Secrets Of The Baby Whisperer - Tracy Hogg

Summary: When Tracy Hogg's Secrets of the Baby Whisperer was first published, it soared onto bestseller lists across the country. Parents everywhere became "whisperers" to their newborns, amazed that they could actually communicate with their baby within weeks of their child's birth. Tracy gave parents what for some amounted to a miracle: the ability to understand their baby's every coo and cry so that they could tell immediately if the baby was hungry, tired, in real distress, or just in need of a little TLC. Tracy also dispelled the insidious myth that parents must go sleepless for the first year of a baby's life--because a happy baby sleeps through the night. Now you too can benefit from Tracy's more than twenty years' experience. In this groundbreaking book, she shares simple, accessible programs in which you will learn

• E.A.S.Y.--how to get your 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 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.

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. (Summary from back of the book and image from Powells.com)

My Review: This is the second time I've read this book. The first time was during the first months after my first daughter was born. Her birth and post-delivery were the hardest months of my life and I was searching desperately for any and all helpful information. I'm not sure this book was the best source of help it could have been for someone in a different situation. This book does not include out of the ordinary experiences, such as health problems. This book really is only for those with healthy, normal babies.

That said, reading this to help me with my first only frustrated me more. I wanted to throw the book. Everything it suggested wasn't possible with a baby who was constantly in pain. I could not, even if I had wanted to, leave her to go to sleep on her own. She simply could not do it. I struggled in vain to get her to follow the schedule she talks about. It just wasn't realistic. What did help was some of her small pointers. Little things could set off my firstborn. She gave ways to prevent some of these problems in addition to common sense pieces of information that help with transitions babies find disruptive.

Now, having a second child who is more 'typical' this book has been much more useable. All the tips she gives have actually worked: putting your baby to bed awake, understanding the different cries a baby can have, helpful information on feeding, etc.

Some of the best advice in the book is about how to take care of mom. That chapter helped me more with both babies than the baby advice, which I felt was rather intuitive as a mother. It gave me permission to take care of myself, not sacrifice everything in order to be the best mom.

Rating: 4 Stars. Applies to your typical baby situations--not for those with health problems.

Sum it up: A helpful guide for new parents.