On Becoming Baby Wise: Book II (Parenting Your Pretoddler Five to Twelve Months) by Gary Ezzo

Description

It's reality-check time! You are at least five months into your tour of parenting duty by now. The complexity of child-training has begun to come into focus. You have learned that as your baby matures both constant and variable factors continually influence his or her development. What behaviors can and should you expect from your pretoddler? Feeding time for your pretoddler, for example, is now more than a response controlled by a sucking reflex. For the pretoddler, mealtime is part of a very complex, conscious interaction between what the child does and what his parents expect him to do. Right and wrong conduct will be encouraged, discouraged, and guided when necessary. In fact, right and wrong patterns of behavior will now be part of your baby's entire day. That's why feeding time, waketime and sleeptime provide wonderful opportunities for training and Babywise Book II will guide you all the way, from the high chair to playpen, from the living room to the back yard. This series teaches the practical side of introducing solids food, managing mealtimes, nap transitions, traveling with your infant, setting reasonable limits while encourage healthy exploration and much more. You will learn how to teach your child to use sign language for basic needs, a tool proven to help stimulate cognitive growth and advance communication. Apply the principles and your friends and relatives will be amazed at the alertness, contentedness and happy disposition of your baby

Editorial Review

Demand the behavior and correct thinking will eventually follow. Gary Ezzo, a graduate of Talbot Seminary and School of Theology, teams up with pediatrician Dr. Robert Bucknam to explore the role of moral development in a child in this compact sequel to their controversial primer on newborn behavior, On Becoming Baby Wise. Four glowing, compelling commentaries highlight the very first pages of the book, which attempts to guide parents through a critical time in their child's growth and learning (ages 5 through 15 months). The authors make many rational arguments about a parent's duty to expect and encourage consistent, acceptable behaviors when the child is very young; over time, such training will lead to the development of moral concepts. While the outcome is desirable and the method–when used consistently–does work, this particular book lacks the many supportive examples and research references found in the first Baby Wise. The authors encourage readers to familiarize themselves with the original, and openly state that their methods are more effective for graduates of Baby Wise parenting–not demand-fed babies. So, this particular child-rearing book is not meant for all. Chapters feature topics including moral foundations, mealtime and wake-time activities, highchair manners, discipline, and teaching basic sign language. Most of the information is more philosophical than practical. Don't expect to learn “how,” so much as “why.” –Liane Thomas