Has anyone tried babywise?

Holly - posted on 06/01/2010

Good point, Heather! I think it does help them keep their days & nights straight!

Karla - posted on 06/01/2010

I find it amazing that moms who had NOT used babywise were the only ones who had negative things to say. I read the links posted early on that were supposed to be "studies" on how bad babywise is....it was not a study. It was one MD (WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE AN ATTACHMENT PARENTING ADVOCATE) voicing concerns regarding babywise. Before we as mothers,who are supposedly here to support each other, start talking about starving kids, low milk supplies, and rigid strict schedules....I think we need to check our facts.

Heather - posted on 06/01/2010

Sorry, that wasn't much of a post. Our daughter had her days and nights mixed up. So, at first we did the feed, wake, sleep schedule just until she had her days right and her nights right. I firmly believe that no matter what anyone else says you are the parent and you know what is best for your child. Good Luck to you and if you choose Babywise I truly hope it works for you.

Jessica - posted on 06/01/2010

I have NO idea where this concept that parent-directed feeding =starving your child comes from! Baby wise has been a wonderful guideline for us...a life-saver really! Our daughter has thrived from the beginning. She is growing great, has always slept well and truly is one of the happiest babies I've ever been around. I know this to be true of every other mom I've talked to who has used this book. (at least 5 of my friends have) Their children are all the same way - great eaters, sleepers and very well-adjusted!

Heather - posted on 06/01/2010

We tried it and didn't like it. Our daughter didn't respond to it well.

Holly - posted on 06/01/2010

Thank you, Lauren! I am using babywise with my daughter and it is going very well. It makes me mad when people who are against it, for whatever reason make those of us who use it sound like horrible parents because we don't let our kids do what they want when they want. And as an fyi - my daughter is 50th percentile on weight and height...we tweak the schedule as we need...we are not starving her and it really frustrates me when people try to say that's what I am doing...

Lauren - posted on 06/01/2010

COME ON LADIES She asking for people who HAVE used Babywise. Get off your high horse and respect someones post. She didn't ask anyones opinion-she asked if anyone has tried it.

Alicia - posted on 06/01/2010

i would never use it nor would i suggest anyone use it. My child has their own desires and right why should in enforce a schedual upon them. I beleive children like adults should eat when they ned to this horrible program doesn't allow that

Susan - posted on 06/01/2010

I read babywise and took some good info from it--the main thing was FEED ON WAKING! I never held my son to a rigid feeding schedule--he always fed on waking and he fell into a WONDERFUL schedule very quickly. He was sleeping 7 hours straight at 4.5 weeks. My supply never suffered and I breastfed until almost 18 months.

Holly - posted on 06/01/2010

The only thing I liked about babywise and that worked for us, was the play sleep then feed schedule once my baby was old enough that she wasn't eating every two hours...she was maybe 6 months old when it worked for us, but that's all....I didn't like much else...
My daughter breastfed till 2 weeks before she turned 2....

Celeste - posted on 06/01/2010

That's great that all of you had great experiences but here's another side.. Parents who did use it but their children didn't do so great with it

http://www.ezzo.info/voices.htm

These stories are fairly recent..

Alyssia - posted on 06/01/2010

Yep, we love it too! I have a 10 week old girl and I breast feed. She started sleeping about 6-7 hours through the night at around 8 weeks and she is VERY content. So are we now with more rest. The whole idea of the book is to get on a flexible feeding schedule and teach your baby to learn how to put themselves to sleep. In this order: Feed then awake/play time and finally sleep/nap time. Everyone says, wow, you're so lucky to have a happy baby, and I really don't think it has anything to do with luck...it's that we are babywise!

Emily - posted on 06/01/2010

"Parents who don't believe in routine or a schedule just like the idea of blaming all the craziness on their kids, using your baby as a scapegoat out of everything else is what's not fair to your child!"

What "craziness" are you talking about? I don't have schedules for my kids and my kids are not crazy nor is our life crazy. It's really not that hard to read my kids' cues, know what they need, and meet those needs. I don't need to have a "schedule" to tell me how to be a parent.

Deborah - posted on 06/01/2010

By the way, after reading others thought on the book...I never had a milk problem, I don't believe milk problems occur b/c of Babywise, I believe they occur due to our own hormones and genes. I also have a very average and great on the charts little boy, failure to thrive was not even a concern. By the way, my little one is 8 months old and while he is on solids now and doing great, he is exclusively breast fed. The only formula he has ever had was in the hospital when he wouldn't wake up to eat and I was to weary to keep trying after an hour and a half and at 1:00 in the morning. Read the book, adapt it to your lifestyle and enjoy your little boy. Parents who don't believe in routine or a schedule just like the idea of blaming all the craziness on their kids, using your baby as a scapegoat out of everything else is what's not fair to your child!

Deborah - posted on 06/01/2010

I have used babywise. My little boy is 8 months old and I finished the second Babywise book when he was 5-6 months old. I loved it and it gave me the confidence I needed to train and work with my son. You will hear from some that it's a bad book, that it isn't good, but rest asure, it's great. I can tell after reading bad reviews about it that the reviewers didn't actually read the book or put it into practice with a REAL child. I would really encourage you to do it. People comment all the time about how easy going my son is, how happy he is and how flexible he is, it's true, and I have to say I would 100% give Babywise the credit. It really does work.

