The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood

I would highly recommend this book to any parent or professional working with new parents. I found it helpful from start to finish. I wish I would have purchased this ahead of time, while still pregnant, but I didn’t know what I didn’t know. When I found myself struggling in the newborn stage I decided to research tools for help and came across this author. Her positive method aligned with my values but I also found her honesty regarding difficult decisions like sleep training helpful. The book has many personal examples which creates a longer read but it’s easy to skip through those sections to get to the educational portions of the text.

I got this book after a friend had passed me the other book " Top Tips from the Baby Whisperer:Sleep" as I like the overall concept of Tracy and her teaching style. To begin with, I didnt put my baby through the suggested EASY(Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your own time) routine immediately though I had received it before my baby turned one month old.1st month: Skeptical of the conceptMy maternal instinctive rationale was: Isn't that is what a baby does naturally? So why would any parent have to put them through this sort of routine. I also wanted to assess what was my baby capable of in areas of sleeping before I intervene and have to bootcamp her unnecessarily. Lastly, I was not very sure how to implement this entire concept because this was something new to me, unheard of from my female relatives and friends. I just wanted to wait and see what happened before I intervene as we were not very sure if it is ideal to put our baby through this routine which Tracy suggested to kickstart right away.2nd Month:Sleeping through the night:So for the first 3 months, I was on a feed -on -demand routine and at the same time, took note problems in sleeping. I didnt do any logging to note the nap hours or feeding times though Tracy encouraged it. At that time, we felt the top objective was to get her sleep through the night before helping her to nap better in the daytime. We used the technique of "dream feed' to tank up the baby so she will sleep throughout the night. When my baby was 1 month plus, she was going to bed at about 11pm-12mn(not encouraged by Tracy) after we fed her "dream feed" and she only woke up once at about 5am for feeding. We had also tried to make her differentiate the difference between day and night, according to Tracy's methods.And before she hit 2 months, she was able to sleep throughout the night. We were so relieved and glad. She would wake up the next morning at about 10-11am+. Her day naps were about 1hour or sometimes shorter(cant remember). She didn't depend on any props( such as pacifier, rocking to sleep) to get her to sleep. However, she had some other sleep problems such as jolting awake but she was able to fall asleep by herself without my intervention. She could get a continuous of more than 5 jolts in a nap before she falls asleep completely. I was afraid that it might affect her sleep quality. I researched online to solve it but haven't been successful though they decrease at times. Another obstacle was she would fall asleep at 8 pm but only to wake at about 9 pm+ for unknown reason, before going to bed at about 11 pm.At 3 months: Implementing a 4 hour interval EASY routineI decided on Schedule Feeding so that we can anticipate better and hence I started to log down her sleeping and feeding time using the EASY routine. At this point, I wanted to achieve other objectives such as having her bedtime earlier at about 8pm (Tracy suggested 7-730pm), feeding at a 4 hours interval and better nap during daytime. I used the Shush-Pat and Pickup/Put Down method when she struggles to sleep/nap at times, they work at times and sometimes don;t. Honestly, these methods are not easy as mentioned by Tracy herself. For my baby, sometimes she just need that extra douse of 30 ml of milk to help settle her down better so she could fall asleep, maybe she was just thirsty so she felt uncomfortable? This simply spares the tears and fuss of Pickup/Put down, yet this method isn't a prop as she doesn't depend on entirely.Now at 4 months: Well adjusted babyBefore my baby hit 4 months, just by implementing EASY routine and partnering with some other techniques of Tracy's, my baby has adjusted well into the 4 hour interval EASY routine, gradually moved her bedtime from 11pm to 10pm to 930pm and now she is sleeping between 8-830 pm without waking up for unknown reasons. I got this book after a friend had passed me the other book " Top Tips from the Baby Whisperer:Sleep" as I like the overall concept of Tracy and her teaching style. To begin with, I didnt put my baby through the suggested EASY(Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your own time) routine immediately though I had received it before my baby turned one month old.1st month: Skeptical the conceptMy maternal instinctive rationale was: Isn't that is what a baby does naturally? So why would any parent have to put them through this sort of routine. I also wanted to assess what was my baby capable of in areas of sleeping before I intervene and have to bootcamp her unnecessarily. Lastly, I was not very sure how to implement this entire concept because this was something new to me, unheard of from my female relatives and friends. I just wanted to wait and see what happened before I intervene as we were not very sure if it is ideal to put our baby through this routine which