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Gary Ezzo
Gary Ezzo graduated from Talbot Theological Seminary and was on the staff of John MacArthur's Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California for 10 years. It is during this time that he developed parenting curriculums for the church. He then started his own separate ministry called Growing Families International (GFI). He became the full time executive director of GIF in 1993. He travels around the country giving seminars on how to raise your child.
Gary Ezzo, along with Robert Bucknam, is the author of the very popular, yet controversial book On Becoming Babywise. He promises that your baby will sleep through the night by the time he is eight weeks old if you strictly follow his guidelines. One must follow a strict feeding schedule. If the baby cries you must not pick the baby up. Let the baby cry just as God let Jesus cry on the cross, and did not help him. Waite until the proper feeding time to pick up the baby and feed him. Many doctors and nurses are upset at this advice. It has led to babies who have lost weight and have become dehydrated. This is also psychologically bad for the baby. When a baby cries, follow your natural instinct, pick the baby up and feed him.
Ezzo advises to teach your little baby sign language so the baby can tell you what is wrong instead of crying. This seems ridiculous to me. How is a baby going to learn complex sign language when can not even speak, and their motor skills are very limited. He claims everything is based on Bible verses. That is his twisted interpretation of Bible verses.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a media alert about the Ezzo approach to parenting called "Parent Directed Feeding" (PDF). Grace Community Church no long recommends Ezzo's teaching materials.
Other Links
- www.ezzo.info - the most extensive website on Ezzo and GFI.
- BabyCenter - Our take on Gary Ezzo and his book "On Becoming Babywise"
- Getting wise to 'Babywise'
- Growing Families International: A Theological Critique
- Is the Babywise method right for you?
- What you should know about Babywise and Growing Kids God's Way by Gary Ezzo (TulsaKids)