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.
Showing posts with label buy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buy. Show all posts
January 18, 2011
Review of Baby 411 by Denise Fields and Ari Brown, M.D.
Not all of my reviews will be glowing, but I wanted to spread the word about some of my favorites asap so that the new and expecting moms out there can get their hands on a copy. And Baby 411 definitely ranks up there as one of my favorites!
This is a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover". Or its title, as the case may be. When I first saw the book, I though both were, um, hokey. This title was even specifically recommended to us by our prenatal class instructor, and I still passed it up. Yet for whatever reason I put it on my baby registry. It showed up at my door a few days after we came home from the hospital, and I was immediately hooked.
Baby 411 has a ton of great information laid out in an easily accessible way, which makes it a great reference book. It also covers things in an easy-to-digest question-and-answer format, frequently with humor, which makes it great to read cover-to-cover. I recommend both. When I was home with a newborn I read this book all the way through, soaking up information. As my baby grew and various questions cropped up, I'd turn back to the book time and again for information and answers.
The first half of this book is my favorite. Topics include nutrition (general, then broken down into solids and liquids), "the other end", hygiene, development, etc. It then goes on to discuss vaccines, first aid, and common infections and diseases. This second part was a little scary for me, as I hate to think about my little girl getting sick, but it's still good information.
I should note that this book's philosophy in general, and about vaccines specifically, is "show me the science". The authors only provide information that has been backed by scientific studies, and they are pro-vaccines. That mostly sums up my approach to parenting, as well, but I realize not everybody agrees.
Sprinkled throughout the book are little icons pointing out helpful hints, red flags, feedback from the real world, and old wives tales (that are either debunk-able or true). These also help to keep the reading light and entertaining.
Overall, this book is a real winner. Lots of wonderful must-know information in a fun and easy-to-read format. Who could ask for better? There's a reason I recommend this to (or buy it for) all of my new mommy friends!
Final rating: Buy!
This is a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover". Or its title, as the case may be. When I first saw the book, I though both were, um, hokey. This title was even specifically recommended to us by our prenatal class instructor, and I still passed it up. Yet for whatever reason I put it on my baby registry. It showed up at my door a few days after we came home from the hospital, and I was immediately hooked.
Baby 411 has a ton of great information laid out in an easily accessible way, which makes it a great reference book. It also covers things in an easy-to-digest question-and-answer format, frequently with humor, which makes it great to read cover-to-cover. I recommend both. When I was home with a newborn I read this book all the way through, soaking up information. As my baby grew and various questions cropped up, I'd turn back to the book time and again for information and answers.
The first half of this book is my favorite. Topics include nutrition (general, then broken down into solids and liquids), "the other end", hygiene, development, etc. It then goes on to discuss vaccines, first aid, and common infections and diseases. This second part was a little scary for me, as I hate to think about my little girl getting sick, but it's still good information.
I should note that this book's philosophy in general, and about vaccines specifically, is "show me the science". The authors only provide information that has been backed by scientific studies, and they are pro-vaccines. That mostly sums up my approach to parenting, as well, but I realize not everybody agrees.
Sprinkled throughout the book are little icons pointing out helpful hints, red flags, feedback from the real world, and old wives tales (that are either debunk-able or true). These also help to keep the reading light and entertaining.
Overall, this book is a real winner. Lots of wonderful must-know information in a fun and easy-to-read format. Who could ask for better? There's a reason I recommend this to (or buy it for) all of my new mommy friends!
Final rating: Buy!
January 15, 2011
Review of Baby Bargains by Denise Fields and Alan Fields
When I first announced I was pregnant, several of my coworkers all recommended this book to me. I was skeptical at first. I'm not usually one to run around trying to save a few cents here and there. So I really wasn't sure how useful a book called "Baby Bargains" would be. But after it was recommended to me time and again, I figured I ought to check it out.
It was great. But not for the reasons I expected.
Yes, it has some hints and tips on ways to save money for baby. It also has suggestions for what baby gear is essential and what you can probably do without. But the best part about this book is the product reviews. I love the product reviews, and I'm not sure what I would have done without them!
For any given category of baby gear (cribs, high-chairs, play yards, car seats, you name it!), Baby Bargains first gives a category overview, then provides a review for each of the major manufacturers and models. Reviews include a paragraph about the product and a letter grade. At the end of the chapter there are recommendations for "good", "better", and "best" products, along with recommendations for grandma's house (i.e. secondary products you'll only use now and again) and recommendations for products if someone else is paying or money is no object.
