Babywise Sleep Solutions: Begin as You Mean to Go with

by Gary Ezzo, Anne Marie Ezzo

YOUR PRECIOUS NEWBORN COMES INTO THE WORLD LIKE A BUD ON THE VERGE OF BLOOMING, EAGER TO GRASP THE RHYTHM OF LIFE. AS THE DEVELOPING BRAIN EMBARKS ON ITS JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE WOMB, IT INSTICTIVELY SEEKS TO ORGANIZE AND MAKE SENSE OF THIS NEW WORLD, YET IT IS UNABLE TO SCULPT THE CYCLES OF FEED-WAKE AND SLEEP THAT IT NEEDS TO THRIVE. THIS IS WHERE THE PARENTS STEP IN, AS CARETAKERS AND CREATORS, MUCH LIKE ARTISANS MOLDING CLAY, THEY BEGIN TO SHAPE THE CHILD'S WORLD WITH GENTLE PRECISION GUIDED BY BABYWISE SLEEP SOLUTIONS. SERVING AS A RELIABLE COMPASS, THIS MULTIGENERATIONAL RESOURCE TEACHES NOT ONLY THE HOW OF CRAFTING THE NECESSARY STRUCTURE WITHIN A BABY'S DAY BUT WISDOM OF THE EZZO'S PARENT DIRECTED FEED STRATEGY, MILLIONSOF FAMILIES, ACROSS CONTINENTS AND 26 LANGUAGES HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT ROUTINE AND PREDICTABILITY ARE TWO ASSETS THAT HELP BABIES THRIVE.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2024

Reviews

[Kelsey Hullman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall good! 3.75 stars ⭐️

(I’m starting to wonder if every parenting book gives cult vibes? Cuz this one seemed to and the last one too lol. Just lots of “this is the best way to parent” ideas.)

I *would* recommend this book if you are just reading to learn a lot of different perspectives and want to sift through a lot of information to determine what works best for you! It’s a super quick read and pretty practical as far as scheduling out a flexible day with a newborn through the first year of life!!

Also - it definitely felt like it was written from the perspective of a grandparent, which is not necessarily bad… It’s hard to describe. Just lots of comments like “let the grandparents visit often!” 😂😅

[Rachael Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely helpful and to the point. Checklists and example sleep schedules are provided, which is exactly what I need!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immediately captivating language of bonding, nurturing, and care. The advice was solid, aligning 100% with what the doctors told my wife and I when we had our baby girl 6 days ago. I felt much more confident becoming a new dad with this book, and having a plotted out course of expectations is hugely beneficial. Based on some review reading, negative reviewers appear to be suffering from neurotic postpartum self-distrust.

[Cianka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did this book make me more anxious? absolutely. But it did have some good pieces in it to help me figure out what works for us as a family. There is so many opinions and thoughts and suggestions out there. Take it all with a grain of salt. Ultimately it all comes down to your unique baby and what works for you as a family.

[Marlow Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book to read if you are a new parent. Was a bit wordy sometimes (which is hard on a sleep deprived brain), but the content is really good.

[Coley Mangano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this and love the concepts but I appreciate the greater depth of knowledge and information in the original, longer version.

[Ben Cheng]

Basically I am completely ready and nothing will surprise me LOLJK but informative read

[Emma Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great balance between cry-it-out and full attachment parenting, and helpful newborn expectations.

[Tess Koehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

all parenting books need to be taken with a grain of salt but I thought this one did a good job of laying down the basics of the philosophy and using common language to help you understand the whys behind everything, and addressed other general good topics outside of sleep training. There is a lot of discourse about sleep training overall, but this book makes it seem very low pressure and adaptable to every family’s life, but shows the importance of keeping a pretty regulated schedule early in a child’s life but staying adaptable as needs change. I would recommend this to a friend, however I did the audiobook version and I feel I would have benefited from the printed version to visualize the diagrams and philosophies a little more.

