I had a spirited baby, which meant that approaching her the same way I would approach an Angel baby might make our relationship confusing. I really appreciated the emphasis on determining who your baby is before you start "parenting" it.
I will also say that she is not a proponent of Cry It Out, but suggests a more gentler version of sleep training. Personally, I have used Cry It Out because it has worked for us and has been the most effective.
I found Tracy Hogg to be a compassionate yet very well informed voice to new parents. She is simultaneously comforting to read and makes you feel like you're doing the right thing no matter what. However, what mostly persuaded me that this was a source to recommend to other new parents was the fact that she allowed the reader to customize their reading experience based on the the TYPE of personality your baby has. The book begins with a simple questionnaire to determine if your baby is an Angel, Textbook, Touchy, Spirited, or Grumpy baby. Then, the rest of the book provides information that you can apply to your specific child. I loved this. I found out that I had a spirited baby, which meant that approaching her the same way I would approach an Angel baby might make our relationship confusing. I really appreciated the emphasis on determining who your baby is before you start "parenting" it.
I will also say that she is not a proponent of Cry It Out, but suggests a more gentler version of sleep training. Personally, I have used Cry It Out because it has worked for us and has been the most effective.
I'm a middle if the road, all things in moderation, non-extreme approach gal. Every book or approach I've read about has some pieces that ring true and others that don't. I find most books tend to be written about a philosophy toward the end of a spectrum and this is no different. I do like the idea of a flexible schedule and one that starts with eating, is followed by "activity," and then wraps with sleep. I also like the baby cues she spells out.
I don't think her approach allows for any flexibility in getting out of the house with the baby. She also only addresses bed-sharing OR own crib from day one. I wish she addressed co-sleepers (or room sharing as advised by the APA) and wraps/slings as part of increasing parent mobility.
I don't think her approach allows for any flexibility in getting out of the house with the baby. She also only addresses bed-sharing OR own crib from day one. I wish she addressed co-sleepers (or room sharing as advised by the APA) and wraps/slings as part of increasing parent mobility.
At first I was willing to try this routine since the author claimed it's not rigid. But just because you don't use a clock to time it out doesn't mean you're suddenly flexible. Advocating feeding every 3-4 hours means you're clock watching anyway. I have a major problem with her view of on demand feeding creating 'demanding' babies and leading to over feeding. Hunger is a basic need. If my child tells me they're hungry I will feed them (unless it's like 10 minutes until dinner or something). When I'm hungry I eat. I don't get why with babies it's suddenly a different thing and they must wait this 3-4 hour window even when they don't eat their full meal at the last one. My baby eats differing amounts every feed, although never more than the recommended amount at any one feed, and will not continue to eat if he's not hungry anymore. If he eats half his bottle then is hungry again 2 hours later am I meant to force him to wait an hour? I've never actually read an answer to this beyond oh he's just eating to suck so give him a dummy instead and then get him back on 3-4 hour routine. No, that's not actually what's happening. Also I don't suddenly think ever cry he makes is hunger. I'm not totally clueless about my child.
I also had an issue with how she treats co-sleeping even though I don't do that myself, it came across as very disrespectful. If co-sleeping always led to problems then no one would do it.
And finally I dislike the way everything that she has a problem with becomes 'accidental parenting'. No, it's not accidental. Just because I don't agree with your method does mean what I've been doing was an accident.
This may work for some but it's not for me.
I also had an issue with how she treats co-sleeping even though I don't do that myself, it came across as very disrespectful. If co-sleeping always led to problems then no one would do it.
And finally I dislike the way everything that she has a problem with becomes 'accidental parenting'. No, it's not accidental. Just because I don't agree with your method does mean what I've been doing was an accident.
This may work for some but it's not for me.