But I have issues with some of her specific advice. First, I find that she's judgmental about attachment parenting in general. I'm no die-hard attachment parent, but I'm no rigid-scheduler either and I totally disagree with her belief that demand feeding, cosleeping and the like teaches a baby bad habits or does not effectively meet their needs. She presumes that if AP doesn't work for some, then it will not work for all and is therefore not even worth trying because you'll end up with a baby with bad habits to break down the road. My experiences with flexibility vs. scheduled routine have been quite different. Gentle transitions from three completely attached newborns to independent individuals without parent-imposed schedules (it's been much more symbiotic than the method Hogg proposes) have worked quite well in our household. While my style may not be right for everyone, it certainly *can* work, something that Hogg fails to recognize. (She believes the "family bed gives parents short-shrift" without acknowledging that it actually *works* for many.)

Then there is the breastfeeding advice. I am disappointed to see someone who calls herself a lactation consultant try to make such a strong case for formula feeding over breastfeeding. As a mom who has both bottlefed and breastfed (and is still breastfeeding), I agree with Hogg that guilt or judgment has NO place in this decision, but I also feel that she has done a great disservice to moms and babies by understating some very important advantages and benefits of breastfeeding. She explains that "one can make a good case for either formula-feeding or breastfeeding." Unfortunately, she never does get around to making the case for breastfeeding.

In this same section, entitled "Making the Choice," Hogg has a sidebar on Feeding Fashions. In this small box, where I presume she's trying to show that while breastfeeding is currently "all the rage," the tide may turn out of its favor in later years as has happened in the past. (It's not clear here whether she's saying therefore don't choose breastfeeding just because it's a modern day "fad" or that if you decide to formula feed against popular opinion, know that 25 years from now it will probably be "the thing to do" just like it was 25 years ago? I don't get it.) She also says here, "As this book is being written, scientists are experimenting with the notion of genetically altering cows to produce human breast milk [yuk]. If that happens, perhaps in the future everyone will tout cow's milk. In fact, a 1999 article in the Journal of Nutrition suggests 'that it may ultimately be possible to design formulas better able to meet the needs of individual infants than the milk available from the mother's breast.'"

Okay, that is fascinating information, but how should it impact any mother's decision *today*? Feed your baby formula now because in the future it might actually be the best choice!? (A statement in itself which is worthy of an opposing dissertation - there are more advantages to breastfeeding than the mere composition of the fluid.)

Later, in the breastfeeding section, she specifically discourages demand feeding - advice which is direct opposition to breastfeeding recommendations endorsed by the majority of professional lactation consultants and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Hogg has a schedule all charted out for new parents, beginning with day one, which becomes increasing less flexible over a three day period, until you're stuck on that infamous three hour schedule by day FOUR and beyond. She promotes pacifier use (she believes in fostering independence from the very beginning), and "dispels the myth" of nipple confusion. And she seems to favor weaning within the first year, which is again not the recommendation of the AAP. Let me say that I actually agreed with some of her breastfeeding advice (don't watch the clock, don't switch sides, find a mentor), but you need to have a pretty discerning eye to know what is the good stuff and what is er, codswallop. Not good for first-time parents or those learning to breastfeed for the first time.

I'm a little surprised that Hogg is an LC at all, because she really doesn't come across as much of a breastfeeding advocate. In the feeding chapter, she puts LLLI and the US Public Health Service (neither seeking profit) in the same category as formula companies, accusing them all of "huge propaganda campaigns." Then she assures moms that SHE, on the other hand, is going to "help you become clearer about your choice, [providing] empowering information - without the rocket science or statistical numwhack that conventional breastfeeding books tend to bombard you with." Ugh.


