My actual introduction to the work of the Ezzos was not "Growing Kids God's Way," but rather "Babywise," his secular primer on how to raise a baby. In a nutshell, his main point is that it's best to schedule feedings, use a crib, and get your baby to sleep through the night.
I have all sorts of objections to it, starting with the fact that true wisdom in child-rearing begins with the Scriptures. How can one truly be "baby-wise" absent God's Word?
My other objections are based on the factual content of his book. It presents no significant evidence (links/footnotes to studies), recommends a factory schedule model for child-rearing, and has been virtually unanimously rejected by pediatricians and lactation consultants.
...and for a good reason, I might add. Rigid schedules result in babies going hungry, and failing to gain weight. Think about it in your own terms; few us us go for three or four hours without food or drink, and most of us wake up from time to time for the same. Why on earth would we think that a plan which would be painful or even injurious to us might be healthy for a baby?
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2 comments:
Bert- I'm glad I wasn't the only one appalled by the Ezzo system. I remember the initial announcement in our church indicated that the "excessively mechanistic" elements had been purged.
Tim E.
Tim--you're not alone by any stretch of the imagination. You might also be amused if you saw my copy of the "GKGW" handbook or "Baby-Foolish"--they're virtually blackened by my notes of where I differed with Ezzo's logic and evidence(or lack thereof).
Or maybe you really don't want to get me started. :^)
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