{"product_id":"secrets-of-the-baby-whisperer-isbn-9780345440907","title":"Secrets of the Baby Whisperer","description":"\u003cb\u003e“TRACY HOGG HAS GIVEN PARENTS A GREAT GIFT–the ability to develop early insight into their child’s temperament.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Los Angeles Family\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Tracy Hogg’s \u003ci\u003eSecrets of the Baby Whisperer\u003c\/i\u003e was first published, it soared onto bestseller lists across the country. Parents everywhere became “whisperers” to their newborns, amazed that they could actually communicate with their baby within weeks of their child’s birth. Tracy gave parents what for some amounted to a miracle: the ability to understand their baby’s every coo and cry so that they could tell immediately if the baby was hungry, tired, in real distress, or just in need of a little TLC. Tracy also dispelled the insidious myth that parents must go sleepless for the first year of a baby’s life–because a happy baby sleeps through the night. Now you too can benefit from Tracy’s more than twenty years’ experience. In this groundbreaking book, she shares simple, accessible programs in which you will learn: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• E.A.S.Y.–how to get baby to eat, play, and sleep on a schedule that will make every member of the household’s life easier and happier.\u003cbr\u003e• S.L.O.W.–how to interpret what your baby is trying to tell you (so you don’t try to feed him when he really wants a nap).\u003cbr\u003e• How to identify which type of baby yours is–Angel, Textbook, Touchy, Spirited, or Grumpy–and then learn the best way to interact with that type.\u003cbr\u003e• Tracy’s Three Day Magic–how to change any and all bad habits (yours and the baby’s) in just three days.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the heart of Tracy’s simple but profound message: treat the baby as you would like to be treated yourself. Reassuring, down-to-earth, and often flying in the face of conventional wisdom, \u003ci\u003eSecrets of the Baby Whisperer\u003c\/i\u003e promises parents not only a healthier, happier baby but a more relaxed and happy household as well.\u003cb\u003eTracy Hogg \u003c\/b\u003eobtained her nursing degree in England, specializing in maternity and neonatal care. Her uncanny ability to understand and calm babies led to her nickname \"The Baby Whisperer.\" In 1997, she founded Baby Technique, through which she consults with parents individually, organizes and teaches group classes, and provides nanny training and referrals. She is the mother of two daughters. Tracy Hogg died of melanoma in November 2004. \u003cbr\u003eYou can visit her web site at www.babywhisperer.com. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMelinda Blau\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning journalist specializing in family and health topics. She is the author of seven other books, including Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers, and countless magazine articles. The mother of two grown children, she lives in Northhampton, Massachusetts.Loving the Baby You Gave Birth To\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e                        I just can't get over how much babies cry. I really had\u003cbr\u003e                        no idea what I was\u003cbr\u003e                        getting into. To tell you the truth, I thought it would be\u003cbr\u003e                        more like\u003cbr\u003e                        getting a cat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    --Anne Lamott in\u003cbr\u003e    Operating Instructions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Oh My God, We Have a Baby!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    No event in an adult's life equals both the joy and the terror of becoming\u003cbr\u003e    a parent for the first time. Fortunately, it's the joy that carries on.\u003cbr\u003e    But in the beginning, insecurity and fear often take over. Alan, for\u003cbr\u003e    example, a thirty-three-year-old graphic designer, vividly remembers the\u003cbr\u003e    day he picked up his wife, Susan, from the hospital. Coincidentally, it\u003cbr\u003e    was their fourth anniversary. Susan, a writer, age twenty-seven, had had a\u003cbr\u003e    fairly easy labor and birth, and their beautiful blue-eyed baby, Aaron,\u003cbr\u003e    nursed easily and rarely cried. By day two, Mum and Dad were eager to\u003cbr\u003e    leave the hubbub of the hospital to start life as a family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"I whistled as I walked down the hall toward her room,\" Alan recalls.