Right up front this book states that it is not "a guide to children's nutrition" etc. The book instead describes the author's philosophy towards food and her children's interaction with it. There are many anecdotes along the way, both her own stories and those of the professional chefs-cum-parents she interviewed.
The overall philosophy seems to include giving kids quality food and teaching by example to appreciate what we eat. Not in the kids-are-starving-in-Africa sense, but by appreciating the sight, smell, taste, and texture of what is being served. She espouses the quasi-mantra of "things taste different, but they are all good in their own way" and recommends repeating that to the children again and again.
From this follows the idea that parents should not need to sneak nutritious foods into a child's mouth via spinach brownies and what-have-you. Instead, children should be introduced to foods again and again, and they will likely develop a taste for them. I've seen this idea elsewhere, and there are studies showing that a) it can take up to 10-15 tries before a child likes something and b) prior exposure to a food is the #1 predictor of whether a child will like it. (see My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus for a comprehensive list of references).
In the process of explaining this philosophy, Nancy Tringali Piho discuss the problem of "the big three"; fat, sodium, and sugar. She also discusses the negative influence of media and advertising on children's food choices/preferences. This struck me at times as a bit anti-corporate, but I do realize that others share her opinion.
One chapter I found quite helpful was suggestions for restaurant dining with kids, including ways to gauge the child-friendliness of the place as well as tips for getting through the meal. And yes, she has successfully dined at restaurants other than the typical "family establishments" (as have I, and it can be done).
Some Amazon.com reviews of this title found the author to be braggadocios and felt the book was a compilation of her stories showing off the fact that her kids were great eaters. If you're the parent of a picky eater and are turning to this book for help, I can certainly understand why you might get that impression.
I read this book just as my daughter was starting solids, so I had yet to experience any picky eater problems. I therefore didn't see the book as braggy but rather an example of what kids could be like. It was a nice example to counter the parade of children who only eat ____ (fill in the blank: pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries, etc.). I felt that I took away some helpful strategies to use as well as a better understanding of food, eating, and what is "normal" in kids. The information about needing to introduce foods multiple times preventing me from forever swearing off green beans the first time my daughter spat them back at me. Good thing, too, because they're now a staple of her diet!
I should probably re-read this book now that my daughter is a bit older and more likely to express her own preferences. My first time through I found it to be informative, interesting, and somewhat helpful. That said, I don't think it is a must-read, drop-everything-and-make-sure-you-buy-this-book. I'm sure most kids will end up eating just fine anyway, even if they do go through a pizza-only stage. If you're interested in food and want to make an effort to raise an adventurous eater, this book may help you out. If you are already a "foodie" or adventurous eater, you children will probably follow your lead eventually, anyway. For those reasons, I think the book is worth borrowing, but I don't think it needs to be a permanent addition to your home library.
Final Rating: borrow or skip
Showing posts with label borrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label borrow. Show all posts
May 24, 2011
Reiew of Happiest Toddler on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D.
Written by the same author as The Happiest Baby on the Block, this book promises to "eliminate tantrums" and "help busy parents survive the 'terrible twos' and beyond". I hadn't heard much about it and my daughter was only 13 months old when I read it, but I liked the first book and thought this one might help me prevent some of the bad behaviors from starting.
What I love about both Happiest Baby and Happiest Toddler is that Dr. Karp explains HOW the child's mind is developing and WHY his techniques work. And he does this in a light-hearted and amusing way, often times accompanied by cute cartoon illustrations. I find these explanations help me to understand what he's recommending and why, which makes me better able to remember and use the techniques when I need them.
In this book, Dr. Karp's premise is that children develop in a way similar to how the human species developed over time, and young toddlers are like uncivilized cave people. They have difficulty controlling their emotions and expressing themselves, and when the former (emotions) run rampant, they have even more trouble with the latter (communication). Bearing this in mind, Dr. Karp teaches readers to speak in "toddler-ese", a simplified way of speaking that is easier to understand. It's a little bit similar to how you would talk to someone just learning to speak English (which, technically, is exactly what toddlers are doing). He also recommends FFR, short for the Fast Food Rule. You know how at the drive through they always repeat back to you what you want before telling you what to do ("$5.50, please pull forward"). That's what is recommended with toddlers. Echo their wants and emotions back to them to let them know that you "get it" before continuing on with your request/explanation/etc.
Dr. Karp then goes on to describe how to encourage good and discourage bad behaviors using a green-yellow-red-light system and makes suggestions for handling tantrums.
I obviously can't summarize an entire book into this blog post, but hopefully that gives you a good idea of what it's all about. As I mentioned above, I read this book when my daughter was only 13 months old, so she was only just starting to reach the age when these techniques would be useful and effective. However, it's recommended to start using toddler-ese and the FFR around 9-12 months so that you and your toddler-to-be get used to it (it takes some practice!).