Tracy suggested to kickstart right away.2nd Month:Sleeping through the night:So for the first 3 months, I was on a feed -on -demand routine and at the same time, had to take note of any pitfalls in sleeping. I didnt do any logging to note the nap hours or feeding times though Tracy encouraged it. At that time, we felt the top objective was to get her sleep through the night before helping her to nap better in the daytime. We took note of the technique on "dream feed' to tank up the baby so they will sleep throughout the night. When my baby was 1 month plus, she was going to bed at about 11pm-12mn(not encouraged by Tracy) after we fed her "dream feed" and she only woke up once at about 5am for feeding. We had also tried to make her differentiate the difference between day and night, according to Tracy's methods.And before she hit 2 months, she was able to sleep throughout the night. We were so relieved and glad. She would probably wake up the next morning at about 10-11am+. Her day naps were about 1hour or sometimes shorter(cant remember). She didn't depend on any props( such as pacifier, rocking to sleep) to get her to sleep. However, she had some other sleep problems such as jolting awake but she was able to fall asleep by herself without my intervention. She could get a continuous of more than 5 jolts in a nap before she falls asleep completely. I was afraid that it might affect her sleep quality. I researched online to solve it but haven't been successful though they decrease at times. Another obstacle was she would fall asleep at 8 pm but only to wake at about 9 pm+ for unknown reason, before going to bed at 10-11 pm.At 3 months: Implementing a 4 hour interval EASY routineCutting the story short, I decided on Schedule Feeding so that we can anticipate better and hence I started to log down her sleeping and feeding time using the EASY routine. At this point, I wanted to achieve other objectives such as having her bedtime earlier at about 8pm (Tracy suggested 7-730pm), feeding at a 4 hours interval and better nap during daytime. I used the Shush-Pat and Pickup/Put Down method when she struggles to sleep/nap at times, they work at times and sometimes don;t. Honestly, these methods are not easy and test parents' patience as they can set babies crying. For my baby, sometimes she just need that extra douse of 30 ml of milk to help settle her down better so she could fall asleep, maybe she was just thirsty so she felt uncomfortable? But usually she is able to go to sleep by herself in the cot, after she had entertained herself with the musical mobile. This simply spares the tears and fuss of Pickup/Put down, yet this method isn't a prop as she doesn't depend on it entirely.Now at 4 months: Well adjusted babyBefore my baby hit 4 months, just by implementing EASY routine and partnering with some other techniques of Tracy's, my baby has adjusted well into the 4 hour interval EASY routine, gradually moved her bedtime from 11pm to 10pm to 930pm and now she is sleeping between 8-830 pm without waking up for unknown reasons. We as parents get to "knock off" from thereafter. She does not need the extra "dream feed' at 11pm to help her get through the night. She wakes at about 8-830am, that is 12hours of solid sleep! Her day naps can be as long as 2 hours or made up of 2 catnaps. She rarely gets jolts when she naps. Yes, she still fights sleeps at timesSleepless nights are completely myths to us..Verdict:Although Tracy suggested bedtime to be 730 pm and baby will probably be awake by 730 am, I feel 8-830pm for bedtime is fine for our family as I think starting my day at 8 am is ideal for me. Anything earlier will make me malfunction a bit. I will still recommend this book to anyone who is keen how to help their babies sleep better and like what I have suggested earlier, somethings might just have to wait and when we take a step back to see what our babies are capable/ incapable of, then we step in to help or improve. This causes lesser unnecessary fuss as many a times, we as parents get impatient and competitive subconsciously. We compare with other babies, who can sleep better by certain age, they do not have certain sleep problems etc.Sleepless nights are completely myths to us..Verdict:Although Tracy suggested bedtime to be 730 pm and baby will probably be awake by 730 am, I feel 8-830 pm for bedtime is fine for our family as I think starting my day at 8 am is ideal for me. Anything earlier will make me malfunction a bit. I will still recommend this book to anyone who is keen how to help their babies sleep better and like what I have suggested earlier, somethings might just have to wait and when we take a step back to see what our babies are capable/ incapable of, then we step in to help or improve. This causes lesser unnecessary fuss as many a times, we as parents get impatient and competitive subconsciously. We compare with other babies etc; so we force down our expectations and rules on them with stress and tears. We always think they are clueless of what to do but of course, Tracy identifies there are real issues behind them such as colic etc.Ultimately, the best Baby Whisperer is yourself, using your parental instincts and along the way, you can always use this book as a guide to pick up the tips that are suitable for your baby and yourself. Like what Tracy said , " Don't do something which you think you wont follow through". I am looking forward to bring my baby to her other milestones in future with this book which includes weaning and toddlers issues.

