Book Review: Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg
Tracy Hogg was a Mom who has raised her own babies and who had spent time a great deal of time in people’s homes, with parents and their babies, helping them find solutions to difficult problems. Ahh, this is nice. I’m not saying there isn’t a lot to be learned about babies from male pediatricians (William Sears) and ministers (Gary Ezzo), but what do for a crying baby at 3am isn’t a medical question or a spiritual one. I feel more connected to the ideas and experiences of a woman who has been the one getting out of bed.
There are a lot of common themes between them all, though. I think if William Sears and Gary Ezzo hooked up and through the miracle of modern reproductive technology had a baby girl, she might be Tracy Hogg…
Hogg explains a parenting approach that is both common-sense and nurturing. Hogg believes babies do better on a schedule which helps spread meals and naps evenly during the day. She recommends slowing down and learning your babies’ cues instead of using the breast or pacifier right away. She believes that babies’ expectations are learned, based on the parents’ behavior and can be changed, in incremental steps.
These ideas are similar to Ezzo and they have really worked for me. When Baby Girl was about 3 months old, she would spend a little time each day on her exercise mat, close to the table where I was working on the computer. When she would fuss, I wouldn’t pick her up right away. I would look at her, talk to her, and reach down and rub her feet. I would let her know that I was there and everything was all right. Over time, she fussed less and became comfortable playing on her own. Part of me felt like it would have been more nurturing to pick her up and hold her. But most of me felt that the opposite was true. I think Baby Girl learning to be OK on her own was more nurturing for her in the long run. And more nurturing for me too, since I had at least a little time each day to do my own thing.
But Hogg has the kind heart of Sears. She feels a connection with the babies, she respects them as real people, she knows the value of the hugs and kisses and loving touches. This feels like Sears. The basic understand that, at the end of the day, they bond that the parent and baby shares is what holds it all together.
Hogg has lots of practical advice for beginning a routine and for making adjustments if you didn’t start out that way. She has a cool British accent, which you might think would only be cool for the audio version of the book, but also comes across in print with phrases like “my luv.” Sometimes she says something silly, like recommending that you sing to your baby only if you have a good singing voice. (Oh, no, I messed up that one for sure.) But not too often.
Reading Hogg is like visiting with a combination grandma/girlfriend/mom who is kind, but will also tell you the truth. This is my favorite kind of parenting book.
(Sadly, Tracy Hogg passed away in 2005. Visit her website for more information and on-line communities.)
Hogg explains a parenting approach that is both common-sense and nurturing. Hogg believes babies do better on a schedule which helps spread meals and naps evenly during the day. She recommends slowing down and learning your babies’ cues instead of using the breast or pacifier right away. She believes that babies’ expectations are learned, based on the parents’ behavior and can be changed, in incremental steps.
These ideas are similar to Ezzo and they have really worked for me. When Baby Girl was about 3 months old, she would spend a little time each day on her exercise mat, close to the table where I was working on the computer. When she would fuss, I wouldn’t pick her up right away. I would look at her, talk to her, and reach down and rub her feet. I would let her know that I was there and everything was all right. Over time, she fussed less and became comfortable playing on her own. Part of me felt like it would have been more nurturing to pick her up and hold her. But most of me felt that the opposite was true. I think Baby Girl learning to be OK on her own was more nurturing for her in the long run. And more nurturing for me too, since I had at least a little time each day to do my own thing.
But Hogg has the kind heart of Sears. She feels a connection with the babies, she respects them as real people, she knows the value of the hugs and kisses and loving touches. This feels like Sears. The basic understand that, at the end of the day, they bond that the parent and baby shares is what holds it all together.
Hogg has lots of practical advice for beginning a routine and for making adjustments if you didn’t start out that way. She has a cool British accent, which you might think would only be cool for the audio version of the book, but also comes across in print with phrases like “my luv.” Sometimes she says something silly, like recommending that you sing to your baby only if you have a good singing voice. (Oh, no, I messed up that one for sure.) But not too often.
Reading Hogg is like visiting with a combination grandma/girlfriend/mom who is kind, but will also tell you the truth. This is my favorite kind of parenting book.
(Sadly, Tracy Hogg passed away in 2005. Visit her website for more information and on-line communities.)
