This book IS harmful, that's the point of the dissociations that have ensued since publication! Many parenting organisations that normally don't engage in endorsements or not of products have made a point of discouraging use of this book.
Do a google search and you will be presented with many reasons not to use the book. I read it, and to begin with it seemed to make sense. As I read on I realised the book was rubbish. Sure, some things may 'work', but not so much for the child as for the parent. Same goes for CC. There is no study anywhere to say that CC is NOT harmful, it's just something that is taught and done because parents get desperate in a society where they get left alone to figure their kids out (just the nature of our society where we likely don't know our neighbours or get involved with local families apart from a few hours here and there with kinder and school etc).
Anyway, Ezzo has NO qualifications and his book is a scaled down version of his Christian book on the same thing. The aim of his book and teachings is to create pliant children who will be more conducive to 'Christian' teachings where they don't question, they just 'do'. Look it up, look into it, and please tell me I'm wrong! I looked into it last year, hoping to use the book as a source for some school work (studying grad dip in psych) and realised that the book has no cred whatsoever, and even the guy who 'co-authored' the secular version has distanced himself from it!!
Yep, I'm against CC and separation of mother and child, however, there have got to be far, far better books out there where the author at least has a qualification that doesn't involved a revoked licence to preach to a religious congregation.
The book reckons it is flexible, but from what I read the flexibility relates to maybe a half hour here and there in the 4 hour recommendation between feeds. There wasn't actually a lot more 'flexibility' involved.
Consider this (and this can be read in the Summer edition of Kindred, complete with a references list from suitably qualified people), there is NO scientifically researched body of work to even suggest that CC is safe for children (not talking about parents here, talking about the long term wellbeing of the child), whereas there is a huge selection of articles and research that support attachment parenting, demand-feeding, immediate response to infants, baby-wearing, co-sleeping... Justify CC etc how you like, I'm doing what rings true to my own eyes and ears from instinct as well as sound research. Best wishes to anyone who uses the book and can find any value in it.
Sorry about the lecture! This book made me so mad when it took me in initially. I suggest a bonfire for all copies of this book...!! And I'm not alone in that suggestion, many health professionals feel the same way...before anyone wants to have a go at me for my opinion