Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

by Tracy Hogg
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Trade Paperback, 304 pages
List Price: $15.00 Our Price: $9.00
Used Price: $4.00 (1 in stock) Condition Policy

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 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 you 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.

Review by Amanda Evans

Idealist, former perfectionist, and now mother of five, Amanda Evans is also former co-owner of Exodus. Amanda's reviews focus on those items that matter to wives and mothers (which covers more than you might think!). Read more of them here.

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  Every New Parent Should Read This Book!
Amanda Evans of Oregon, 7/16/2011
This is not about scheduling. It's not about forcing you or your baby to live by the clock. This book will help you and your baby learn how to communicate with each other so you will know how to give your baby what he or she needs. It can relieve stress and make those early days of parenting much more fun!

Tracy Hogg helps you figure out what will work for you: do you like to wing it or are you a planner? Or somewhere in the middle? She also helps you get to know your baby: is he a happy little angel or does he seem to have a chip on his brand new shoulder? Is she touchy or spirited? Does he do everything according to "What to Expect the First Year?" What works for one mother/baby may not work for another, but Tracy offers some principles and ideas that can be adapted to them all.

Similar to the Babywise method, Tracy Hogg suggests feeding your baby when he wakes up instead of nursing him to sleep. But unlike Babywise, she makes it sound fun and doable and you don't feel judged if you change it up to suit your needs. She calls her routine "E.A.S.Y." standing for "Eat, Activity, Sleep, You (mommy time)" and she devotes a chapter to each one. She also encourages you to go "S.L.O.W." which means "Stop, Listen, Observe, What's Up (evaluate and respond)."

I found that this book relieved some of the stress that comes when the baby is crying and I just don't know what to do. It gave me ideas for figuring out how to translate those cries. It helped me know what she really needs and to teach her to trust me.

Tracy Hogg is very British and some have found her perky style a bit patronizing. But if you don't let the "mum's" and "luv's" bother you, I think you will find her advice very helpful.