Tracy Hogg - The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems

THE
BABY WHISPERER
SOLVES ALL YOUR
PROBLEMS
(BY TEACHING YOU HOW TO
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS)

ALSO BY TRACY HOGG AND MELINDA BLAU

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and
Communicate with Your Baby

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers

ATRIA
BOOKS

1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2005 by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For information address Atria Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

ISBN: 0-7434-8893-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-8893-8
eISBN-13:978-1-4391-0654-9

First Atria Books hardcover edition January 2005

Designed by Nancy Singer Olaguera

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ATRIA BOOKS is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Manufactured in the United States of America

To Sara and Sophie, my loving daughters (TH), and
To Henry, my sweet grandson (MB), and
All the other babies and toddlers who allow us to love them
and to be less than perfect

I first want to thank the parents of all my babies and toddlers for their stories, their cooperation, and their continued input on my website.

Id like to thank especially Melinda Blau, and Henry, not only for turning out to be an Angel baby but for being our special mascot. Never let it be said that he was a guinea pig.

Finally, thanks to my family and devoted friends, especially my Nan, whose love, guidance, and strength continue to amaze me daily.

Tracy Hogg
Los Angeles, California

When I stepped off an airplane to meet Tracy Hogg in Los Angeles for the first time in the fall of 1999, she drove me to a modest house in the Valley, where a bedraggled young mother met us at the door and literally thrust a screaming three-week-old into Tracys arms. My nipples are killing me. I dont know what to do, she said, tears running down her checks. He wants to breast-feed every hour or two. Tracy held the baby close to her cheek, cooing shh... shh... shh into his ear, and within seconds, he was quiet. She then turned to the young woman and said, Okay, heres what your baby is telling you.

I have witnessed dozens of similar scenes over these last five years in which Tracy sweeps into a household, tunes in to the baby or toddler, and manages to get right to the heart of the problem. It has been a delight and a constant source of amazement to watch Tracys work, to analyze how to put it on paper, and to get to know her in the process. Thank you Tracy, for inviting me into your universe and for allowing me to be your voice. Three books later, weve become friends, and Ive become a pretty proficient baby whisperer myselfjust in time to try it out on Henry.

This book would not have been possible without the sanity and savvy of Eileen Cope of Lowenstein Literary Associates, our intrepid agent, who once again shepherded us from proposal to finished book; and Barbara Lowenstein, who is always in the wings, guiding, cuing, sometimes pushing us all to do better.

I am indebted as well to our editor at Atria Books, Tracy Behar, who shared our vision for this book and made it better, and to Wendy Walker and Brooke Stetson, who helped keep us on track.

Always last but never least, I appreciate my extended family of relatives and friends, who are there for me throughout it all. You know who you are.

Melinda Blau
Northampton, Massachusetts

FROM BABY WHISPERING TO PROBLEM SOLVING
My Most Important Secret

E.A.S.Y. ISNT NECESSARILY EASY (BUT IT WORKS!)
Getting Your Baby on a Structured Routine

EVEN BABIES HAVE EMOTIONS
Gauging Moods in the First Year

YOUR BABYS LIQUID DIET
Feeding Issues in the First Six Months

FOOD IS MORE THAN NOURISHMENT
Solid Foods and Eating Happily Ever After

TEACHING BABIES HOW TO SLEEP
The First Three Months and the Six Troubleshooting Variables

PICK UP/PUT DOWN
A Sleep Training ToolFour Months to a Year

WERE STILL NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP
Sleep Problems after the First Year

TAMING TODDLERS
Teaching Children to Be Emotionally F.I.T.

E. E. A. S. Y. DOES IT
The Case for Early Toilet Training

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOUVE GOT IT... EVERYTHING CHANGES!
Twelve Essential Questions and Twelve Principles of Problem Solving

FROM BABY WHISPERING TO PROBLEM SOLVING

Becoming Ms. Fix It

Dearest mums and dads, babies and toddlers, it is with both joy and humility that I offer what in many ways is my most important baby-whispering secret: how to solve any problem. I have always been proud of my ability to help parents understand and care for their young children and feel honored whenever a family asks me into its life. Its a very intimate and rewarding experience. At the same time, being an author has also given me a public face. Since I published my first two books in 2001 and 2002, Ive had a series of adventures and surprises that go beyond anything I could have imagined as a girl in Yorkshire. Besides my usual private consultations, Ive been on the radio and the telly. Ive traveled around the country and the world and met some of the most wonderful parents and children whove opened their homes and hearts to me. Ive spoken to thousands more via my website, reading and responding to their email and joining them in my chat rooms.

But dont worry. Despite my newfound worldliness, Im still the same old me, still down there slogging away in the trenches. In a way, though, I