Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

Overjoyed but exhausted? Perplexed but purring? Then you may just be a new parent. And if you're looking for practical reassurance and advice then Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect and Communicate with your Baby is for you.

Clearly a remarkable person, Tracy Hogg (the "baby whisperer") has an impressive ability to understand and relate to babies. Herself a mother, she is an experienced maternity nurse and has derived her approach from her dealings with countless babies and their families. Forgiving and sympathetic in style, her book is well written, immensely readable and is full of gems and shrewd observations that even the seasoned parent may not have worked out. She emphasises the importance of showing respect to your baby: "Just try to remember that this is a little human being in your arms, a person whose senses are alive, a tiny being who already knows your voice and even what you smell like." And so the parent is instructed to give the newly returned-home baby an explanatory commentary and friendly guided tour of his or her new home.

Those who enjoy personality quizzes will love the Know-Your-Baby Quiz in which you can "zero in" on your baby's type which, according to Ms Hogg could be "Angel", "Textbook", "Touchy", "Spirited" or "Grumpy". She then provides tips on the best way to handle each type of baby. Advocating a structured routine with the acronym EASY (Eat, Activity, Sleep, You) she then demonstrates how it works for the benefit of all the family. The book covers most topics from sex to weaning, but possibly the most helpful, even beautiful, section is where the Baby Whisperer divulges her secrets for interpreting your baby's body language, signals and cries.

If you find The Baby Whisperer helpful, you may well also be interested in Gina Ford's The Contented Little Baby Book, What to Expect: the First Year and the slightly higher brow Babyhood by Penelope Leach. --Rebecca Pickering

View other editions of Secrets of the Baby Whisperer.
View books by Tracy Hogg.

Outdated and misinformed - badly needs updating - Rated
Apart from the interesting section on body-language, I found this technique to be full of misleading, out of date information. The recommendation to put babies into their own room before six months is in direct conflict with SIDS guidelines, and the "pick-up-put-down" technique must be utterly confusing for a tiny baby.

The author also has some strange ideas about breastfeeding, implying that demand feeding leads to a demanding baby (it doesn't) and that women who feed beyond the first year have deep psychological issues (they don't).

It's also centred on the very out-of-date idea that babies form habits early on, which has been proven not to be the case because the brain hasn't sufficiently developed to allow them to do so before around four months. How can it be damaging to rock your baby in the first few months (another thing which has been proven to be beneficial to the brain development of babies) when they have been constantly rocked while in the womb?

The notion of spending your day in cycles of activity seems fair enough, but the book needs to be updated to reflect current guidelines and scientific & psychological discoveries.

Good, but not foolproof! - Rated
I got this book whilst still pregnant, and thought that this book would make parenting a walk in the park. Great little charts to help identify body language and crying sounds, different baby types, flexible but sensible routine, what could make understanding your baby be easier?

4 weeks after the birth of my little one, desperately trying to get a "spirited" baby (who I only later realised had colic and did not seem to quite follow the body language signals as described by Tracy) to sleep, I realised that things were not so straightforward, felt absolutely useless, and frequently wished that the late GF could make a flying visit just to tell me what on earth I was doing wrong!!

In short, if your baby is not an "Angel" or "Textbook" baby, or has any kind of physical discomfort, this book is too simplistic and can leave you feeling inadequate. However, it seems that after receiving countless emails from desperate mums, TH realised that EASY is not easy and that there were many pitfalls to her methods and wrote "The Baby Whisperer solves all your problems", a follow-up book which I cannot recommend enough as an invaluable accompaniment.

Even if you don't manage to get your baby onto the EASY routine (I never quite did, 5 months on, my little one seems to change his habits or get into a growth spurt as soon as I more or less seem to get him onto it) the two books combined give you some really sound advice on baby care and psychology, the pitfalls of "accidental parenting" - establishing unwanted habits that are hard to break - and good ideas to help your baby to sleep which have proved really valuable.

Although I would probably not buy this book as a present for anyone, it is definitely worth having as a first-time parent and I would certainly recommend it over Gina Ford. Most importantly, buy it together with the follow-up book, the chances are you're going to need it!

Shocking! - Rated
Am shocked at how dire this book is and how many rave reviews there are.....seriously?! Most of this is common sense, and as other reviewers have pointed out - sometimes it is not possible to pat baby on the back and have them follow the sleep eat play routine.....I couldn't bear the patronising tone after page 50....I tried to bear wih it but have more fabulous books to be reading!

This book gave my baby a voice!! - Rated
This book is fantastic! I was really sceptical at first, having read other books and tried other popular methods (that didn't work)but this book was a breath of fresh air. It is balanced and well written. I found it really easy to follow. I felt that it gave my baby a voice and enabled me to be a better parent. Its not all about routines and schedules but about understanding your child and getting to know them better, whilst introducing a structure that suits YOU, YOUR BABY and YOUR FAMILY, instead of just clock watching etc. It helps you to learn your babies cues and needs and therefore be able to respond appropriately. I honestly couldn't recommend this book enough, it really made a difference instantly. I'm looking forward to readin the toddler one now!!

E.A.S.Y my A.*.S.E - Rated
If you have a baby with colic, who is also aledgedly 'spirited' who you try your hardest to be the best Mum you can then spare yourself from more santimonious preaching from someone who obviously has never expereinced the living, sleepless hell you are in. Shh pat made my beloved scream with rage, she did not sleep, there was no 'your time'. FYO she is now a DELIGHTFUL 2 year old. Instead of giving yourself guilt-trips by reading this, remember you are doing an amazing job and all babies learn to sleep, eat and self-soothe eventually when given the most important things - Love and loving attention - read 'why love matters' instead. Remember to take care of yourself too and start by avoiding this book.