I am a first time parent and was never told that some babies do not just fall asleep when they are tired! Some babies, ours included, need to be shown how to wind down and fall asleep- preferably without hysterical crying. I bought this book because our 3 month old baby girl would not take naps and if she did, they were "catnaps". By the end of the day she was cranky and hard to keep content. We needed a method or technique to help her get much needed sleep. This book is a great help! Our little one now has a routine (NOT a schedule) which helps her (and us) know what to expect next. I like that it is not just about sleep like other books, it touches on a lot of problems you may run into as a parent.Our preferred parenting method is somewhere in between attachment and cry it out- we try for the least amount of crying when possible. It seems like with attachment parenting, you risk the child lacking independence- hence needing someone's assistance to accomplish anything. And cry it out methods may leave a baby feeling abandoned and alone. In the first two months, we tried a little of both attachment and cry it out- these did not work for us. This book gives a happy medium. I don't think the author is telling people they are bad parents if they use any other method or don't use techniques in the book. She just has a matter of fact way of stating cause and effect circumstances that are encountered as a result of parenting choices. The methods in this book gave us the tools we needed to get our "spirited" baby to take at least 3 one hour naps per day- we have only been doing this a week. She is a much happier baby and we are elated that she is getting the much needed rest to help her grow. She barely cries even when she wakes up because she knows we will respond to her needs, but we do not hover. The goal is to teach your child to do things on their own so when they are toddlers, they don't need someone to help them sleep, eat and play ALL OF THE TIME. If you believe parents are guides to help a child grow into a flourishing individual who can find their own path with assistance when needed, than this book is worth the read. Obviously no book is a cure all and some methods work for some children and not for others. Be warned that the methods in this book take time and commitment- it is not a quick fix (which probably doesn't exist in parenting anyway). I wish I had this book before our little one was born... it would have eliminated 2 months of a sleep deprived newborn (and parents).There are helpful tips in this book for breastfeeding as well- the goal is not to deprive a child of food like other reviews might imply. The author simply suggests feeding more ounces at each feeding to help reduce the frequency of feedings- makes sense. Also, increasing the food intake during the day helps a baby sleep LONGER at night, with a goal of sleeping through the night when age is appropriate and the baby is ready. Our little one is breast fed and has no problem with this. She started out a snacker and now goes 3 hours between feedings- which is much nicer for both of us, especially during outings. It also allows for longer naps during the day and she sleeps 6 hours straight at night so far:) She was sleeping longer during the night but we just switched her exclusively to her own crib (suggested by this book and our pediatrician), so she is adjusting to the change. Again, the feeding methods in the book are suggestions that may help your family if it fits with your lifestyle and opinions on parenting:)Only drawback- there is no support via website or email if you need help implementing the techniques because the author has unfortunately passed away. There are some websites with other parents helping each other with suggestions if need be.

Very detailed and informative book. Will be one we go back to over time a different situations arise.

I initially read "The new contented little baby book" which didn't work for us, unfortunately. I then, after some hesitation, bought this one as it was recommended in one of the reviews. I love it! Apparently, we have quite "normal" challenges and the explanation and case studies we're great - informative, logical, motivating (you're not alone and the issue is not uncommon), and helping to set realistic expectations and hang in there. I'm really glad I found this book and wish I would have had it from day one, especially as a first-time mom during a pandemic with pretty much zero guidance otherwise. I believe in routines (not schedules) and with this book I was able to have a much happier baby, which was the main goal in the first place :)

El mejor, profundiza más su técnica

Dit boek gekocht als verdieping en leerboek als een beginnende ouder. Het heeft geholpen op sommige plekken maar ik denk niet de methodiek op elke baby kan worden toegepast.

I absolutely love this book. Tracy is such a great writer and helps make sense the world of babies, their temperaments and routines. The emphasis is on parenting and mainly how YOU can help your baby in this world through their night-day routines, daytime routines, sleep schedules, breastfeeding/ bottle feeding plans, solids, and then it goes on into toddlerhood.As I first time mom, I wish I had read some of this sooner when I was really struggling with nursing. I have managed to tailor what Ive read and adapt it to my own baby, after all, all babies are different but the groundwork of understanding how to approach them and their routines is embedded in this book.Its a great reference book to read again and again. And Ive even read things in different orders e.g. chapters 1-3, then on to 5 and back to 4 as need be. You wont get bored and you'll certainly learn a lot. What I also would say is, take things as a guide mainly. I have a prem baby so I had to adapt mine a bit - but the book makes it clear to do this too =D