Book Review: Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect and Communicate with Your Baby (Tracy Hogg)

Before the birth of my baby I was recommended this book by another new father.

I will dispense with the formality of referring to the author by her surname, as it just doesn’t feel right. After reading the book I now feel as though I know her as a friend rather than just the author of a book that I’ve read.
Tracy is a British trained nurse working in America assisting new parents adapt to their new life. She is also a mother and has spent a lot of time around babies which is extremely evident through the book.

As a new parent I already had books that explained the theory of having a new baby, but little about what it’s really like. Tracy takes a very different approach, by starting with reality and then explaining some techniques to deal with the issues, the most significant being the EASY routine which lies somewhere between the extremes of letting the baby run your life, and forcing the baby to fit around a forced regime.

As the title suggests Tracy is often referred to as “The Baby Whisperer” and in the book she shares some of her secrets on how she knows what babies are trying to “say”. I found it very difficult to distinguish the different cry sounds, but found that some of the none verbal signals were very helpful in understanding what our baby is trying to say.

One of the problems in becoming a parent is that you are given so much conflicting advice from: books; doctors; midwives; health visitors and friends, which can be based on: current medical practise; previous medical advise or personal experience, that you never know who to believe. This book gives you the advice and then leaves you to make up your own mind.

The advice within the book is backed up by both examples and an explanation about why it works. Even though I didn’t agree with everything that is written I can certainly understand her point of view and the reasons that she suggests those ideas. As such it’s almost like having a friend to turn to, rather than just another book on babies.

This book is not a great panacea that will solve all your problems, but it is a very useful book and one that I’m extremely glad I bought. Highly recommended to all new parents or parents to be.