Tracy HoggA good friend of mine recommended that I read Tracy Hogg’s book Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. Obviously, Ms. Hogg, a midwife and registered nurse, was dubbed the “baby whisperer” by her grateful clients who are impressed with her knack with babies.

I read the book and have to say that at glance, I really like it. In researching for this review, I discovered that there already is a plethora of opinions and reviews on her and her book. In this post, I’d like to summarize some of the opinions on her and the basic points on the book.

What Makes this Book Good

Hogg outlines two techniques that may help new parents interact with their children. And, like all good things, it’s in acronym form!

She recommends that parents take time with their baby SLOW and EASY.

SLOW

or Stop, Listen, Observe, What’s Up?

Hogg points out that parents may be over-reactive to their baby’s cries. If something’s wrong, we shouldn’t immediately take action. We ought to stop and listen to our baby. What could be the problem? Observe the child… what kind of cry is it? Does she need a new diaper? Maybe she’s hungry? Maybe she does needs to know she’s not alone. Changing the diaper is not the silver bullet of parenting (even I know that!).

EASY

or Eating, Activity, Sleeping, You

Routines should be the staple of your baby’s day. She’ll do well with a certain amount of structure and it should comprise of eating, some kind of play or activity, sleeping and then repeat. Creating predictable patterns will help the baby adjust to life outside the womb and make the child more manageable, hence, “you”.

This final point I really liked. Hogg points out that the baby is a member of the family and although her needs are important, it doesn’t mean that parents need to give up everything and react the the child’s every whim. If the child seems hungry, nothing bad will happen if you delay feeding until the appropriate feeding time. Reactive parenting seems to be a disaster in the making; whatever you teach the child as a baby, expect to practice it in the future.

Baby Types

I like ways of categorizing my world. Honestly, it seems a bit naive to me when I hear parents say that their child is special and unique and there’s no one else like him or her in the world and that no book will ever be able to describe their kid.

Give me a break. Ya, he’s special… just like everybody else’s kid.

Enter baby types. They are general categories of behaviors a baby may behave. She’s quite to point out that these are flexible and that all babies have elements of all of them, however, many babies are more one than the others. Check them out:

  • Angel baby - Seemingly always happy, full of life and does well with routine. A wonder to have and, well, basically an angel.
  • Textbook baby - Exhibits all the typical rules a baby is expected to. Meets all the milestones on time and in perfect order. A baby that follows the book.
  • Touchy baby - These babies like to be cuddled and touched. They want to be close to mom and thrive with loving parents. A mere rub on the back at nap time can relax them and put them to sleep.
  • Spirited baby - These are the feisty ones. They are the first to move and once they start, they don’t stop. They like to be loud, too.
  • Grumpy baby - I guess these are the sticks in the mud of babies. They need a little more attention and get unhappy pretty quickly.

The Golden Middle

What I like most about Hogg’s approach is her consistent desire to find balance. Her philosophy has elements of all the big names in parenting, picking a choosing what she considers the best from both, and justifying her views accordingly. She never sides with one philosophy wholly; for some people, that may be wishy-washy, for me, it’s mature.

For example, one of the reviews about the book said that her philosophy has two pillars: 1) the baby has its place in the family, and 2) the baby’s independence is important. At first glance, it seems more like you have to choose one or the other, but Hogg points out that the baby is part of the family, but at the same time an independent person.

Breast-feeding and Shared Sleep

Hogg supports women who choose not to breast-feed and also steers moms who do to the middle: don’t feed on demand, but avoid a rigid schedule. Hogg is not a fan of shared sleeping, but she admits that if it works for you, stick with it.

I encourage you to look at the other reviews out there on the web and learn more about Tracy Hogg herself. If you’ve read the book, please make a comment so we know what you thought of it!

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