9/24/08

Babywise anyone?

So, several of my friends have suggested that "Babywise" is wonderful. It's this book written by doctors about how babies, yes, even babies, can get on a schedule when they are small. Collin and I started reading it together (yes, I have read parts out loud to him) about how he can be on a more regular schedule and be happier. No, I'm not convinced of everything it teaches, but it has given me some great ideas about how to listen to Collin's cries, know when he is hungry, and have strength to allow him to cry.

I'm just wondering if anyone else praises or hates the Babywise philosophy.

And "smiling" pictures of Collin are coming your way soon.

6 comments:

The Robinsons said...

I read the "Baby Whisperer" book when Madison was born (almost eight years ago). She wasn't going to sleep well at night at 2months old - I learned that keeping a regular schedule helped her feel a little more comfortable because she knew what was coming next and so forth. I was keeping her up late at night because Jeremy was coming home from work and wanted to play with her - well she wanted to go to bed early and she started sleeping through the night when I bathed, fed, burped and put her down to sleep. So I am a huge fan of SCHEDULES!

John and Laura said...

I have skimmed baby wise (but I don't remember much from it--that was 6 years ago!), and I own and love baby whisperer. I have loved getting my kids onto a schedule, keeping in mind that I have never seen a true schedule until they're about 4 months old. What has helped me the most with baby #3 is to remember that they can only be awake for about an hour at this point in their lives, even at 4 months Evy is awake for 1-2 hours at a time. Go read Lazy Organizer's posts about it:
part 1
part 2
part 3

Good luck!

kari said...

All of Dave's sisters were FIRM believers of Babywise. I think it works, no doubt. However, I am not a rote schedule mommy who can't budge so it didn't fit me as well as them. I liked some ideas a lot though. I really think your babies just adjust to the lifestyle that is around them. So, set the way you'd like, babywise or not, and then let Collin adapt. He will. Looking forward to seeing you guys. XOXOXO

grapeape said...

i've never read Babywise or Baby Whisperer. just figured things out through trial and error, i guess. there was a definite pattern of events and in certain time-frames, it was eating time or sleeping time, but i don't think i've ever really kept to a schedule. i agree with kari; he can & will adjust to life.

An Ordinary Mom said...

I skimmed Babywise and got some good tips out of there, but I preferred The Baby Whisperer. In other words, ditto to what "John and Laura" said :) !!

What you need to do is read the few books you want to and then tweak what you learn so it can work for you and Collin's personality. I have found that certain things that worked well for me in getting my older two children on a routine don't work so well this third time around because my schedule (school pick-up, drop-off, soccer, etc.) isn't quite as flexible.

Good luck!

Jacob said...

Someone gave me the book as a gift. My opinion of it is largely based on my graduate work in developmental and child psychology. I do agree that you should avoid "sleep aids" like pacifiers, etc. and most pediatricians recommend putting your baby to bed drowsy so he can learn to fall asleep himself. However, all babies, and all parents are different. As I read this book I did NOT feel good about it. I looked into it and read many reviews and looked up info on the author, who in fact is not a Dr. or Pediatrician and has no special background in child development. Some of his basic ideas are understandable, but the way he presents it is not to my taste. I especially do not like how he bashes and misrepresents the attachment style of parenting. I am not against working towards getting a baby on a schedule. But I do think each child is different and if your child isn't sleeping through the night by 9 weeks you are not a bad parent! And there's nothing wrong with your baby. For example, smaller babies have smaller tummies and - duh - need to wake up and fill them more frequently that larger babies, or older babies. Anyway, I will leave a link I found helpful:

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/reviews/parenting_books/on_becoming_babywise.html

Bottom line: do what feels best and works best for you and your little babe :)