On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep by Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam

3.32 AVERAGE

valeriecatrow's profile picture

valeriecatrow's review

5.0
The book offered advice that made sense to me, so I'm giving it a high score. We'll see if the score changes after I actually *use* the advice.
meng17's profile picture

meng17's review

3.0
Interesting concept for getting baby to sleep through the night but goes against a lot of what our pediatrician recommends.

paigebussey's review

1.0
Yikes! I should have done a google search before ordering this book. It’s one of the most common baby books I see everywhere but I was shocked as I started reading. The key to a good night’s sleep is to put my newborn on a feeding schedule and let him cry it out?? This goes against everything every healthcare provider and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends! And after doing a google search I find out that the book is condemned by the AAP. How is this still in print?!
ainekate1's profile picture

ainekate1's review against another edition

1.0
Does not seem evidence-based at all, terribly organized, bedtime is too late in the sample schedules, I feel like it is also only geared towards stay at home parents and almost looks down on single parents. DNF. Highly recommend Safe Sleep and Baby Care- Evidence Based Support Group on Facebook for better sleep advice (and you can search the group to hear more about why this book is terrible)

kisjdmls's review

I'm glad I didn't read this as a new mom. There's just enough information that sounds sane & like advice I'd gotten from other places that I might have been sucked in. Yes, we were sleep deprived. Yes, we wanted a way out. But I don't know that we would have been taken in by the advice to "manage" our infant. Ultimately thus plan is just at severe odds with out worldview.

However - if you grim this kind of thing - beware: there is some seriously sketchy advice in the equipment chapter. Crib bumpers ARE NOT generally considered safe, and extra padding should NOT be added to car seats. And think carefully about following a plan that spends so much effort & time talking about infants not thriving. You might want to google that before you buy in.

(and dont assume that the authors are accurately portraying demand feeders. They even admit they're using the most extreme version of that, which no one I've met does or advocates, including a BFing instructor and 3 lactation consultants.)

judgingmorethanjustthecover's review

5.0
"The more parents demonstrate love for each other, the more they saturate their child’s senses with confidence of a loving, safe and secure world."

Baby Wise follows a parent-directed feeding model. It has tips for guiding babies into a routine and solid sleep.

TL;DR: A must-read for any new parent!

Rating: 5/5

Full Review: https://judgingmorethanjustthecover.com/2019/09/review-on-becoming-baby-wise-gary-ezzo.html
shannelmerical's profile picture

shannelmerical's review

1.5
informative medium-paced

faithrreads's review

2.0
A good idea, but, as it turned out, completely unhelpful

curlyhairday's review

2.0
The BabyWise plan isn't nearly as crazy as some people make it sound -- it's just another flexible schedule. There is, however, quite a bit of misinformation about breastfeeding and a seriously discouraging tone if you don't start and stick with their program from day ten.

bethll's review against another edition

3.5
informative medium-paced
I like their theory and their advice, but found they spent way too much time trying to convince me (I was already convinced!) plus I found the way it was all set out just a little confusing, not communicated super clearly. But I think I’ll give their advised routines and parent directed feeding a go, I can see how it’d be really helpful and healthy for both baby and parents