I did have an opportunity to practice this shortly after learning the techniques. I had to take my daughter for a routine blood test (her 12-month lead screen that I'd been putting off). It wasn't easy on her, and by the time it was over she was near hysterics. I brought her into the waiting area, gave her a piece of a graham cracker, and launched into Toddler-ese. "No, no, you say! Stop! Go home! Ok. All Done. Say Good-bye. We go home now" etc. I was amazed how quickly she stopped crying. She gave me this look like "wow, you get it" and started happily cruising around the waiting room while I packed up our things and put on our coats. Granted, in this case what I wanted and what she wanted were the same (to get the heck out of there), but it was still nice to have a calm, happy toddler rather than having wrestle a screaming kid into her car seat!
Overall this book is a light-yet-informative read (my favorite kind!) and the techniques seem like they're going to be very helpful in the years to come! I'm torn as to recommend a "buy" or a "borrow" for this one; you can learn the techniques easily enough from one read-through, but if new behavioral problems crop up during the 1-to-4-year-old period (as I'm sure they will for everybody) you might want to refer back to certain sections. I own my copy, and I'm glad I bought it.
Final Rating: Buy, or Borrow a few times
PS I was recently informed that there is a companion DVD for this title. I have not yet seen it, but I understand that it is useful is demonstrating the techniques described in the book.
What I love about both Happiest Baby and Happiest Toddler is that Dr. Karp explains HOW the child's mind is developing and WHY his techniques work. And he does this in a light-hearted and amusing way, often times accompanied by cute cartoon illustrations. I find these explanations help me to understand what he's recommending and why, which makes me better able to remember and use the techniques when I need them.
In this book, Dr. Karp's premise is that children develop in a way similar to how the human species developed over time, and young toddlers are like uncivilized cave people. They have difficulty controlling their emotions and expressing themselves, and when the former (emotions) run rampant, they have even more trouble with the latter (communication). Bearing this in mind, Dr. Karp teaches readers to speak in "toddler-ese", a simplified way of speaking that is easier to understand. It's a little bit similar to how you would talk to someone just learning to speak English (which, technically, is exactly what toddlers are doing). He also recommends FFR, short for the Fast Food Rule. You know how at the drive through they always repeat back to you what you want before telling you what to do ("$5.50, please pull forward"). That's what is recommended with toddlers. Echo their wants and emotions back to them to let them know that you "get it" before continuing on with your request/explanation/etc.
Dr. Karp then goes on to describe how to encourage good and discourage bad behaviors using a green-yellow-red-light system and makes suggestions for handling tantrums.
I obviously can't summarize an entire book into this blog post, but hopefully that gives you a good idea of what it's all about. As I mentioned above, I read this book when my daughter was only 13 months old, so she was only just starting to reach the age when these techniques would be useful and effective. However, it's recommended to start using toddler-ese and the FFR around 9-12 months so that you and your toddler-to-be get used to it (it takes some practice!).
I did have an opportunity to practice this shortly after learning the techniques. I had to take my daughter for a routine blood test (her 12-month lead screen that I'd been putting off). It wasn't easy on her, and by the time it was over she was near hysterics. I brought her into the waiting area, gave her a piece of a graham cracker, and launched into Toddler-ese. "No, no, you say! Stop! Go home! Ok. All Done. Say Good-bye. We go home now" etc. I was amazed how quickly she stopped crying. She gave me this look like "wow, you get it" and started happily cruising around the waiting room while I packed up our things and put on our coats. Granted, in this case what I wanted and what she wanted were the same (to get the heck out of there), but it was still nice to have a calm, happy toddler rather than having wrestle a screaming kid into her car seat!
Overall this book is a light-yet-informative read (my favorite kind!) and the techniques seem like they're going to be very helpful in the years to come! I'm torn as to recommend a "buy" or a "borrow" for this one; you can learn the techniques easily enough from one read-through, but if new behavioral problems crop up during the 1-to-4-year-old period (as I'm sure they will for everybody) you might want to refer back to certain sections. I own my copy, and I'm glad I bought it.
Final Rating: Buy, or Borrow a few times
PS I was recently informed that there is a companion DVD for this title. I have not yet seen it, but I understand that it is useful is demonstrating the techniques described in the book.
March 29, 2011
Review of What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
I feel like this is the classic pregnancy book, and the cover advertises that it's "the #1 bestselling pregnancy book". However, my overall thoughts are lukewarm.
This book is full of information presented in a question-and-answer format and organized by month of pregnancy. It has a much more clinical tone compared to the conversational Baby 411 or the humorous Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy. This makes for a slightly drier read. I did not succeed in reading What to Expect cover-to-cover, and I didn't always even peruse the current month's chapter while pregnant.
That said, I found this to be a wonderful reference book. Whenever I had a question or symptom that didn't merit a call to my doctor, I would check the index of this book and flip to a few different pages. With over 500 pages of text, I could usually find a good explanation.
