January 1, 2025
“On Becoming Babywise” Update from Dr. Bucknam
Recently I have had to make the disappointing decision to withdraw my name and endorsement from the Babywise titles that I have been associated with for decades.
In 1992, I was asked to coauthor a book on infant sleep. My original intent in becoming a coauthor was to get sound medical advice into the hands of pediatricians in order that they might share this information with parents struggling with infant sleep problems. The result was “On Becoming Babywise” and eventually the “On Becoming Series”. Much to our surprise, Babywise became a sensation. For over thirty years, it sat atop the best-selling list for infant parenting advice, selling over 5 million copies.
Over the last few years, I began to receive comments from other medical providers and patients who voiced concern about a number of online websites, Facebook sites, YouTube videos and apps as well as telephone “contact moms” which used the Babywise name to give medical advice. Much to my surprise and without my consent or knowledge, advertisements for these sites began to appear on the covers and within the pages of our books. In fact, I recently discovered that my name and photo were being used on these sites to create the impression that I was promoting products and endorsing “medical information” dispensed by unqualified and untrained contributors and “contact moms” who I knew nothing about. It became clear to me that without my consent my name was being used unethically for financial gain and to endorse misinformation and improper medical care.
As you are well aware, numerous websites have sprung up in recent years offering medical and child-rearing advice to worried parents. While some of this advice may be helpful, these sites present a potential medical risk, particularly when it involves the feeding and care of a newborn baby. Online newborn advice cannot account for the nuances of family dynamics and it has no ability to offer a hands-on evaluation of an infant. Pediatricians agree that the first year of a child’s life is a critical period, a time when a newborn’s condition must be meticulously followed by a trained medical provider to ensure proper health, growth and development. All of us in the medical field have experienced instances where parents have been given faulty medical advice by well intentioned, but unqualified online or telephone advisors to the detriment of our patient’s health.
In my opinion, Babywise has moved from being a well-sourced, medically endorsed title to a tool that drives unsuspecting and vulnerable newborn parents to online influencers who are more interested in making a profit than in providing sound and proper medical advice. Additionally, in recent years, multiple unsubstantiated medical assertions have been made on various websites and added into our books without my approval or knowledge. These assertions have been falsely attributed to me. As you might imagine, these actions have eroded my trust in the integrity of our Babywise products.
As a physician, my first priority must be patient safety, and the integrity of the information presented under my name matters. Therefore, I have removed my name from all future publications of the Babywise products as well as the other books in the “On Becoming” series and can no longer endorse their medical integrity. Further, I have demanded that my name and likeness be removed from all websites that operate to promote Babywise. Unfortunately, I believe the Babywise title has become an uncontrolled and unsafe place for parents to receive information.
As an alternative, I am preparing new resources which present the same parent-directed approach which have been so successful in the Babywise products in a safe, easy to apply manner – a step-by-step, visit-by-visit approach which I have used with my patients for over thirty years with tremendous success. These resources will become available in our medical office, in bookstores and online in coming months.
I want to thank you for your past support of “On Becoming Babywise” and related titles.
Robert C Bucknam, MD
Cornerstone Pediatric Associates
Louisville, CO