Sarah - posted on 06/01/2010

I would not recommend it and neither does the AAP. Personally, I think the book is horrible in the way the author basically tells you 'do this or your child will (Fill in something horrible happening) when it is crap. I hate preachy, judgmental books like that based on doing what is convenient for the parent. Nothing bad is going to happen to your baby because you responded with love and kindness to his or her cries. Not responding however...

The book has been linked with dozens of cases with babies not being fed enough (failure to thrive) and I just cannot agree with any book that has that effect.

It is not just about common sense. A lot of people look to books because they have no idea how to raise a child. If the book says one thing but *really* means another then there is bound to be some confusion!

That said if YOU want to follow it I would at the very least talk to your ped. about it to make sure your baby is getting enough to eat with schedule feedings. Good luck either way.

Jennifer - posted on 06/01/2010

I totally agree with Teresa's comments here. I used Babywise but I adapted it to my particular situation. I had a tiny baby (20 months now but has always been under 5th percentile for weight). She's full of spunk and energy; she's just a tiny girl. I breastfed her every 2 hours per my pediatrician's advice, but I still used the Babywise idea of EAT-WAKE-SLEEP. The research I've read says children thrive on routine, so having a schedule is a good idea. Babywise helped my daughter to fall asleep on her own so I didn't always have to feed her or rock her to bed. She's slept in her own crib since she was 2 weeks old, she falls asleep within 5 minutes of me laying her down, she sleeps 11-12 hours straight at night, and she wakes up singing and happy. I attribute this all to Babywise.

I agree that the bad publicity was because of parents with little common sense, who weren't flexible with the feeding and didn't read the baby's cues. My suggestion is to read it and try it out. It doesn't work for everyone, but you can always adapt it or just use it for the sleep aspect. Good luck!

Chelle - posted on 05/31/2010

Hi Karla
Yep i definitely used Babywise as my basis for feeding my little man. Everything in it seemed to make a lot of sense to me, showed how sleep, feeding, play were all tied in and if one suffered, it threw all the others out of whack.

My little man was always so happy and healthy and thankfully i never had a problem with my milk coming in. I remember feeling really nervous about how i was going to even begin to implement this schedule thing though but my little man put himself on a 3 hour feeding schedule from the word go in the hospital. I was also lucky because he would pull himself off when he had had enough. After a while i was able to get him to four hourly. But yes he was never hungry, gained weight perfectly and was always so happy.

The only thing i would not do that babywise seems to advocate, unless i misread it, was wake up your baby at night to feed.

Teresa - posted on 05/31/2010

Since when is parenting about making your child happy at all costs? Personally, I don't want to build my child up for that type of disappointment/sense of entitlement later in life. I'd much rather they learn how to appropriately deal w/ the disappointments and pains that life WILL hand them.

Not saying anything is wrong w/ demand feeding. As I said, that's what I did w/ my son. Nothing wrong w/ wanting your kids to be happy either, but THEIR happiness at ANY cost..... really? That statement just disturbed me enough to make another comment on this post. :)

I do have to also add that my schedule fed, sleep in their own room twins were much, much more well adjusted to dealing w/ life than my co-sleeping, nursed on demand son. He is a MAJOR cling on and still (at 2 years 2 months) only sleeps through the night on rare, rare occasion. Maybe it's just cuz he's a different kid, maybe it's cuz my parenting is different (I was going through WAY too much when he was born), but I'll never know for sure.

Lauren - posted on 05/31/2010

Karla, I used babywise and my lil' girl IS so happy. She sleeps thru the night with ease. She's 15 months now. She has a set nap time - all I do is say is time for nap and I lay her down she cuddles her blanket and off to sleep she goes. She wakes up in the best mood!!! The book is NOT about rigid feeding/nap schedule. It's about reading your baby's signs and being a smart responsive parent. The book doesn't recommend so-sleeping. But from EVERY baby I've seen they all had sleeping problems, and really tired Moms. I am still breastfeeding my lil' one and my supply has never been an issue.

Catlin - posted on 05/31/2010

BTW, if you're worried about sleep "problems" or things like that, there are a couple of other books that are great. I'm a big fan of the Dr. Sears Sleep Book and The NO-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I'm sure other mom's on here can give you some other books that would help if those dont.

Claire - posted on 05/31/2010

This is the first I'm hearing of it. I think it is wrong to try to schedule your baby. I mean, by having a baby we all knew sleepless nights were coming. Also, I know that a baby's emotional needs are just as important as his/her physical needs so even though he might not be completely starving, he is trying to communicate with you and trust that you can provide the comfort that he needs. I just see every time that I hold my baby, even if she's not crying, an opportunity to build a loving and trusting relationship. And when was parenting a small child supposed to be convenient for us? Whatever happened to making your baby happy no matter the cost? I thought that's what being a mom was all about.

