The Baby Whisperer was my first book as I started learning more about this whole parenting schtick. When my oldest daughter was born, I thought "Oh, mother's intuition will tell me what to do." Well, it didn't really work out the way I thought it would. When she was about 9 months old, we finally decided the only way to get her to sleep on her own was to let her cry it out. And I hated every last minute of it. It took a little under a week, just like everyone said it would, and she was finally falling asleep without having to be rocked, fed, bounced, cuddled, etc. for hours on end.
Four years later, enter kid #2. I knew, absolutely knew, there was no way I could go through that again. Every fiber in my being said that crying it out wasn't right. Fortunately in those 4 years, my sisters started to have babies. And they were smarter than me: they read baby books. And they recommended
The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau.
Let me tell you friends, this book was just what I needed. Tracy Hogg was a postpartum nurse in England. Through her work with new mothers, she developed a series of hints and tips to teach your babies to eat and sleep without more tears than needed. She teaches you about the acronym EASY. Babies (E)at, have their (A)wake time, (S)leep, and then you get (Y)ou time while they sleep.
She emphasizes that this is not a schedule. You don't look at the clock and say, "It's only 2:45, and though you're screaming hungry, you can't eat until 3:30." It's a routine. You feed baby when they're hungry. You put them to sleep with they're tired. You might be an hour or two off from day to day, but you, your baby, and any other children know what to expect next.
She has amazing tips on knowing how much to feed your baby, and how to tell if they're full. She gives great information on how to transition to solid foods, and when the time comes, how to wean baby.
She teaches how to know when your baby is tired, how to develop a bedtime routine, and how to get your baby to sleep without having to be nursed, rocked, or cuddled. She doesn't believe in letting a baby cry it out. But she does teach that some babies do okay teaching themselves to fuss to sleep, and she tells you how to tell the difference between an "I'm just tired and need to settle myself for a few minutes" fuss and an "I'm really mad and can't calm myself down" cry. And for the latter, she has techniques for you to teach newborns on up to toddler age children how to fall asleep by their own devices, without leaving them to scream themselves to sleep alone in the dark.
Tracy also has a section on personality types for children: Typical, Angel, Grumpy, Touchy, and Sensitive. She has specific hints for working with each personality.
Now, as much as I love this book, there are a few caveats to keep in mind. She goes into specific information about latching on for breastfeeding. A lot of lactation consultants teach a different technique now. She also advocates letting baby sleep on their side using a sleep positioner. This has been shown to not be as safe as back sleeping for babies. So when reading it and implementing her ideas, make sure you're being as safe as possible for your baby.
But despite these drawbacks, The Baby Whisperer is a fantastic book for Moms who need a little guidance in feeding and sleeping arena. She teaches Moms to be compassionate to their baby's needs and respectful of their feelings. And she instills confidence that so many Moms lack early in their baby's lives.