Be careful!   February 1, 2001
 453 out of 608 found this review helpful

A warning to brand new parents: take this book with a HUGE grain of salt! I had a chance to read this book before its publication, when my son was 3 months old, and it caused me many days of anxiety and frustration. The author's contention that all babies fit into one of four types, and that they can all be "tamed" by following her recommendations, is just not accurate. My baby didn't nap well, and he certainly needed to eat more than every 3 hours, and I thought one of us must be crazy. Well, now he naps like an angel, and acts like one, too, but not until he was 6 months old. I tried and tried to follow Hogg's advice, causing tears for both of us. Guess what, Tracy? Usually a parent's instincts are right! Maybe your Hollywood parents just don't have any...


A Breath of Fresh Air   February 14, 2002
 125 out of 144 found this review helpful

As first time parents, my wife and I were both frustrated and overwhelmed by the conflicting advice that we received even before our daughter was released from the hospital.

In between the feedings and diaper changes during the first few days at home, I read Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, which was given to us by a family friend. Finally, there was a sane voice of experience that helped us to find our own way.

Some of the important points of this book:

1. It is normal to feel overwhelmed.

2. Every baby has a unique personality. While Tracy Hogg's categories may be somewhat oversimplified, she does offer a means of identifying your baby's personality so that you may better handle certain situations. No single approach will work with every baby, because they are all different.

3. You are not evil if you choose not to breast feed. This seems to be the subject of most of the negative reviews on this site, which is unfortunate. However, the author does not advocate either breast or formula feeding, she merely presents the pros and cons of each in a balanced manner, and provides reassurance that whatever method you choose, it is your choice to make, and there is no wrong decision.

4. One of the best pieces of advice: follow a structured routine. "EASY": Eat, Activity, Sleep, time for Yourself. This is another area that seems to have drawn criticism from fellow ... reviewers. "EASY" is presented as an alternative to feeding on demand and scheduled feeding. Actually, it is not as much an alternative as it is a combination of the two.
--> Following a set schedule is often impractical, as we found out ourselves while our daughter was still in the hospital. There, feeding took place every three hours, and at the same times. Most of the feedings went well, but at times, it seemed as though we were were force-feeding the poor kid, and it was implied that we were somehow bad parents if she did not finish the prescribed amount. Once we got home, we were able to be more flexible with the feeding times, which is exactly what EASY suggests.
--> What EASY suggests is following a prescribed routine. Eating is followed by activity, and the activity is followed by sleep. And while the baby sleeps, you have time for yourself. The structure is etched in stone, but the times are not. Who will not agree that flexibility is good? And having the structure will help you interpret your baby's cries and decrease the miscues (for example, trying to feed the baby when the baby is actually overstimulated, or over-tired).

5. The author provides guidelines for interpreting your baby's crying.

6. The author also explains how bad habits start and suggests methods for undoing bad habits. For example: allowing the baby to fall asleep on your chest may lead to the baby needing your chest to fall asleep....

7. Babies need to become independent. This means not rushing to the crib everytime they start to fuss. Babies need to learn to self-soothe and often will go back to sleep.

As with any book of this type, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer is not perfect, and there is some content that I do not necessarily agree with. But that's okay. The author is writing from personal experience, of which she has a lot. You will not find a whole lot of her advice to be in the vein of "studies have shown..." but rather "what I have learned...."

The style in which the book is written is also refreshingly down-to-earth. She speaks to the reader in a friendly voice that is neither condescending nor inaccessible.

Is this book worthy of addition to your bookshelf? Absolutely. I highly recommend it. Read it once, and you'll refer to it again and again.

The best advice that I can personally give anyone who is a new parent is this: TRUST YOUR OWN INSTINCTS. You will hear and read a lot of conflicting advice, none of which is perfect. You will have to find out what works best for you and your baby. No book can do that for you. Where Secrets of the Baby Whisperer succeeded the most for me was giving me the level of confidence to trust my own instincts, while providing some useful guidelines and advice.


Return to the dark ages of baby care   February 10, 2001
 80 out of 97 found this review helpful

This book is an updated rehash of pre-Spock baby care manuals. The information on breastfeeding is simply and totally medically inaccurate and Ms. Hogg's insistence that infants under one year need to be trained out of their bad habits is most disturbing.