\u003cbr\u003e    \"Everything seemed perfect. Aaron had nursed right before I got there,\u003cbr\u003e    and\u003cbr\u003e    now he was sleeping in Susan's arms. It was just as I imagined it would\u003cbr\u003e    be. We went down in the elevator, and the nurse let me wheel Susan out\u003cbr\u003e    into the sunlight. When I ran for the car door, I realized I'd forgotten\u003cbr\u003e    to set up the infant seat. I swear it took me half an hour to get it in\u003cbr\u003e    right. Finally, I gently slid Aaron in. He was such an angel. I helped\u003cbr\u003e    Susan into the car, thanked the nurse for her patience, and then climbed\u003cbr\u003e    into the driver's seat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"Suddenly, Aaron started making little noises from the backseat--not\u003cbr\u003e    really\u003cbr\u003e    crying, but sounds I didn't recall hearing in the hospital or maybe hadn't\u003cbr\u003e    noticed. Susan looked at me, and I looked at her. 'Oh, Jesus!' I\u003cbr\u003e    exclaimed. 'What do we do now?' \"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Every parent I know has a what-now moment like Alan's. For some it comes\u003cbr\u003e    in the hospital; for others it arrives on the trip home, or even on the\u003cbr\u003e    second or third day. There's so much going on--the physical recovery, the\u003cbr\u003e    emotional impact, the reality of caring for a helpless infant. Few are\u003cbr\u003e    prepared for the shock. Some new mothers admit, \"I read all the books,\u003cbr\u003e    but\u003cbr\u003e    nothing prepared me.\" Others recall, \"There was so much to think about. I\u003cbr\u003e    cried a lot.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    The first three to five days are often the most difficult because\u003cbr\u003e    everything is new and daunting. Typically, I'm bombarded by queries from\u003cbr\u003e    anxious parents: \"How long should a feeding take?\" \"Why does she pull her\u003cbr\u003e    legs up like that?\" \"Is this the right way to change him?\" \"Why is her\u003cbr\u003e    poop that color?\" And, of course, the most persistent question of all\u003cbr\u003e    time: \"Why is he crying?\" Parents, particularly mums, often feel guilty\u003cbr\u003e    because they think they're supposed to know everything. The mother of a\u003cbr\u003e    one-month-old said to me, \"I was so afraid I'd do something wrong, but at\u003cbr\u003e    the same time, I didn't want anyone to help me or tell me what to do.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    The first thing I tell parents--and keep telling them--is to slooooooow\u003cbr\u003e    down. It takes time to get to know your baby. It takes patience and a calm\u003cbr\u003e    environment. It takes strength and stamina. It takes respect and kindness.\u003cbr\u003e    It takes responsibility and discipline. It takes attention and keen\u003cbr\u003e    observation. It takes time and practice--a lot of doing it wrong before you\u003cbr\u003e    get it right. And it takes listening to your own intuition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Notice how often I repeat \"it takes.\" In the beginning, there's a lot of\u003cbr\u003e    \"take\" and very little \"give\" on your baby's part. The rewards and joys of\u003cbr\u003e    parenting will be endless, I promise. But they won't happen in a day,\u003cbr\u003e    darlings; rather, you'll see them over months and years. What's more,\u003cbr\u003e    everyone's experience is different. As a mother in one of my groups,\u003cbr\u003e    looking back on her first few days home, observed, \"I didn't know if I was\u003cbr\u003e    doing things right--and, besides, everyone defines 'right' differently.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Also, every baby is different, which is why I tell my mums that their\u003cbr\u003e    first job is to understand the baby they have, not the one they dreamed\u003cbr\u003e    about during the past nine months. In this chapter, I'll help you figure\u003cbr\u003e    out what you can expect from your baby. But first, a quick primer on your\u003cbr\u003e    first few days at home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Coming Home\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Because I see myself as an advocate for the whole family, not just the\u003cbr\u003e    new\u003cbr\u003e    baby, part of my job is to help parents gain perspective. I tell mums and\u003cbr\u003e    dads right from the start: This won't last forever. You will calm down.\u003cbr\u003e    You will become more confident. You will be the best parent you can be.\u003cbr\u003e    And at some point, believe it or not, your baby will sleep through the\u003cbr\u003e    night. For now, though, you must lower your expectations. You'll have good\u003cbr\u003e    days and not-so-good days; be prepared for both. Don't strive for\u003cbr\u003e    perfection.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Homecoming Checklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    One of the reasons my babies do well is that everything is ready for them\u003cbr\u003e    a month before the due date. The more prepared you are and the quieter\u003cbr\u003e    it\u003cbr\u003e    is in the beginning, the more time you'll have to observe your baby and to\u003cbr\u003e    get to know him as the individual he is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    * Put sheets on the crib or bassinet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    * Set up the changing table. Have everything you need--wipes, diapers,\u003cbr\u003e    cotton swabs, alcohol--in easy reach.