The general content is broad in scope. Each of the main nine chapters (for months 1-9 of pregnancy) talk about "your baby this month" with the classic compare-the-baby's-size-to-a-piece-of-fruit analogy and information about its physical development. These chapters then go on to discuss "what you may be feeling", both physically and emotionally, and "what you can expect at this month's checkup". Finally, the "what you may be wondering about" provides the bulk of the chapter with Q&A on various topics that may or may not occur during the month in question.
Aside from these nine chapters, there are also chapters on eating well while expecting, labor and delivery, fathers, and the first six weeks postpartum, as well as info on managing illness (both chronic and otherwise), complicated pregnancies, and loss.
This brings me to my one "beef" about this book. The very last chapter of the book deals with loss of a pregnancy. While unfortunately some expecting moms will need this information, each and every one of us hopes we never will. I take no issue with the chapter's inclusion in the book. However, as the very last chapter it falls just before the index. As I mentioned above, I used this book mostly as a reference, and more often than not would start by flipping to the index. I often times would open the book a few pages too early and find myself in the midst of the pregnancy loss chapter. I'd usually end up reading a bit (due to morbid curiosity or who knows what), and thanks to my pregnancy-induced heightened emotional state I would often end up pretty depressed. Not the state of mind the authors probably had in mind for their readers. So just consider yourself forewarned.
This book is straightforward, helpful, and informative. It is also a bit dry and clinical. Information is detailed, though at times the detail made me squirm (I admit to being slightly squeamish about some of this stuff!). It's not the most engaging read, but it is a handy book to have around.
Final Rating:: Borrow on long-term loan
This book is full of information presented in a question-and-answer format and organized by month of pregnancy. It has a much more clinical tone compared to the conversational Baby 411 or the humorous Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy. This makes for a slightly drier read. I did not succeed in reading What to Expect cover-to-cover, and I didn't always even peruse the current month's chapter while pregnant.
That said, I found this to be a wonderful reference book. Whenever I had a question or symptom that didn't merit a call to my doctor, I would check the index of this book and flip to a few different pages. With over 500 pages of text, I could usually find a good explanation.
The general content is broad in scope. Each of the main nine chapters (for months 1-9 of pregnancy) talk about "your baby this month" with the classic compare-the-baby's-size-to-a-piece-of-fruit analogy and information about its physical development. These chapters then go on to discuss "what you may be feeling", both physically and emotionally, and "what you can expect at this month's checkup". Finally, the "what you may be wondering about" provides the bulk of the chapter with Q&A on various topics that may or may not occur during the month in question.
Aside from these nine chapters, there are also chapters on eating well while expecting, labor and delivery, fathers, and the first six weeks postpartum, as well as info on managing illness (both chronic and otherwise), complicated pregnancies, and loss.
This brings me to my one "beef" about this book. The very last chapter of the book deals with loss of a pregnancy. While unfortunately some expecting moms will need this information, each and every one of us hopes we never will. I take no issue with the chapter's inclusion in the book. However, as the very last chapter it falls just before the index. As I mentioned above, I used this book mostly as a reference, and more often than not would start by flipping to the index. I often times would open the book a few pages too early and find myself in the midst of the pregnancy loss chapter. I'd usually end up reading a bit (due to morbid curiosity or who knows what), and thanks to my pregnancy-induced heightened emotional state I would often end up pretty depressed. Not the state of mind the authors probably had in mind for their readers. So just consider yourself forewarned.
This book is straightforward, helpful, and informative. It is also a bit dry and clinical. Information is detailed, though at times the detail made me squirm (I admit to being slightly squeamish about some of this stuff!). It's not the most engaging read, but it is a handy book to have around.
Final Rating:: Borrow on long-term loan
February 14, 2011
Review of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products by Sandra Gordon and the Editors of Consumer Reports
This book has a lot of useful information on a wide variety of topics. For each of the many categories of baby gear there is a general description of what's available, feathures to consider, and recommendations. However, there is very little discussion of specific brands, and there are virtually no comprehensive reviews of or recommendations for specific brands or products. All of the information is generic, though images of specific products are shown as examples.
Let's take the example of Diaper Pails. The "What's Available" section, divided into "cloth" and "disposable" sections, runs through a list of brands and provides their respective websites. There's a brief comparison of features. The "Features to Consider" section describes things like capacity, ease of use, and liners vs. bags. The "Recommendations" has general information, such as "Pails that use their own liners typically contains odors better than those that use garbage bags, but refills do cost more."
Overall, I'd say that this book is chock-full of good info, but not exactly of the type I wanted. The information is helpful and taught me lots about the categories so that I knew what features I wanted. But the book left me to do the work of figuring out which actual products had those features, meaning I had to turn to other books and/or research the products online or in store before being able to make a purchase. There's also a very real potential for information overload, and I found the book a bit dry to read. And forget reading it cover to cover. I was a type-A researcher when it came to baby products, and even I couldn't make it all the way through this.