I found this book to be tremendously helpful while preparing for my daughter's arrival. I learned a lot about the product categories that really interested me. I took their recommendations at face value for items that didn't matter to me quite as much. And I've been happy with all of my purchases.
I also have to add that perusing this book makes you feel like you're being incredibly productive, especially when you're pregnant and too tired to actually go pounding the pavement from store to store. Knowing what you want to buy is just as good as buying it, right? And now that so many baby registries let you add products online, you can sit at your computer with this book in hand and make significant progress on your registry.
Finally, I've found this book helpful even after my daughter was born. Certain categories either didn't catch my eye the first time around or weren't worth thinking about at the time, but were very useful several months down the road. For example, there is a nice discussion of baby food brands. This is something new parents don't need, but something that may confound parents of a six-month-old. Ditto for booster seats for the car(I haven't yet reached that stage of parenting!). So I've found myself flipping through Baby Bargains over and over. It's definitely one of the most helpful books in my library.
Final Rating: Buy
It was great. But not for the reasons I expected.
Yes, it has some hints and tips on ways to save money for baby. It also has suggestions for what baby gear is essential and what you can probably do without. But the best part about this book is the product reviews. I love the product reviews, and I'm not sure what I would have done without them!
For any given category of baby gear (cribs, high-chairs, play yards, car seats, you name it!), Baby Bargains first gives a category overview, then provides a review for each of the major manufacturers and models. Reviews include a paragraph about the product and a letter grade. At the end of the chapter there are recommendations for "good", "better", and "best" products, along with recommendations for grandma's house (i.e. secondary products you'll only use now and again) and recommendations for products if someone else is paying or money is no object.
I found this book to be tremendously helpful while preparing for my daughter's arrival. I learned a lot about the product categories that really interested me. I took their recommendations at face value for items that didn't matter to me quite as much. And I've been happy with all of my purchases.
I also have to add that perusing this book makes you feel like you're being incredibly productive, especially when you're pregnant and too tired to actually go pounding the pavement from store to store. Knowing what you want to buy is just as good as buying it, right? And now that so many baby registries let you add products online, you can sit at your computer with this book in hand and make significant progress on your registry.
Finally, I've found this book helpful even after my daughter was born. Certain categories either didn't catch my eye the first time around or weren't worth thinking about at the time, but were very useful several months down the road. For example, there is a nice discussion of baby food brands. This is something new parents don't need, but something that may confound parents of a six-month-old. Ditto for booster seats for the car(I haven't yet reached that stage of parenting!). So I've found myself flipping through Baby Bargains over and over. It's definitely one of the most helpful books in my library.
Final Rating: Buy
January 14, 2011
Review of The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine
I loved this book. I found it to be both funny and informative. It was an easy and engaging read - I even found myself reading it on a plane ride during my European vacation. It is one of the first books I recommend to girlfriends when I learn that they are pregnant. Sometimes I even send them a copy as a gift.
There were times when this book was laugh-out-loud funny. There were times, especially during my first trimester, when parts of the book were scary. One section even made me a little woozy. But as time passed I found myself becoming more desensitized to certain ideas (epidural, anyone?) and in need of answers. Thankfully, the information Iovine provides is straight-forward and easy to understand. And exactly what I needed.
It's been a while since I read this book, I admit, so I can't be too specific on the content (see my first post about the reality of this blog), but I clearly remember the humor of the various top-10 lists and the helpfulness of the what-to-take-to-the-hospital-and-what-not-to-take section.
The whole book is just like a conversation with a girlfriend. A really good girlfriend who has already been through it and isn't afraid to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly. It made me feel more prepared for both pregnancy and the hospital stay, and it entertained me while doing so. What more could a girl ask for?
Final Rating: Buy
(or borrow on long-term loan - you'll want it have it around for all 9 months)
There were times when this book was laugh-out-loud funny. There were times, especially during my first trimester, when parts of the book were scary. One section even made me a little woozy. But as time passed I found myself becoming more desensitized to certain ideas (epidural, anyone?) and in need of answers. Thankfully, the information Iovine provides is straight-forward and easy to understand. And exactly what I needed.
It's been a while since I read this book, I admit, so I can't be too specific on the content (see my first post about the reality of this blog), but I clearly remember the humor of the various top-10 lists and the helpfulness of the what-to-take-to-the-hospital-and-what-not-to-take section.
The whole book is just like a conversation with a girlfriend. A really good girlfriend who has already been through it and isn't afraid to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly. It made me feel more prepared for both pregnancy and the hospital stay, and it entertained me while doing so. What more could a girl ask for?
Final Rating: Buy
(or borrow on long-term loan - you'll want it have it around for all 9 months)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)