Rating: Summary: YOU MUST BUY THIS, IT IS NOT AN OPTION Review: 2 weeks after my baby was born and the baby nurse left I was left with what I thought was a totally different baby. I was unable to soothe her and my husband and I felt helpless until a friend recommended THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK! It gave me the tools to calm my baby and make her feel secure and happy! She is now 10 weeks old and an angel, we are having so much fun with our little bundle! With this book and DVD I was able to get my baby to sleep 6-7 hrs a night and spend most of the day smiling! If you dont buy this for yourself buy it for anyone you know who is expecting!!! If you have no time to read a book the DVD is awesome, you can watch it during a feeding!!
Rating: Summary: My Baby is Happy! Review: I heard about Dr. Karp in a Breastfeeding 101 class I took in September 2003. The philosophy made so much sense that I ordered the book and DVD that very night! Since then I've shared the book with over 5 people and everyone in my family has watched the DVD at least 2x. My husband impressed all the nurses (and grandparents) at the hospital by claming our baby better then they could. I also loved the white noise feature on the DVD. It calmed Jillian down in seconds but also distressed my dog, Louie.
Rating: Summary: The best tool for parents of newborns Review: I love this book and everything in it. It is easy to read and entertaining. The reccomendations all work and can't be beat.The 5 things he reccomends and explains are: noise, movement, sucking, swaddling and placing the baby on their side. These 5 tips all comfort the baby and help reduce crying. Everything he suggests is terrific. I love it. my 1 month old baby has benefited a great deal.
Rating: Summary: So much hype, so little help Review: I asked for this book for my shower because a lot of moms on a discussion forum I read raved about it. Just a few pages into it, I wondered if there was really any need to read the entire book. The other mommies assured me it was worth it. I am not convinced. There is absolutley nothing in this book that is in any way a breakthrough in the area of baby care. Swaddling, swinging, shushing, sucking, and stomach positioning to calm a baby are all as old as the hills. Some of these have fallen in and out of fashion at one point or another, but none of these tips are so unique that they can't be found as helpful suggestions in other parenting guides or by asking older parents... (I can't even begin to count the number of times my mother or father has suggested I calm my extremely fussy baby by "Try putting him on his belly" or "Why don't you give him a binky?") This book suffers from a number of flaws. 1. I can't even begin to say how irritated I am that the author claims to have found a "new" way to calm fussy babies. 2. This book would be nice as a PAMPHLET handed out at the hospital to new parents... it should NOT be a book. My original impression that this book is extremely repetitive was correct. It's not so much that none of these methods work, it's just that all can be explained very quickly. It does not take a full length book. Luckily, I read this book before my baby got here - any parent already dealing with a fussy or colicky baby would be at their wits end trying to read this entire book. (Therein lies the irony of childcare help books... those who need them the most don't have the time or ability to read them!!!) 3. The methods do NOT work for all babies and despite Karp's claim that colic does not even exist in some cultures due to parents using his methods... Colic does NOT always respond to these methods. Living with my baby was agony for the first few months. It didn't matter what I tried - days and evenings were horrible. Anyone who claims to have a cure for colic has clearly never really dealt with colic! What seemed to matter more to my baby was the clock... once 11pm hit, swaddled and nursed, he would sleep well at night. Between 6am and 11pm, though, it didn't matter WHAT I tried, he was fussy and needed to be held and nursed constantly. I could nolt put him down no matter what I tried. There was no magic "off switch," despite Karp's claims. In short, this book was a waste of my time. Skim it in a bookstore if you wish, but do not spend your money. In response to others claims that babies can become hooked on the methods in this book... I don't think this is a serious issue. We swaddled at night until my baby was big and strong enough to weasle his way out of his wrappings, no matter how many diaper pins I tried to fasten him with. Once he was too big to swaddle, he had no problems sleeping at night. (I mean, at 4 1/2 months he has yet to sleep through the night, but he sleeps no differently unswaddled than swaddled...) Maybe some babies require the calming methods a little longer than others, but sooner or later they should all outgrow them... I hope!