Marla - posted on 05/31/2010

I tried Baby Wise with my first baby and she was a failure to thrive. The last two I nursed only on demand and they did really well and are really good kids. I have found the friends who have used Baby Wise have loud criers and tend to be whiners. I never watch the clock when I nurse b/c for the first four months my babies nurse once an hour during the day so making your baby wait till its time to feed would be the same as telling you to wait eat when you are starving b/c its not time to eat.

With the first baby my midwife very strongly disagreed we use it but we tried anyway ... its too late now but I should have listened.

Christine - posted on 05/31/2010

I used Babywise with all four of my sons. It doesn't promote a rigid feeding schedule, but a flexible one. My boys were all breastfed, were above average on the growth charts, slept through the night at an early age, and were just generally happy, healthy babies. I encourage all of my expecting friends to give it a try. Of course, every family is different, so do what's best for you and your little one :)

Angie - posted on 05/31/2010

Babywise is one of the most common causes for milk supply problems as well as failure to thrive in babies. The AAP recommends strongly against it and there has been talk of taking it out of publishing. It isn't a safe method for raising a baby.

Teresa - posted on 05/30/2010

No Karla, it doesn't. It reccomends a schedule, but flat out TELLS you to pay attention to your baby's cues. If it isn't 'time' for a feeding... try other calming methods first, but if they don't help.. FEED the baby. When I first started reading the 'Babywise controversy' on COM I borrowed my friend's copy and reread it looking for how it could possibly blamed for 'failure to thrive' and the only thing I could come up w/.... parents w/ zero common sense looking for something to blame.



Sorry, I know that's not a popular view on this board, but it is mine. ;)

Karla - posted on 05/30/2010

Thanks for the comments!! Would really like to hear from parents who have used babywise. From what I have read so far it doesn't reccommend a rigid schedule, nor does it reccommend letting your child go hungry.

Emily - posted on 05/30/2010

I agree that that's like comparing apples to oranges. All babies are designed to be breastfed. Whether moms are successful at that or not does not change the fact that babies' tummies are meant to accept breastmilk. If this was a perfect world and all moms got the support they needed, all babies would be breastfed. Whereas, not all babies are designed to be fed on a schedule. I would even say most babies are NOT designed to be schedule-fed. Babies (particularly in the early days) need to be fed on demand in order to get the proper nutrients and to build mom's supply.

Lerin - posted on 05/30/2010

I've heard only bad things about Babywise. Never read the book myself. I will tell you though, that my mom is an IBCLC, and breastfed all 3 of her kids (my sister in the 70's, me in the 80's and my brother in the 90's) when all the 'ideas' about bfing were different. She and I were at a homeschool conference this past week and a speaker mentioned Babywise for the parents juggling multiple children. My mom leaned over and with a stern face and shake of the head said 'Babywise is bad!'
It might work for some, but what I've heard the whole fuss is about is that it talks about letting babies cry it out, which research has now confirmed is detrimental to babies.
Research or not, I just say to put yourself in your babies shoes. If you didn't feel great for whatever reason- sleepy, hungry, overtired, etc- and you were crying, wouldn't you want comfort or would you like to be left laying in a crib crying?

Celeste - posted on 05/30/2010

Karla, I think that's comparing apples to oranges. Many babies will do fine on breastfeeding. Not saying that there aren't issues that can arise but many can be worked out.

If you want to use Babywise, more power to you. Just be aware that many many lactation professionals advise against it for the reasons that the above site stated. I know that many mothers of multiples praised it and it was recommended it to me since I was having twins. After researching both sides, I decided against it.

Karla - posted on 05/30/2010

I have both friends who used babywise and friends who demand fed. More demand feeeding moms had trouble with supply. Celeste stated that "some babies do fine and some won't" but isn't that true of breastfeeding in general?

Teresa - posted on 05/30/2010

If you are the same person (sorry, don't pay enough attention to names) that posted on the welcome board, I already answered, but I'll do it again. ;)



Not specifically since I didn't read it til my twins were toddlers, but they were on a 3 hour feeding schedule from birth and we breastfed successfully til they were fully weaned at 15 months. Definitely isn't a right fit for every baby... since my 2 year old is still nursed mostly 'on demand', but I am a big fan of the Babywise concept. You just have to be aware of your baby's cues and well being to see if it is working for them or not.... and of course, abandon it (or modify it at the very least) if it is not working. :)

Celeste - posted on 05/30/2010

I have read it, not something I would ever use with my children. I'm part of many breastfeeding message boards and a breastfeeding support group. There were some women who tried the book and their baby and/or supply suffered. Yes, some babies do fine but some babies won't and milk supply can suffer. It's hard to know which babies will do fine and others might not.

Please check out the above link that Catlin posted.

Catlin - posted on 05/30/2010

http://www.ezzo.info/Aney/aneyaap.htm

Catlin - posted on 05/30/2010

here's a link to a study on using babywise, I'm pretty sure this is why it isn't recommended.

Catlin - posted on 05/30/2010

If I remember right for a post awhile a go babywise isn't recommended. It has something to do with the rigid feeding schedule.

I haven't ever tried it though. Are you looking to use it for a specific reason like sleep?