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    * Have baby's first wardrobe ready. Take everything out of the packages,\u003cbr\u003e    remove any tags, and wash in a mild detergent that has no bleach.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    * Stock your refrigerator and freezer. A week or two before you're due,\u003cbr\u003e    make a lasagna, a shepherd's pie, soups, and other dishes that freeze\u003cbr\u003e    well. Make sure you have all the staples on hand--milk, butter, eggs,\u003cbr\u003e    cereal, pet food. You'll eat better and cheaper and avoid frantic trips to\u003cbr\u003e    the store.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    * Don't take too much to the hospital. Remember, you'll have several extra\u003cbr\u003e    bags--and the baby--to bring home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    TIP: The more organized you are before you come home, the happier\u003cbr\u003e    everyone\u003cbr\u003e    will be afterward. And if you loosen the tops of bottles and tubes, open\u003cbr\u003e    boxes, and take all new items out of their packages, you won't have to\u003cbr\u003e    fiddle with such things with your new baby in hand! (See \"Homecoming\u003cbr\u003e    Checklist\" at left.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I usually need to remind mothers, \"It's your first day home--the first\u003cbr\u003e    you're away from the security of the hospital, where you get help,\u003cbr\u003e    answers, and relief at the push of a button. Now you're on your own.\" \u003cbr\u003e    Of course, a mother is often happy to leave the hospital. The nurses may \u003cbr\u003e    have been brusque or given her conflicting advice. And the frequent \u003cbr\u003e    interruptions from hospital personnel and visitors probably made it \u003cbr\u003e    impossible for her to rest. In any case, by the time most mums come \u003cbr\u003e    home, they are usually either scared, confused, exhausted, or in \u003cbr\u003e    pain--or maybe all of the above.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Therefore I advise a slow reentry. When you walk through the door, take a\u003cbr\u003e    deep, centering breath. Keep it simple. (You'll be hearing that a lot from\u003cbr\u003e    me.) Think of this as the beginning of a new adventure, and you and your\u003cbr\u003e    partner as explorers. And by all means, be realistic: The postpartum\u003cbr\u003e    period is difficult--a rocky terrain. All but a rare few stumble along the\u003cbr\u003e    way. (More about Mum recuperating during the postpartum period in\u003cbr\u003e    Chapter\u003cbr\u003e    7.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Believe me, I know that the moment you get home, you'll probably feel\u003cbr\u003e    overwhelmed. But if you follow my simple homecoming ritual, you're less\u003cbr\u003e    likely to feel frantic. (Remember, though, this is just a quick\u003cbr\u003e    orientation. Later on, as indicated, I go into greater detail.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Start the dialogue by giving your baby a tour of the house. That's right,\u003cbr\u003e    luv, a tour, as if you're the curator of a museum and she's a\u003cbr\u003e    distinguished visitor. Remember what I told you about respect: You need to\u003cbr\u003e    treat your little darling like a human being, as someone who can\u003cbr\u003e    understand and feel. Granted, she speaks a language you may not yet\u003cbr\u003e    understand, but it's nevertheless important to call her by name and to\u003cbr\u003e    make every interaction a dialogue, not a lecture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    So walk around with her in your arms and show her where she's going to\u003cbr\u003e    live. Talk with her. In a soft, gentle voice, explain each room: \"Here's\u003cbr\u003e    the kitchen. It's where Dad and I cook. This is the bathroom, where we\u003cbr\u003e    take showers.\" And so on. You might feel silly. Many new parents are shy\u003cbr\u003e    when they first start to have a dialogue with their baby. That's okay.\u003cbr\u003e    Practice, and you'll be amazed at how easy it becomes. Just try to\u003cbr\u003e    remember that this is a little human being in your arms, a person whose\u003cbr\u003e    senses are alive, a tiny being who already knows your voice and even what\u003cbr\u003e    you smell like.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    While you're walking around, have Dad or Grandma make chamomile tea or\u003cbr\u003e    another calming beverage. Tea, naturally, is my favorite. Where I come\u003cbr\u003e    from, the moment a mum gets home, Nelly from next door nips over and\u003cbr\u003e    puts\u003cbr\u003e    on a kettle. It's a very English, very civilized tradition, which I've\u003cbr\u003e    introduced to all my families here. After a nice cuppa, as we call it,\u003cbr\u003e    you'll want to really explore this glorious creature you've given birth to.