Rating: Summary: This Book Saved My Life!!! Review: I really owe my deepest graditude to Dr. Karp. Without this book I honestly do not know how I would have made it through the first four months of my EXTREMELY colicky daughter's life. She screamed all the time (unless she was sleeping). It really was a nightmare. We were at the doctor's office every week, the hospital, and numerous specialists. Thank God there was nothing physically wrong, but I was getting so frustrated. I would leave each appointment in tears. She had been misdiagnosed with acid reflux (the meds did not work). I remember vividly shaking and crying in waiting rooms with exhaustion and despair. No one had any specific help for me. In my spare time (all 15 minutes of it) I would try to research on the internet. That's when I came across this book. I immediately set to work, trying everything. My daughter was swaddled (I found it tricky to keep her tight), rocked, worn in a carrier, and we listened to static on the radio in her room and in the car for 4 solid months. Sure she was still a challenge, but a managable one! I finally understood where she was coming from, Dr. Karp made this perfectly clear...I felt so sorry for her. Despite Dr. Karp's reassurance, I felt sure she would be addicted to this elaborate routine...I can now happily say that after four months it slowly got better. I am so proud to say that I now have a happy, healthy, one year old baby girl!!!! She goes down to bed saying "Nigh Nigh" and with a kiss. No static, no rocking, no sucking, nothing!!! I never thought I would see the day when I would be able to say this. Thank you Dr. Karp, with all my heart!!!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: What a relief! Review: This book really helped me through the first six weeks of my son's life. I disagree with a previous poster...not all infants become addicted to swaddling. Our son outgrew it around 3 months. Huzzah for Dr. Karp and his book. Even if a child loves being swaddled... is that really so terrible? I think it would be worse to have a crying newborn than a 6+ month old who can't sleep at night.
Rating: Summary: A complete lifesaver for this new Mommy!! Review: Dr. Karp is a miracle worker when it comes to helping new parents deal with their newborns!! I found that there is way too much information out there and it began to get confusing. Dr. Karp is the ONLY one who helps you deal with what to do when you bring your baby home and realize just how much they can cry. And, he does it in an easy to understand and light hearted manner. Our baby is 8 weeks old and we have been using this system of the 5 S's since he was born. He has acid reflux and can get miserable in a hurry. We just swaddle, sush and swing him to a peacful state everytime. He rarely cries for more that 5 minutes if he gets upset!! And, using Dr. Karp's methods, he sleeps for 5 hours at night, then after feeding him, sleeps another 4 every night!! I can't thank Dr. Karp enough for his insightful book. It was so easy to read and we began implementing his tools even before we finished reading the whole thing!! The DVD is a great complement to actually see the S's in action-it's amazing!! It helped reluctant grandparents see how to swaddle and how great it works, too. The first time they watched the little guy alone, they were running for the swaddle!! All I know is Dr. Karp has written a book that should be included in all households with a newborn. I know I give it to everyone who is pregnant or has a child under a year-it's a great gift! We are big fans of Dr. Karp's because of his understanding and compassioniate style-we couldn't imagine this time in our lives without the knowledge he has passed on. No crying baby makes us happier and has definitely made our little one "the happiest baby on OUR block"! Just buy this book-it even turned a skeptic like my husband into a believer!! Thank you Dr. Karp!!
Rating: Summary: This book changed my life! Review: This book was extremely helpful in calming our 6-week old baby girl. She used to cry for 3 hours every night. But using these techniques really saved our lives. She responded right away and it really worked. We used the technique for many months and found it extremely helpful. Thank you Dr. Karp!
Rating: Summary: I don't even have kids! Review: I heard about this book, and even though I don't have kids, I found it really interesting. While visiting a friend with a three week old, I got to try the "S's". Their baby boy, Cooper, would not stop crying. I asked if I could try something. I took him in my unexperienced arms and swattled him, best that I could, held him sideways, and shooshed in his ear. He immediatly quieted down and fell asleep. His parents were amazed. They know I study and practice "horse whispering." Baby horses have a very distinct way of communicating from birth. All horses understand it. We are using it to communicate back with them. That's why this "baby whispering" is so cool to me! Great book! Looking for more!
Rating: Summary: Excellent book & DVD Review: I am an Early Childhood Specialist and I present workshops for childcare providers and parents. One of the biggest complaints of people in childcare is that they just cannot get some infants to stop crying and it disrupts the entire setting. What to do? Enter Dr. Karp and his wonderful techniques. The book is so helpful for parents or providers to have at their fingertips and the DVD amazes them. People are fascinated by the 4th Trimester Theory and the truth about colic. Those who are still doubtful are sold by the time they witness the techniques firsthand. The workshops I give using Dr. Karp's materials are always full of new people. The stress level in a child care setting immediately drops when an infant is soothed by the 5 Ss. Wonderful for parents, even better for childcare providers who work with infants.
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