The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems
Hogg's Moderate Approach Encourages Parents to be in Control
Sep 1, 2009
The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems [Atria, 2005] is a parenting book that gives the parent full responsibility for creating a child's sleeping and eating habits. Tracy Hogg states that by understanding a child's temperament, recognizing cues for sleep and creating a structured routine, a parent can teach a baby how to sleep independently and have an orderly day.
The Baby Whispering Approach to Parenting
Hogg's approach to parenting is one which places great importance on a structured routine from day one, with the parent in control of and responsible for a baby's feeding, sleeping and eating habits. Hogg places herself between the two main popular parenting approaches today by criticizing both cry-it-out methods of sleep training such as "Ferberizing" and the Attachment Parenting style of breastfeeding baby to sleep and co-sleeping. The Baby Whispering approach centers around the daily routine of E.A.S.Y., Eating, Activity, Sleeping and time for You.
Who Might Benefit From Baby Whispering?
Hogg's approach, with its strong focus on a combination of routine and watching for baby's cues, is best suited for a parent who is able to take the E.A.S.Y routine as a general guideline instead of a timetable written in stone. Parents who have been breastfeeding, rocking or carrying their baby to sleep and now wish to help her go to sleep by herself in a crib will also benefit from this book, as Hogg goes through several situations in which she successfully helped a baby learn how to sleep in a crib.
New parents who feel completely overwhelmed by caring for their newborn may also find the E.A.S.Y routine helpful, provided that they don't feel like a failure if their baby doesn't take to it right away or blame themselves for creating sleep problems.
Baby Whispering is Not for Everyone
Parents who sincerely believe that the Attachment Parenting approach is the way they want to raise their child will probably find Hogg's approach condescending and unappealing. Hogg labels most Attachment Parenting techniques, such as breastfeeding to sleep, "accidental parenting," but most AP parents will say that they parent that way because it feels instinctively right.
Also, parents who would rather watch a clock than watch their baby's cues may not find this book helps them parent their child well. Hogg's detailed timetables are always tempered with advice to watch for your baby's cues for hunger or sleepiness, but some Type A personalities might find it more tempting to fit their baby into the schedule instead of easing the routine around their child's cues.
More Clarification on Age-Appropriate Techniques
A major improvement in The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems over Hogg's first book, Secrets of The Baby Whisperer [Ballantine Books, 2001], is the extra clarification given to the techniques used to help babies sleep. In her second book, Hogg emphasizes that her Pick Up/Put Down method is only to be used with babies of four months of age and older, with the Shush-Pat method being the only appropriate way to help babies three months old and younger go to sleep. Many Attachment Parenting advocates will argue that attempting any kind of sleep training, even using a gentle method such as the Shush-Pat, is inappropriate for newborns under three months old. Each parent will have to decide whether this approach works for his or her family.
Overall, The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems is a better resource than Hogg's first book. There are several areas in which Hogg's advice is incorrect, especially with regards to starting solids early and the nutritional quality of breastmilk vs. formula. However, her approach to teaching sleep is relatively gentle and moderate, as is her advice on teaching emotional fitness and toilet training. The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems is a good resource for parents who want to know how to have a structured, orderly day and a baby who sleeps by himself in a crib at night.
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