The author believes that all baby parenting fits in cute acronyms (E.A.S.Y. and S.L.O.W.) and formulae. This is going to cause a lot of new parents guilt and grief.

My suspicion is that someone cooked up this extremely clever title (playing on the hot "Horse Whisperer" book, movie, and concept) and then built a book around it.

Great title. Terrible book. Remember, PARENTS are their babies' "whisperers." They know their babies best.

Katie Allison Granju

Author, "Attachment Parenting:Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child" and mother of three young children


Read this first!   November 14, 2001
 76 out of 99 found this review helpful

Hyped by Random House publishers as "this groundbreaking book," readers are enticed by offers of "Tracy's Three Day Magic--how to change any and all bad habits (yours and the baby's) in just
three days." Which mother would not be happy to "get baby to eat, play, and sleep on a schedule that will make every member of the household's life easier and happier?" The very unpredictability of babies is what makes new mothers' lives so chaotic. Mothers don't get coffee breaks, lunch breaks,
or go off duty at 6pm. It is plain, hard work taking care of a baby.

Look in any bookstore or library and you will see pregnant women and new mothers searching eagerly for advice on child raising. I remember doing this myself, devouring every morsel. Think how
many editions of Dr. Spock's book have been sold over the years! Fashions change in child rearing as in all things. We have gone from strict scheduling to permissiveness and now we are back to scheduling again. Tracy Hogg's "Secrets of The Baby Whisperer" is the latest in a long line of books purporting to know "the right answer" to parents' concerns. As any experienced parent will tell you, there is no "right" answer. What works for one child will not necessarily work for another. Listening to your baby is the first step towards understanding him.

So who is this wonderworker who can tell instantly whether a baby is hungry, tired, in real distress, or just in need of a little TLC?

According to Newsweek magazine (...)(Feb 26, 2001 issue):

"A registered nurse in England, Hogg left her two daughters, then 8 and 11, with her mother and moved to L.A. in 1992. Unable to use her nursing license here, she began taking care of babies. She had, as they say in the movie industry "great word of mouth" and soon Hogg opened her own baby-equipment store in Encino, CA. Her book and her Web site claim that she got a Master's degree in hypnotherapy from the University of California, Irvine. But a University spokeswoman says they
have no record of her. Earlier, according to her book and Web site, Hogg was "assigned" to the Great Orman Street Children's Hospital," an apparent reference to London's famed Great Orman
Street Hospital, where she, in fact, attended a three-weekend-long training course. And a "stint with the World Health Organization in India" turns out to refer to a two-week trip she took there in 1989."

This leads us to ask, how good is the advice she gives?

Not very.

Despite being endorsed by celebrities like Los Angeles stage actress Kate Mulligan who can afford $250.00 for "1 Hour Intense Consultation" or $350.00 for "Baby's First Feed," the information offered by Ms. Hogg is out of date and inaccurate. While she is entitled to her own personal opinions, they are not based on any scientific studies or research. Moreover, much of her advice conflicts with that given by the American Academy of Pediatrics who advocate feeding babies when they indicate
hunger rather than on artificial schedules.

Ms. Hogg's theories on infant sleep are also unfounded. They owe much to the teachings of Gary Ezzo, the discredited author of "Babywise" and "Preparation for Parenting," which have also been heavily criticized by the AAP.

Do we really need another parenting book that tells us that our instincts are useless and if we would only follow this author's theories all of our problems would be solved?

Rather, mothers - and fathers, too - are the real experts on their particular baby because they live with him 24 hours a day. What we really need are more books like "The Baby Bond: How to Raise an Emotionally Healthy Child" by Dianna Hine and " The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know about Your Baby from Birth to Age Two, " by Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears. These books help new parents to meet their baby's basic needs through a loving, nurturing, attachment style of parenting.

Norma Ritter, IBCLC

Norma Ritter,the mother of three grown children, (all breastfed,)is a Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant who has been helping mothers and babies for 24 yrs. She has a private practice,"Breastfeeding Matters," in upstate NY.