If you need in-depth info on a particular category of baby products, this book will probably be a help. If you want an easy way to find products to add to your registry, you're better off going with Baby Bargains. I don't think Best Baby Products needs a permanent place in your collection, but it might be helpful to borrow from a friend or check out of the library prior to a major purchase.
Final Rating: Borrow, or skip if you're afraid of being overwhelmed
Let's take the example of Diaper Pails. The "What's Available" section, divided into "cloth" and "disposable" sections, runs through a list of brands and provides their respective websites. There's a brief comparison of features. The "Features to Consider" section describes things like capacity, ease of use, and liners vs. bags. The "Recommendations" has general information, such as "Pails that use their own liners typically contains odors better than those that use garbage bags, but refills do cost more."
Overall, I'd say that this book is chock-full of good info, but not exactly of the type I wanted. The information is helpful and taught me lots about the categories so that I knew what features I wanted. But the book left me to do the work of figuring out which actual products had those features, meaning I had to turn to other books and/or research the products online or in store before being able to make a purchase. There's also a very real potential for information overload, and I found the book a bit dry to read. And forget reading it cover to cover. I was a type-A researcher when it came to baby products, and even I couldn't make it all the way through this.
If you need in-depth info on a particular category of baby products, this book will probably be a help. If you want an easy way to find products to add to your registry, you're better off going with Baby Bargains. I don't think Best Baby Products needs a permanent place in your collection, but it might be helpful to borrow from a friend or check out of the library prior to a major purchase.
Final Rating: Borrow, or skip if you're afraid of being overwhelmed
January 27, 2011
Review of The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp
This is another one of those books that was recommended to me countless times while pregnant, and I can understand why! In this book, Dr. Karp first explains why newborns are so prone to being upset, and then teaches a combination of five tactics to help sooth them.
The basic premise is that newborns are born three months too early, but if they were born much later than 40 weeks their heads would be too large to be delivered. So the first three months of the baby's life is really like the "fourth trimester" and the parents are still caring for a fetus who happens to be outside of the womb.
Given this premise, the famous (infamous?) "5 S's" of Dr. Karp try to simulate the womb sensations. These include swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking. He goes into detail on how to perform each one in separate chapters of the book. Not all of the 5 help every baby, but most parents seem to find a magic combination that works for their kids. My daughter liked the sucking and swinging (more like gentle jiggling) most.
I found these techniques to be incredibly useful for the first three months. Not only did they actually work like magic most of the time, but they also empowered my husband and I to feel like we knew how to do something, and that we could do something when our newborn was crying. And I must admit, to successfully execute the S's and have a baby calm down definitely makes a new parent feel like a million bucks!
I should mention that there is a companion DVD of Happiest Baby on the Block. It doesn't go into as much detail about the theory of the fourth trimester and the five S's, but it does demonstrate in detail the technique for executing each of the five. I found it very useful to watch the DVD because some of the steps, such as the swinging, were much easier to understand and do well after seeing a demonstration rather than just reading the description.
I would absolutely recommend this book and DVD to new parents everywhere. However, once you have the steps down there really isn't much need to refer back to the them. So if you have a mommy friend or a good library nearby, I would recommend borrowing the set.
Final Rating: Borrow
The basic premise is that newborns are born three months too early, but if they were born much later than 40 weeks their heads would be too large to be delivered. So the first three months of the baby's life is really like the "fourth trimester" and the parents are still caring for a fetus who happens to be outside of the womb.
Given this premise, the famous (infamous?) "5 S's" of Dr. Karp try to simulate the womb sensations. These include swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking. He goes into detail on how to perform each one in separate chapters of the book. Not all of the 5 help every baby, but most parents seem to find a magic combination that works for their kids. My daughter liked the sucking and swinging (more like gentle jiggling) most.
I found these techniques to be incredibly useful for the first three months. Not only did they actually work like magic most of the time, but they also empowered my husband and I to feel like we knew how to do something, and that we could do something when our newborn was crying. And I must admit, to successfully execute the S's and have a baby calm down definitely makes a new parent feel like a million bucks!
I should mention that there is a companion DVD of Happiest Baby on the Block. It doesn't go into as much detail about the theory of the fourth trimester and the five S's, but it does demonstrate in detail the technique for executing each of the five. I found it very useful to watch the DVD because some of the steps, such as the swinging, were much easier to understand and do well after seeing a demonstration rather than just reading the description.
I would absolutely recommend this book and DVD to new parents everywhere. However, once you have the steps down there really isn't much need to refer back to the them. So if you have a mommy friend or a good library nearby, I would recommend borrowing the set.
Final Rating: Borrow
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