Product reviews

Probably the most down to earth and sensible of the various books I read, or rather dipped into. Was a nice easy read which is important on 20 mins sleep! Also steered a good middle path between routine junkies and hippy styles

This is a great book for new mums - very positive, reassuring and helpful, but also compulsive reading! Tracy Hogg's compassionate approach to crying babies and their concerned mums is a breath of fresh air after all the rhetoric of controlled crying. I didn't believe it was right to leave my baby to cry - even for a short time - and this book gave me the confidence to parent the way I wanted to without feeling neurotic and, importantly, whilst knowing I was in fact creating a bond of trust.

By detailing the various baby types (my first was an Angel but my second was definitely Spirited!) and how best to handle them, Tracy Hogg restores a feeling of control to frazzled parents.

The E.A.S.Y. parenting schedule gives baby the routine she requires whilst not imposing an inflexible system on the mother... you watch the baby, not the clock! But it's not all about the structure, it's about 'tuning in' to your individual baby's needs and identifying the signs of hunger, boredom, tiredness et al before the crying starts. Forget Gina Ford... this lady loves babies and it shows.

i tried the sleep methods in this as a final attempt to avoid controlled crying...and it worked! i read it when my baby was 6 months, and i thought i had given birth to the most difficult baby ever. 3 months on and we are great friends. I didn't follow it to the letter, but really found it useful to pick the bits where we were having difficulty. Tracy Hogg is quite a no-nonsense yorkshire lass, and it was somewhere sensible between the Dr Sears approach (which wasn't working for us) and the flog-em Gina Ford brigade!

"A very easy-to-read book which gave us a flexible approach to getting our son into a routine." "She made me realise that breastfed babies cry for reasons other than being hungry - I feel much more confident now." "The routines are easy to follow even if it's not all practical all the time" and "I'd have like a bit more detail sometimes." "Not as dictatorial as Gina Ford, she helped us to establish a routine that fitted in with all of us, not just the baby." "She saved me from complete despair several times, and I still refer to the book occasionally."