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Limit Visitors\u003cbr\u003e    Convince all but a few very close relatives and friends to stay away for\u003cbr\u003e    the first few days. If parents are in from out of town, the greatest thing\u003cbr\u003e    they can do for you is cook, clean, and run errands. Let them know in a\u003cbr\u003e    kind way that you'll ask for their help with the baby if you need it, but\u003cbr\u003e    that you'd like to use this time to get to know your little one on your\u003cbr\u003e    own.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Give your baby a sponge bath and a feed. (Information and advice about\u003cbr\u003e    feeding is in Chapter 4, sponge bathing on pages 156-157.) Keep in mind\u003cbr\u003e    that you're not the only one in shock. Your baby has had quite a journey\u003cbr\u003e    himself. Imagine, if you will, a tiny human being coming into the bright\u003cbr\u003e    light of a delivery room. Suddenly, with great speed and force, that\u003cbr\u003e    little body is rubbed, poked, and pricked by strangers whose voices are\u003cbr\u003e    unfamiliar. After a few days in a nursery, surrounded by other tiny\u003cbr\u003e    beings, he then has to travel from the hospital to home. If you adopted\u003cbr\u003e    him, the trip was probably even longer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    TIP: Hospital nurseries are kept quite warm, almost womblike, so make\u003cbr\u003e    sure\u003cbr\u003e    the temperature in the baby's new \"woom\" is around 72 degrees.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    This is a perfect opportunity for you to pore over your miracle of nature.\u003cbr\u003e    It may be the first time you see your baby naked. Get acquainted with his\u003cbr\u003e    bits and pieces. Explore each tiny finger and toe. Keep talking with him.\u003cbr\u003e    Bond with him. Nurse him or give him a bottle. Watch him as he gets\u003cbr\u003e    sleepy. Start him off right, and allow him to fall asleep in his own crib\u003cbr\u003e    or bassinet. (I have lots of sleeping tips in Chapter 6.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"But her eyes are open,\" protested Gail, a hairdresser whose two-day-old\u003cbr\u003e    daughter seemed to be staring contentedly at a photo of a baby propped\u003cbr\u003e    up\u003cbr\u003e    on the crib bumpers. I had suggested that Gail leave the room and get\u003cbr\u003e    some\u003cbr\u003e    rest herself, but Gail said, \"She's not asleep yet.\" I've heard the same\u003cbr\u003e    protest from many new mums. But I'm going to tell you straightaway that\u003cbr\u003e    your baby doesn't have to be asleep for you to put her down and walk away\u003cbr\u003e    from the crib. \"Look,\" I said to her, \"Lily's hanging out with her\u003cbr\u003e    boyfriend. Now you go lie down.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Take Small Bites\u003cbr\u003e    You've got a lot on your plate; don't heap on any additional pressures.\u003cbr\u003e    Rather than being angry at yourself because you haven't gotten the\u003cbr\u003e    announcements addressed or sent thank-you notes, give yourself a\u003cbr\u003e    manageable daily goal--say, five instead of forty a day. Prioritize your\u003cbr\u003e    tasks by creating piles marked \"urgent,\" \"do later,\" and \"can wait till I\u003cbr\u003e    feel better.\" If you're calm and honest when you assess each chore, you'll\u003cbr\u003e    be surprised at how much goes in that last pile.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Take a nap. Don't unpack the bags, don't make phone calls, and don't look\u003cbr\u003e    around the house and think of all the things you've got to get done.\u003cbr\u003e    You're exhausted. When the baby sleeps, luv, take advantage of it. In\u003cbr\u003e    fact, you've got one of the great miracles of nature on your side. Babies\u003cbr\u003e    take a few days to recuperate from the shock of birth. It's not unusual\u003cbr\u003e    for a one- or two-day-old newborn to sleep for six hours at a stretch,\u003cbr\u003e    which gives you a little time to recuperate from your own trauma. Beware,\u003cbr\u003e    though: If your baby seems good as gold, this may be the calm before the\u003cbr\u003e    storm! He may have absorbed drugs from your system or at the very least\u003cbr\u003e    is\u003cbr\u003e    probably tired from squeezing his way through the birth canal, even if you\u003cbr\u003e    had natural childbirth. He's not quite himself yet, but, as you will read\u003cbr\u003e    in the pages that follow, his real temperament will soon emerge. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    COPYRIGHT \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e                                                                                 \u003cbr\u003e                                                                                   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301621485797,"sku":"NP9780345440907","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345440907.jpg?v=1767736281","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/secrets-of-the-baby-whisperer-isbn-9780345440907","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}