On Becoming Toddler Wise

I am a college professor who was looking for a way to give my son some structure and give myself some sanity and some sense of control. The "On Becoming" series has been the key to my success. I have been reading this series since my son was 5 weeks old. Within a week he was sleeping through the night and eating better than ever (we were having a lot of breastfeeding problems before I read this book). I continued to read this books as he grew older and they were all extremely helpful. Now that he is approaching two years old, I've really turned to this particular book with more of a focus on discipline-- we already have most of the other elements under control. These books have helped me to understand my son's perspective and gave me the ability to discern what is age-appropriate behavior that he cannot help versus bad behavior that needs to be curtailed. It is strange to me that these books are considered "controversial" because I think they have helped make my son the healthy, rested, happy little man that he is and it has allowed me to feel in control and informed. Anyone I've ever spoken to that criticized this series had never actually read them and/or totally misunderstood the books' parenting philosophy. People often ask me how I manage to stay stress free and unfrazzled-- this is how!

This book is outstanding! It provides a clear, simple listing of ideas to structure your toddler's day. Ideas such as play group time (socializing), structured time with siblings, daddy time, watching mom and dad talk time (learning self control) help the child learn that life does not revolve around them. I am specifically a Christian, but it can be used by any faith (he only talks about prayer time/spiritual time). This book is a must for a mom who wants order in her life. However, I will say that it is increasingly difficult to follow the guidelines these days with all the chaos present in families. Unfortunately, the concepts here are hard to apply if you are not in a stable, secure marriage with some regular income. Anything outside this invites chaos and complaints. Mr. Ezzo is not popular with dissidents and riotous folks so don't be surprised that so many people attack him personally.

The "Babywise" series has truly helped me understand what to expect and how to deal with different issues that come up with raising a baby. I love the authors' philophies that a happy and healthy child comes from a strong and loving marriage. They also believe that we, as parents, are training our children to be positive members of society with self-control and ethics. Their parenting style isn't for everybody, but it has worked nicely for us so far, and so I expected the guidelines to follow suit in this book. "Toddlerwise" didn't disappoint, but the one thing it lacked was a section explaining how to achieve certain behaviors. For example, they believe in training your child to play independently, which I think is a very important skill. However, when they say to train your child to play in one place by themselves by laying out a blanket and having them play in that space for a certain number of minutes, I was left with the question, "What if they crawl/walk away?!" I guess you just try, try again, but I honestly was left asking the questions, "How" or "What if..." more so than I was with the first two books. Still, if you are a "Babywise" parent, you will get something out of "Toddlerwise."

Love this book! This series has really helped me become a more competent parent! I look around at how other similar age children behave and I'm surprised how my child is normally WAY better behaved than all of them. (Unfortunately, the more she hangs out with other kids, the worse she has become at sharing but I guess that's something we just need to focus on more.) My siblings are jealous of how well she behaves but I don't want to seem to be judging their parenting when I see them do something the book warns not to do, so I don't tell them about Baby Wise and Toddler Wise. It would probably help them though, but some kids do seem to naturally behave better than others (and I'm only on my first kid), so I guess we'll see if it holds up to this next one 😊

I love all the books in the On Becoming series. I really respect the authors and their take on parenting. Do not disregard the wealth of knowledge in these pages because someone else cut it down. You determine if these principles are helpful and I am telling you they are! The Ezzo's input and knowledge are so wise and I want to drink from that same water. My children are so happy and content and it isn't genetics. I did Babywise with my son but neglected organization and scheduling until he was 3. Preschoolwise changed our life for the better as well as Babywise. With my 2nd child, I have read each one in the series because I don't want to miss out on anything!

We love the Toddler Wise book and generally the whole series. It has helped us get two children to sleep 12 hours a night from before the age of 3 months (while every other mum to a toddler I know is still sleep deprived -except one couple, who have also read the books) and get sufficient sleep during the day as well. Not only do these books address sleep, but also routines and behavior (although I would say sleep is a big part of that), and now we have two well behaved children under two! This has been, and will continue to be, a wonderful guide for us as parents in the years to come! Thank you!

I felt like I set my expectations high when beginning to read this book, lots of mom friends raved over this book and I felt like the information provided was very basic and majority of it I have learned in a into to child development/psychology class in college. It was a good read and I did get some helpful pointers along the way but there was no big aphopany or ah ha moment

I used Ezzo's advice when my children were babies 30 years ago, and I am using his advice with my grandbaby. Parenting is the hardest job anyone will ever do, but this handbook helps to lessen the confusion and frustration. Getting babies to sleep through the night takes a strategy. It usually doesn't occur by itself. Ezzo provides clueless parents the common sense they need to keep their sanity during the first year. Tried and tested! It works for those who are diligent.

I have followed the ezzo program since my son was born and to be honest I would recommend to anyone. The results we have seen are amazing. He has slept through the night since he was 7 weeks old.

This is a great compliment to the first two baby wise book. Great to give as a trilogy for a shower gift. As always, the information is somewhat intuitive, but reading it always makes you think little more and gives you some reassurance.

This Series of Books continues to change our lives for the better.

I loved the "Baby Wise" book and bought "Toddler Wise" in anticipation of my son turning one. I would say that it is not quite as good as the original, as it spends a lot of time trying to sell you other books in the series. In addition some of the analogies the authors use are very long-winded. However, I cannot fault the advice itself and it has given me some very clear ideas on how to structure my routine, making sure I have time both for me and my son. In addition it gave me a lot of information on what expectations are realistic, and reassuring me that I don't need to feel guilty about trying to impose routines and discipline. If you are in favour of attachment parenting methods then this book is not for you, but personally I have found the "Wise" books to be great if you want a little more flexibility than Gina Ford advocates, but still want a successful routine.

Some generally useful advice, but found the balance of prosaic narrative to actual practical advice a bit off. I liked the ideas for daily routines with two children. I doubt I shall be as regimented as this, but the idea of giving each time with mummy and to play alone and together seems a good one.