"Secrets of the Baby Whisperer". Does This Work?

Yes! It works! I have 6 kids and used a stricter routine appraoch with my first 3 and it was hard. With my 4th I read the first Baby Whisperer book which didn't have as many details as the newest edition and it was very difficult. But, that child I would later learn had a disability which made any scheduling very difficult for her. My 5th baby I used the method religiously and it was fabulous. Hard at first, but absolutley worth it. With my 6th baby, I was too distracted to really use the baby whisperer principles and boy have I paid the price.So, at 6 months I started using the principles and they have been very helpful. I should have used them earlier. I would say, though, that if you're an easygoing person who is fine not having a routine and you ascribe to "attachment style" parenting then baby whisperer principles might not help you. Some moms like "wearing" their babies and letting their babies set the pace for the day with feeding and sleeping issues and if this is you, very flexible and mild-mannered, then great. Don't worry about a routine. I'm not that way. Routines and predictability really help me. God bless you!

Didn't work at all for us, neither did "No Cry Sleep Solution" which I thought would be great aftter reading it. The book that finally helped us get our son sleeping well once and for all (after trying everything else) was "The Sleep Easy Solution" by Waldburger & Spivak. The other book that I highly recommend is Dr. Sears' "The Baby Book." Chock full of information on a very wide range of topics.

Yes! It works and I followed this with my daughter as an infant and she learned to fall asleep without a bottle and on her own. It took a lot of work to get her on a schedule, but once I did she was very easy. Make sure you feed when ever your baby is hungry as the book states, there will be growth spurts and times when a feeding is needed before 21/2 to 3 hrs. You will be able to tell if it is hunger based upon how many ounces baby takes. If Breastfeeding, sometimes it helps to pump into a bottle to see how much baby is getting at each feed. I like this book and also the happiest baby on the block by dr harvey karp. Sometimes a baby just needs to be swaddled tightly and given a pacifier because they naturally have the need to suckle which often times is mistaken for hunger.

I referred to this book with my firstborn.
Like anything... take what appeals to you and makes sense... then adapt it. It does work...but I myself did not follow it strictly. More as a guideline. I think it's a great book.

It does provide some great information.... for me, I learned from this book (being a first time Mom at the time and 'clueless'), that babies have a pattern & a personality and not all babies are the same. Each baby is different... so it taught me to 'cue' into my baby...and see what her cycles were, her patterns etc. It taught me to really 'gauge' her and not just go according to "me" and what "I" wanted.... VERY important with a newborn. It taught me that you have to really get to know your newborn... and then, you can competently and compassionately figure out a way of coping with all the wakings and quirks of a baby, and understand their bodily cues and what it means.

Again, I was not as stringent as the book was. I was more laid-back about it. BUT YES... a baby does have a pattern of: (upon waking)Eat/nurse, Awake time, Nap, and then (maybe), "you." A baby gets tired after about 2 hours after waking (3 hours as they get older)... if you really observe their cues, you will see it. Then, this is when you can get them ready for nap.

Again, for me... i really think it's about cuing into your baby...and not getting too much into "training" a baby. There is a difference.

But, the book was real informative and "taught" me about different aspects of how to tell if a baby is tired, hungry, gassy, etc. Which as a first time Mom at the time, I had NO clue! No clue. Now, I know better... and with my 2nd child, the tips from this book, (stored in my memory), was very helpful.

Read it. It's a good book. Some feel its to "strict" of a book and to heavy handed. But, like anything... its only rigid if YOU make it to be. You do NOT have to follow it verbatim. Adapt it. Just learn from it, that which is useful. I for one am more 'attachment' oriented in parenting, I never let my kids cry. I did pick them up. I do co-sleep with them. I did rock them to sleep. I did do things which some say don't. So it's up to your parenting style too. What was also useful about the book is the feeding guidelines and the different 'personalities' of babies... which they all encounter at some time of another. And, it really teaches you to CUE into YOUR baby. Being observant is the best thing a Mom can do... especially when new at it. A newborn will tell you what they need....no need to force them into a 'schedule' so young. To me, there is a difference in having a 'routine' (ie: consistency) versus 'training' of a baby. But for a parent, having a 'routine' really helps.

All the best,
Susan