book title in Target that bugged me

[hubris]

"The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems"

Ugh. Just ugh.

[Penelope]

: : :

Methinks the B.W. franchise is wearing thin, or she wouldn't be making those kind of claims....

[kathipaul]

:

I kinda would be nice if that were possible. I know that there are often times when I have no clue. Sadly, people will buy the book and think of it as the answer to all their problems.

[Erin Pavlina]

Just an FYI, the author, Tracy Hoggs passed away recently from cancer.

I met Tracy years ago when we lived in the same apartment building and I made her first web site, before she wrote her book. She was a kind, caring, compassionate woman, not out for money. She used to teach classes in her store about respecting an infant's space. She would ask parents to lie on the floor and then she would grab a daddy's legs and lift them high in the air. She said, "That's what it feels like for a baby to have their legs lifted for a diaper change" and she advocated talking to your baby before you did anything physical to their person so that they didn't feel violated. She told me to always ask my baby if I could pick her up before I actually did it. She said, "How would you like to be picked up in the middle of a task without warning." She advocated infant communication and respect.

I know that her book has some flaws in it, but I suspect that was her publisher injecting certain mass market appealing ideas into the book. I know you guys only know her as the author of the Baby Whisperer, but I knew her before the book. And now she's gone. And it's sad.

[mar4JC]

ITA with Erin. I read the BW and didn't agree with all of it. But, Tracey Hoggs even stated in her own book that you can't raise a child from a book. So, clearly, the publishers are stretching things a bit to generate sales. Frankly, I feel that TH's discussion of routines (not schedules) and the 5 temperaments of babies is on the money, even if she is way ambivalent about BF'ing.

BW isn't perfect. But, I haven't agreed 100% with any one book on child rearing. These books are like a salad. You can graze, pick out the olives, if you don't like them, and take what you like. In the end, no one book has all the answers. (Except the Bible, IMHO, which still requires a lifetime of reading to ascertain all the answers!)

May Tracey Hogg rest in peace.

[hubris]

I'm sorry to hear that Ms. Hogg recently passed away. I feel like I should defend myself - I didn't post this to defame her or cast aspersions on her as a person. I actually didn't even comment on the BW books in my OP...I understand that they contain some relatively non-AP/non-NFL ideas, but haven't read them myself.

What "ugh"-ed me today was just the title, the idea that somebody can solve all your problems. I'm very aware of how much of that type of thing is created by publishers to create mainstream interest in a book or other product. It bothers me that they do so, and that many, many people will believe that this person/book can solve all their problems. I would be irritated by "Dr. Sears solves all your problems" or "Ina May guarantees a perfect childbirth," too.

[mar4JC]

ITA funshine. Thanks for the insight. If I see that book, I'll be sure to have a good laugh...

[Tupelo Honey]

I saw that this weekend. (I didn't know she died. That is tragic.) But even worse, book-wise, I saw that Jenny McCarthy has a new book about having a baby. It is HEINOUS!!! Really, words cannot describe.

[philomom]

Parts of the book are great.

One of the things I see as a new mom's support group leader is folks ignoring their baby's cues. She really helps some folks pay attention to their babies.

[lilylove]

I know nothing of the book or author, but the tittle made me think
"Oh good!! someone is gonna help me!!!

with laundry!!!" :LOL