Secrets of the Baby Whisperer Author: Tracy Hogg | Language: English | ISBN:
B000FC1KBG | Format: PDF
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer Description
"GETTING ANY SLEEP?"
It's an insidious myth that all new parents must give up not only their sleep but their entire lives for the first year of a baby's life. Codswallop, says British-born Tracy Hogg. Having worked with more than five thousand babies over the past twenty years, and dubbed "The Baby Whisperer" by her grateful clientele, Tracy has the unique ability to understand a baby's every coo and cry. She can tell instantly whether a baby is hungry, tired, in real distress, or just in need of a little TLC. But her most amazing gift is her ability to teach parents how they too can "whisper" to their babies.
In this groundbreaking book, Tracy concentrates her vast knowledge (and huge doses of uncommon sense) into simple, accessible programs that parents can begin as early as the first weeks of a baby's life. With these programs you will learn
¸ E.A.S.Y.--how to get baby to eat, play, and sleep on a schedule that will make every member of the household's life easier and happier.
¸ S.L.O.W.--how to interpret what your baby is trying to tell you (so you don't try to feed him when he really wants a nap).
¸ How to identify which type of baby yours is--Angel, Textbook, Touchy, Spirited, or Grumpy--and then learn the best way to interact with that type.
¸ Tracy's Three Day Magic--how to change any and all bad habits (yours and the baby's) in just three days.
But perhaps the most important part of Tracy's philosophy is contained in one word: respect. Tracy advises treating your baby as you would any human being--think twice before shaking loud toys in a baby's face, lifting a baby's legs over her head with no advance warning, or even letting a baby cry it out. At the heart of Tracy's simple but profound message: treat the baby as you would like to be treated yourself.
Reassuring, down-to-earth, and often flying in the face of conventional wisdom, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer promises parents not only a healthier, happier baby but a more relaxed and happy household as well.
From the Hardcover edition.- File Size: 2778 KB
- Print Length: 304 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Edition edition (June 1, 2001)
- Sold by: Random House LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B000FC1KBG
- Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,348 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #1
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Parenting & Relationships > Parenting > Babies & Toddlers > Infants - #82
in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Parenting > Early Childhood
- #1
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Parenting & Relationships > Parenting > Babies & Toddlers > Infants - #82
in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Parenting > Early Childhood
As first time parents, my wife and I were both frustrated and overwhelmed by the conflicting advice that we received even before our daughter was released from the hospital.
In between the feedings and diaper changes during the first few days at home, I read Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, which was given to us by a family friend. Finally, there was a sane voice of experience that helped us to find our own way.
Some of the important points of this book:
1. It is normal to feel overwhelmed.
2. Every baby has a unique personality. While Tracy Hogg's categories may be somewhat oversimplified, she does offer a means of identifying your baby's personality so that you may better handle certain situations. No single approach will work with every baby, because they are all different.
3. You are not evil if you choose not to breast feed. This seems to be the subject of most of the negative reviews on this site, which is unfortunate. However, the author does not advocate either breast or formula feeding, she merely presents the pros and cons of each in a balanced manner, and provides reassurance that whatever method you choose, it is your choice to make, and there is no wrong decision.
4. One of the best pieces of advice: follow a structured routine. "EASY": Eat, Activity, Sleep, time for Yourself. This is another area that seems to have drawn criticism from fellow ... reviewers. "EASY" is presented as an alternative to feeding on demand and scheduled feeding. Actually, it is not as much an alternative as it is a combination of the two.
--> Following a set schedule is often impractical, as we found out ourselves while our daughter was still in the hospital. There, feeding took place every three hours, and at the same times.
There is a lot to like about this book (even though constantly being called "luv" did get old by about page 3)... in many parts there *is* very good advice. Tracy Hogg claims a middle-of-the-road approach to parenting a newborn and I agree with many of her ideas. She does not advocate letting babies cry and communicates overall the belief that parents should respect their babies as the tiny people they are. Overall, there is a lot of comforting stuff in here.
But I have issues with some of her specific advice. First, I find that she's judgmental about attachment parenting in general. I'm no die-hard attachment parent, but I'm no rigid-scheduler either and I totally disagree with her belief that demand feeding, cosleeping and the like teaches a baby bad habits or does not effectively meet their needs. She presumes that if AP doesn't work for some, then it will not work for all and is therefore not even worth trying because you'll end up with a baby with bad habits to break down the road. My experiences with flexibility vs. scheduled routine have been quite different. Gentle transitions from three completely attached newborns to independent individuals without parent-imposed schedules (it's been much more symbiotic than the method Hogg proposes) have worked quite well in our household. While my style may not be right for everyone, it certainly *can* work, something that Hogg fails to recognize. (She believes the "family bed gives parents short-shrift" without acknowledging that it actually *works* for many.)
Then there is the breastfeeding advice. I am disappointed to see someone who calls herself a lactation consultant try to make such a strong case for formula feeding over breastfeeding.
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