Everyone has opinions on parenting. I think we all have our own philosophies as to what is important for our children. People read different parenting books and adhere to the principles they feel are important. With that said I know of people who LOVE Baby Wise and would do nothing else and I know people who despise it. Which is ok. We are all entitled to our own opinions. To each their own right? Recently I decided to pick up my copy and brush up on all that I have forgotten. Miss. S is three and a half. That's a long time and I have honestly forgotten a lot about having a new born. What I do remember was that the first couple of months were rough on us. Really really rough. I received this book as a baby shower gift so I decided to read it and follow what it had to say. Along with the book I got a lot of encouragement from my sister Aubrey who had done Baby Wise with a couple of her kids. Can I just say the difference was night and day. I struggled with being a mother those first couple of months. After I committed to Baby Wise Miss. S was a totally different baby. Happy all the time. Sleeping through the night. Really a delightful baby. By 4 months she was sleeping 12 hours a night and we were all much happier for it. I truly give credit to Baby Wise. We were pretty strict with her schedule at first but then as she got older we got more and more relaxed and it really worked for our family. Now I also like to be realistic & I know it may not be the best option for every baby. Each child is different. They each have their own personalities and temperament. I will definitely be trying Baby Wise with this new little man, but if he doesn't respond then I will do what ever works. As of right now though I am one of those people who LOVES Baby Wise and would recommend it to my friends any day.
3.21.2011
Book Review: On Becoming Baby Wise
Everyone has opinions on parenting. I think we all have our own philosophies as to what is important for our children. People read different parenting books and adhere to the principles they feel are important. With that said I know of people who LOVE Baby Wise and would do nothing else and I know people who despise it. Which is ok. We are all entitled to our own opinions. To each their own right? Recently I decided to pick up my copy and brush up on all that I have forgotten. Miss. S is three and a half. That's a long time and I have honestly forgotten a lot about having a new born. What I do remember was that the first couple of months were rough on us. Really really rough. I received this book as a baby shower gift so I decided to read it and follow what it had to say. Along with the book I got a lot of encouragement from my sister Aubrey who had done Baby Wise with a couple of her kids. Can I just say the difference was night and day. I struggled with being a mother those first couple of months. After I committed to Baby Wise Miss. S was a totally different baby. Happy all the time. Sleeping through the night. Really a delightful baby. By 4 months she was sleeping 12 hours a night and we were all much happier for it. I truly give credit to Baby Wise. We were pretty strict with her schedule at first but then as she got older we got more and more relaxed and it really worked for our family. Now I also like to be realistic & I know it may not be the best option for every baby. Each child is different. They each have their own personalities and temperament. I will definitely be trying Baby Wise with this new little man, but if he doesn't respond then I will do what ever works. As of right now though I am one of those people who LOVES Baby Wise and would recommend it to my friends any day.
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7 comments:
I'm three for three with Babywise. I'll defend it to the death.
Sooooo good to know that you had success with all of your kids.
I believe there are good and bad things about Baby Wise. I really like the order of things-- sleep eat play repeat. That order is essential. What I don't like is the strict schedule and letting a baby cry or wait to be fed because it isn't "time". Especially with breast feeding, babies go through growth spurts and may need to eat more often or for longer. I have breast feed all 6 of my kiddos some as short as a year and others as long as 2 1/2 yrs. Each on was different in how often and how long they needed to nurse. I used the order but also nursed on demand-- learning never to nurse a baby to sleep. Good luck with the little guy.
The thing I liked about it was it wasn't as strict as other ways. It says multiple times in the book that it is in between child-led feeding and clock-feeding. As the parent we set a rough schedule but if the child starts showing hunger cues before the scheduled feeding then it is up to the parent to determine what to do in that situation. I know with S her schedule was constantly fluctuating a little due to her different needs. Which worked really well for us. On the other hand in the first couple months after birth she wanted to nurse for over an hour each time and then want to turn around an hour to an hour and a half later and do it all again. Had I kept up that pace I would have gone insane. It was taking a toll on me physically and mentally. She was basically using me as a human pacifier. So at times with her I felt it was appropriate for me to let her to cry it out. Otherwise I would have given up really quickly on nursing which would have been really sad. Anyway I just didn't ever get the feeling that it was strict. I feel like the author left a lot up to the parent to determine what was right for their baby. Since everyone's situation is different.
It's been years since I read the book-- But I have known some that have done it and who were VERY STRICT on the timing to the point of it being more than an inconvience on others :)
I think I'm the one who introduced it to Aubrey, I've used it for 3 out of 4 kids. I loved it! It teaches you to let your babies learn to fall asleep without your help. My babies were all great sleepers from a young age, they were happy and content with the schedule. They always knew what was coming next and what to expect. Even now I find that my 7 and 3 year old are better behaved if they have some kind of schedule to follow. Routine is everything.
Well then really I owe all my thanks to you. Baby wise was the best thing that ever happened to S.
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