Baby Wise: a brief review

taken from amazon.com

I'd heard about this book for quite a while and had been curious, even to the point of planning on reading it, but never actually bought it. I guess I thought I had more time. Thankfully, a sweet friend gave it to me as a shower gift, and I was able to crank it out over the last couple weeks ("cranking a book out" has taken on a new meaning post-motorcycle accident). Just based on the [really strongly worded] mixed reviews I've seen out there on Goodreads and such as well as my own observations of multiple people that I know that have used this book as a source, I was planning on taking some and leaving some as far as the principles of the whole Baby Wise concept goes. I was surprised, though, that I actually agreed with and liked all of it. It just made a lot more sense to me than I anticipated, and it was also very different than I had assumed.

I'd always assumed this book was about strict and rigid schedules that are unflinching despite changes in surroundings or in the normal day-to-day routines. The babe and I have always really desired to have a more flexible approach to baby raising; I know almost everyone says that and I'm sure it's an art that will be mastered over time rather than right away, but we really did want a reasonable routine that also wouldn't fall apart if we visited friends or went out of town or even had to run errands during an inconvenient time. I think this book really does provide a blueprint for that. It talks quite specifically about not having too rigid a schedule and not ignoring Baby's cues for the sake of the clock. It really preaches a schedule that has specific elements that remain rigid (the first and the last feeding of the day, for example) while allowing the rest of the routine to have a level of fluidity and flexibility (you need x amount of feedings per day with about this much time in between each, but they can be shifted forward or backward depending on your needs or the baby's needs). I liked that flexibility very much, and for the most part I think it makes a lot of sense.

All the information provided here seems to be a good balance between the thousands of schools of thought that are out there. The writers do a great job of discussing some of those other schools and discussing the reasons why they make sense as well as the reasons why they disagree and think their method is better. Topics such as breastfeeding (and bottle feeding), nap times, nighttime sleeping, wake times, and more are all covered here, and it's not only a great source of direction as far as the Baby Wise concept goes, but also just information in general. I learned a lot about what to expect in the next couple months that I wasn't hearing or reading anywhere else. Stuff like how many poopy diapers to expect in the first couple weeks of Baby's life versus a couple months later isn't some national secret and it could be found in lots of other places, but I enjoyed being able to learn it here and not have to keep digging through different resources. And I know I'll be returning to this book many, many times over the next year or so as I need to look at chapters and passages that speak to specific age groups as Baby grows.

As a quick 2014 goals update, the babe and I have officially joined a Bible study together! His work schedule has been a beast since we moved to Berryville, and even though we found the church we love and want to become invested in almost a year ago it's taken a very long time to actually be able to jump in. We took the church's foundation class (their membership class, although we didn't become members at the end of it) to learn more about what they believe and get any questions answered, and now that he's home from his summer away and healed from the accident we have finally been able to join a group. We've gone for two weeks now and like it a lot; it's a great group of families and we're feeling really comfortable as we get to know them more and settle in. We're excited to see what's in store for our family as we continue to get plugged in and involved.