[Micaela Clauson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, similar advice to Taking Cara Babies + a lot of other baby advice books. The main concept is “Parent Directive Feeding”. Basically feed baby so they’re full every 2-3 hours, not only if they’re crying. If baby is crying, think about why they are crying (gas, diaper, etc). And don’t jump to thinking feeding is the only way to stop their crying because it may only mask the reason they’re crying and cause them to be dependent on eating to feel better. Also love your spouse and put them first, that will make baby feel confident and loved. Don’t put baby in the center of your world bc they will grow up to be disappointed they are not actually the center of the world. And taking care of yourself will make you a better parent.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s so poorly written— tons of typos, redundant information/language, weird formatting errors. Also, the information is super vague, and it was nauseatingly cheesy (“precious moments,” “sacred blah blah blah,” “tenderness of marriage”— terms overused). Literally got nothing out of this. At least with was a fast read? Mostly because it was written at a first grade level.

[Lauren Krisko · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Begin As You Mean To Go With” with an emphasis on the beginning. Most of the checklists were geared for weeks 1-3 when I was not thinking about routines for baby but how to survive. It markets itself as “to the point” but I still found there to be a lot of fluff especially the marital advice at the end. It feels a little outdated and contains a lot of theory with not a lot of application.

[Jeff Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great info to read prior and during the first 4-5 weeks of having a baby.

Probly do a dry run while pregnant and dive back into various chapters during the first few weeks. At the very least can give you an idea of things to expect and things to expect to be out of the ordinary.

I found this useful.

[Kayley Jordan van Wingerden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent, quick read. This book is very practical and gives me hope that we will be able to get our little one on a good, healthy schedule. I truly think this is a must-read for any expecting parents.

[Rebecca Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a breath of fresh air. If anyone ever asks me…I’d tell them to delete Google/Pinterest/Instagram for their pregnancy and read this instead. It’s like sitting down with your grandma and hearing her practical, simple, to the point wisdom. She should know, after all!!

[Iris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wildly arrogant attitude. Quite unrealistic expectations.

[Daniël Cloete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Excellent information. My wife and I are totally convinced and are using this method.

Would be perfect if it was less verbose. Despite touted efforts to be to-the-point, it lingers on insignificant details and skims over salient points. I think Ezzo misunderstands what he misunderstands about 21st century parents.

My suggestion: consider "Taking Cara Babies" - the video course and see what they are doing right.
Try a little less hard to convince people you know what you are talking about.
Give a little bit more hard data and examples.
Get someone with an aesthetic eye to revise tables and figures.

The book could be twice as thick and take half as long to read.

[Liz Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this at about 4 AM one night hoping to get some quick answers lol it was a good read, but many tips were intuitive or things my husband and I had already implemented, such as promoting full feeds to support healthy sleep. The sleep schedules provided were helpful to know what we may be working toward. However, it doesn’t always account for the unique attributes and rhythms of each baby.

[Saben]

Since baby is not here yet, I cannot give this a true review. I’ve heard great things and this book promises a lot, but I will continue to reflect on this material and do my best to apply it in the first few months of baby’s life and will adjust my rating then. Wish us luck!

[Lauren Friske · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be very helpful as we prepare to welcome a newborn soon! I appreciated the practical advice -- not simply saying what you should do, but explaining how to do it. hoping this knowledge will help us in the coming months!

[sel.] · Rating 5 out of 5]

my baby started sleeping through the night soon after we started the babywise method. it has helped establish a routine and give me some peace of mind as a mom. got the second book to help learn how to incorporate solids into the routine and how to change things as she grows older

[Caroline Filley · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this shorter updated version more than the longer book from the 90s i tried to read a while back. i will say there were so many typos in my copy they need a new editor lol. overall offers a lot of good advice- get your baby on a schedule!

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and easy read full of valuable information, practical tips and plenty of additional resources. I will definitely be referencing this one often when baby comes.

[Liz Soncrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book for new parents ever! helps with sleep schedule right from the start! everyone needs this book!

[Mallory Reissnecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems pretty helpful! But honestly will have to come back and re-rate when I start raising my child for real.

[Saige Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book straight forward stresses importance of listening to babies cues but also giving your baby the foundational skills and schedule to be able to navigate their own cues.

[Molly Luzecky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how practical this book is! Have heard many real life examples of its effectiveness. Very glad to have read this!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haha I feel like I need to review this after the baby comes not before 😂

[Elena Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real rating reserved until later. This was on the more woo-woo side, but if it works, who cares!

[Katie Tolentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously there are parts of the book that are dated, but several general philosophies were helpful. I liked the happy-medium and several of the in-depth timelines were helpful.