Comments on It's Not All Mary Poppins: Today's Book

I heard about this book and would go to the book s...

2007-01-08T13:43:00.000-05:00

I heard about this book and would go to the book store to read it on the sly. Never actually bought it, but consulted it several times. It really worked for me, even with a colicky baby.

Especially with a colicky baby. When Sophia was swaddled, she'd sleep better and longer. We swaddled her until she was about five months old. We only stopped because she outgrew any blanket that

I told you about a year ago that I LOVE Harvey Kar...

2007-01-08T11:45:00.000-05:00

I told you about a year ago that I LOVE Harvey Karp, and I stand by that. He's the only one I trust as much as you! :) His toddler book is, if anything, equally amazing. D will actually now say "MAD! MAD!" or "WANT IT NOW!" instead of screaming at random when he's upset. While it's not perfect, it IS communication, and I am grateful for it. Toddlerese sounds dumb but it totally. totally. works.<

bubandpie: I'm not sure how much of it was second...

2007-01-06T09:44:00.000-05:00

bubandpie: I'm not sure how much of it was second nature to me, either. I did discover with some startlement how vigourous babies like their rocking to be. I also discovered the joys of jiggling. I didn't learn the swaddling till ten years later, and the loud shushing till after that! Most people just don't get that many years of practice on babies.

I haven't read the toddler

I saw him on tv somewhere when pumpkinpie was a fe...

2007-01-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

I saw him on tv somewhere when pumpkinpie was a few months old and found myself nodding along and going, "Yeah, that's totally what works for her too!"

PS You can get more information and see a short vi...

2007-01-05T23:01:00.000-05:00

PS You can get more information and see a short video at www.thehappiestbaby.com (I tried to get the happiestbaby.calm...but it was impossible!)

Hi Mary P. Thank you so much for your kind words....

2007-01-05T22:57:00.000-05:00

Hi Mary P. Thank you so much for your kind words. I know it sounds so rigid to say these techniques need to be done exactly right...but that is imperative especially with really fussy babies. That is because they are based upon a reflex...and as you know if you hit your knee reflex but are off by an inch...it looks like you are doing it right...but nohing happens!

I don't know if you

Thanks for recommending books like this, Mary. We...

2007-01-05T17:22:00.000-05:00

Thanks for recommending books like this, Mary. We're going to be first-time parents in a few months and there are so many "self-help" parenting books out there, it'll make your head spin. Hearing someone who is so involved in childcare praise a book really helps steer me in the right direction when deciding what books to get!

Dr. Karp was one of our pediatricians when we live...

2007-01-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

Dr. Karp was one of our pediatricians when we lived in LA and our older two were babies -- really. He used to hvae a small practice in Venice, and then was (still is?) in a bigger practice in Santa Monica.

And none of his common-sense techniques ever seemed to soothe our irascible older son.....aka The Baby From Hell.

I have this book, and it definitely helped us with...

2007-01-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

I have this book, and it definitely helped us with both our babies. Easy read, logical thinking in helping parents.

I would have jumped off the roof of our apartment ...

2007-01-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

I would have jumped off the roof of our apartment building if we hadn't used a swing in Christopher's infancy. And Sophie used to nap in hers. All the swing haters can bite me, because my kids are lovely.

ANYway.

Regarding Dr. Karp's toddler method: it worked quite well for Christopher. Then again, he was not your average toddler, so maybe the extremeness only really works for

I am looking for books to give a young expectant m...

2007-01-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

I am looking for books to give a young expectant mother. This was perfect! Thank you!

And no, I didn't read Middlemarch (I don't think!) in college. I am a baaaad English major.

But it isn't too late.

I kind of lost my respect for Dr. Karp over the "t...

2007-01-05T12:39:00.000-05:00

I kind of lost my respect for Dr. Karp over the "toddler-ese", I must admit. A little over the top. It's possible to validate toddler emotions without being quite so dramatic, methinks.

I saw Harvey Karp on Dr. Phil when Bub was six wee...

2007-01-05T12:08:00.000-05:00

I saw Harvey Karp on Dr. Phil when Bub was six weeks old, and it was a godsend. None of that stuff was second nature to me - it helped so much.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for his book about toddlers. Even if you can get past the incredibly annoying toddlers-are-prehistoric-apes governing metaphor, his advice is to empathize with toddlers by speaking to them in "toddler-ese"