Customer Reviews

The Wonder Weeks: How to Turn Your Baby's 8 Great Fussy Phases into Magical Leaps Forward

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is *exactly* what every new parent wants: a guide that tells exactly why your baby is fine one week and freaking out the next. We all know about the physical growth spurts at 3 and 6 weeks and then 3 and 6 months, but there isn't anything else that tells you when developmental spurts are happening. Until now. As soon as I got this book I went back and looked in my journal from when my son was a baby, and all his fussy weeks matched up with the ones in the book! If I'd had this book at the time it would have been so much easier just to roll with it and not wonder what was "wrong".

IME the best thing about this book is that it doesn't tell you how to be a perfect parent, or give you some focacta plan you have to follow exactly to make your baby turn out the right way. Instead it just tells you why your baby is doing what s/he is doing, so you can have patience and not worry that there's something wrong with either you as a parent or your child.

I just ordered two more to give to new parents I know. This is my one constant shower gift. I can't believe this book hasn't gotten more press than it has, because it would really be a lifesaver for any parent with a baby under the age of 1.

I recently purchased The Wonder Weeks to try to help understand why my 4 month old daughter was going through a horrible sleep regression. I found the book to be reassuring--knowing that some things are phases rather than the "new her". As expected, she went back to being more predictable after the new developments. It's helpful to know when the next developmental stage is coming and when it will be over.

Having said that, what to expect is pretty much the same at each of the 8 stages. They do talk about what new skills will be learned and some activities to help develop those skills. But otherwise the chapters are quite repetitive.

I paid $22 for this book. That made this the most expensive baby book I purchased. I'm not sure it was worth that price. I would have purchased it used if available.

If you just want to know when to expect the fussy periods, go to The Wonder Weeks website and download their chart from the extras section. To me, that was the most valuable part of the book.

Finally, this book is available in the US. I've been relying on a bare-bones (bullet list) translation from the Dutch version. And relying on it A LOT.

Every parent I know has wondered at some time what happened to their baby, why they are so clingy all of a sudden, why they cry for apparently no reason, why they stopped sleeping well, why they stopped eating well, why suddenly nobody but Mommy will do... who took their nice baby and replaced it with THIS baby? And whose fault is it? "Did I spoil him," they ask, or "Should I punish her?" Will I get better results if I stop responding to all these senseless demands? They look for answers, and get all sorts of advice from others, much of it less than helpful - but they don't know what is going on, so they can't filter the advice effectively.

This book has the answers to all those whys, and the reassurance that you are neither crazy nor at fault.

My patience expanded dramatically when I realized that it wasn't ME, it wasn't my fault, it was just a stage of development for my son. It helped to know that he was actually scared and needed me, and was not pretending or manipulating me. It helped to be able to look forward to the genuinely exciting new knowledge and abilities at the end of the stage. It helped to know that if I supported him, the phase would progress and end. I felt sane, and normal, and knew that other moms went through the same thing. PHEW! :)

I've passed the info on to countless other parents, all of whom have wished that the book was available in the US. I even contacted the publisher of the version in New Zealand, but no luck. Now, this PRICELESS resource is here, and the second I found out, I bought my copy. You won't regret getting your own. Get it before baby is born, so you can catch those early "Wonder Weeks" and start getting in tune with how they grow, how their brains develop, and what it means for you. Get it anytime your child is fussy, clingy, frustrated, or has disrupted sleep or eating patterns. Get it if you or some parent you know is pulling out their hair, worried that they've spoiled their infant, or desperate to understand what is going on inside that wonderful and challenging little head.

This is honestly the most useful info I've read on the first year (and a bit) of baby's life. Wonderful stuff!

At its core, Wonder Weeks has useful information. Unfortunately, the reader has to wade through a lot of pointless and redundant reading to get to it. It could probably be 30-40 pages and convey the stuff you actually want to get from it.

To save readers a lot of time, here's a tip - the first 20ish pages of each chapter can be summed up as "Your baby is entering a growth spurt. He or she will be cranky and clingy. You will be tired and frustrated." That's 50% of the book. Another 25% are testimonials from moms reinforcing those three sentences. The rest is the actual meat - how you can help your baby through this particular spurt, and how the spurt is changing your baby's brain and skill set.

My other complaint is that dads don't exist in this book. We're apparently absent from the parenting process. These days, that has to have been a conscious decision on the author's part, and I just don't get it.

The woman who reviewed this book for the Library Journal has clearly never had an infant who acts fine one week and then crazy the next. If she had, she'd love this book as much as I did, and the 3 friends I've given this book as gifts to did. The reason the authors don't refer to other research studies is that they're the only ones who've specifically been studying this, and they use plenty of examples from their own research. Yes, it's true that it's not written in a really scientific way, but is that what you want to read when you're just trying to figure out why your child stopped sleeping and eating all of a sudden? Not me. I'd rather know what developmental leap is coming up so I know how long the cranky phase will last and what I can do to help my child through it. This book is so easily worth the money and time spent reading it, just because it gives you the patience to be able to wait out difficult periods when you know why they're happening and when they'll stop. No things you should and shouldn't do, just a sort of refernce manual of what's going on and why. Buy the book and your life with your infant through 12-month-old will improve immensely.

SO happy they reprinted it!!! I had to borrow a copy from my sister but now I'll order my own... yes it's THAT good.

Okay...so maybe a tad simplistic and repetitive (it tells you not to shake the baby every chapter)... BUT as a new mom it was nice to know that it was NORMAL for my happy boy to turn into a fussy clingy non-sleeper. I like that the book encourages moms to pick up their babies, to respond to their cues, and reinforces that their crying indicates a NEED not manipulation.

I give this book to every new mother I know, it's that good. However, the used book prices are insane. I emailed the author in the Netherlands and he said they are in negotiation with a new publisher to reprint the book.
There is no reason to pay $80.00 - $175.00 for a $20.00 paperback.
People all over the world have written to him asking to have it reprinted and he's very anxious to do so.
Tricia

I just ordered 3 copies of this book to give as baby gifts to my friends, because I've found the information in this book to be so helpful. I've had it in a German translation since my daugther was about 6 months old and I seem to get it out and reread the corresponding chapter whenever my little one goes through a tough phase. It is encouraging to read the other parents' remarks and know that I'm not the only one dealing with this. The authors point out that there are valid reasons for the babies' behaviour. So if your baby all of a sudden is very clingy and difficult, don't despair! Giving in to her/his needs is not going to make her/him a spoilt brat. By lending the support she/he needs, you will help your baby transition to the next developmental stage.

This book has been indispensible in helping us to understand what is going on with our now 4 month old and how to best manage and nurture him through the phases. It also helps us to be patient when we understand what is going on with him. In addition to explaining each phase, the book includes signs of each phase, suggested activities, comments from other parents, and what to expect after the phase. The tone of the book is informative and does not push a specific child rearing pilosophy. I will buy it for all our new parent friends.

Every time my daughter went through a developmental stage I was thrown for a loop until I bought this book and was better able to understand what was happening. I thought I was going to lose my mind and now I can prepare for each new phase. Nobody tells you about these things. This book is just wonderful if you truly want to understand what is going on in your baby's mind, and what parent wouldn't?