Rating: 
Summary: A Helpful Edition to the "Mother of All" Series
Review: A great sequel to the previous "Mother of All" Books. I have had the pleasure of hearing the author give a presentation recently and found her to be very knowledgeable, supportive and funny. I really appreciate the humorous, true anecdotes of many parents with toddlers throughout the book. This is the key comfort factor for me that grounds this book in reality...that I am not alone in sometimes being unsure of what to do and occasionally regretting what I chose to do. I am often doubting that I am a good enough mother compared to some of my friends and relatives. The warm, friendly tone of the author, a mother of 4 kids herself, is carried through her books and helps calm my anxiety. I also wish to highly recommend "The Pocket Parent" by two authors that are also knowledgeable, compassionate, "tell it like it is" mothers. This book addresses just four years of life...the challenging behavior issues of 2, 3, 4, and 5 year olds and offers hundreds of tips and true, short anecdotes on handling every annoying behavior you can think of. Both of these upbeat, well-written, quick-read reference books are designed to be read as you need them...each chapter complete on its own...both books equally helpful to moms and dads of toddlers.
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Summary: This is the American edition, not the Canadian edition
Review: A reader had criticized this book for not being Canadian enough. This edition (ISBN 0764544179, published in 2004) is the *American edition* of the book, not the *Canadian edition.* Parents wanting to order the *Canadian edition* should order the edition published in 2002 (ISBN 1553350162). I hope this helps to prevent other parents from ordering the incorrect edition of the book.
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Summary: Terrific Toddler book!
Review: Ann Douglas' Mother of All books have guided me through my pregnancy, the baby years and helped me tremendously for the toddler years. I appreciate the humour and down to earth approach to topics... you can tell she's a mom too. By having the "moms in the trenches" advice, I didn't feel so alone in my child-rearing. Hey - the potty training portion of the book is really good - worth the prize of the book right there!
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Summary: Loved the stories from other parents
Review: I picked up this book after enjoying this author's earlier "Mother of All Pregnancy Books" and "Mother of All Baby Books." Having read the new toddler book, I can tell you it's a worthy addition to a terrific series.This book covers a lot of territory and is really fun and easy to read, but what really sold me on this book were the stories of other toddler parents. Their incredibly honest and often funny accounts about life in the toddler front lines have helped me to keep my own perspective on the joys and challenges that go along with parenting a toddler. I haven't found any other toddler book that takes this same approach, mixing up factual information about toddler development and parents' stories. I think it's a really effective combination.
Rating:
Summary: Loved the stories from other parents
Review: I picked up this book after enjoying this author's earlier "Mother of All Pregnancy Books" and "Mother of All Baby Books." Having read the new toddler book, I can tell you it's a worthy addition to a terrific series. This book covers a lot of territory and is really fun and easy to read, but what really sold me on this book were the stories of other toddler parents. Their incredibly honest and often funny accounts about life in the toddler front lines have helped me to keep my own perspective on the joys and challenges that go along with parenting a toddler. I haven't found any other toddler book that takes this same approach, mixing up factual information about toddler development and parents' stories. I think it's a really effective combination.
Rating: 
Summary: Underwhelmed
Review: I received this book and read it in one day - very easy to do, since the margins are huge, the whole text is in bulletpoints and it reads as if it came straight from the Internet.
This title came up as a recommendation while I was looking at other parenting books. Since it was less than 11 dollars I decided to take a chance. Based on the number of pages, the title and the positive reviews, I thought that it would be a comprehensive book. And I was looking forward to a common-sense Canadian perspective from the author. A bust on all counts.
As a parent of a 19 m.o., my feeling is that any other parent who has made it this far and has access to the Internet does not need to buy this book. I haven't read any of her other books, but this one was really poorly put together and edited. The transitions between topics were really weird, often sounding like a videoscript, but really strange in writing: "We've covered a, b and c, now we're going to move onto x,y and z." These intros and transitions really bulk up the book. Poor editing. And this might sound really picky, but the phrase "dreaming in Technicolor," for example, appeared at least three times.
The quotes from mothers were sometimes interesting, but again, nothing I haven't already run across in my very short time as a parent. I just didn't learn anything new from the book, and as I said, I only have a 19 m.o., so anyone with an older toddler and common sense would probably be bored by this.
Being a mother of four is great, but that alone is not a qualification for writing a book. If Ann Douglas has a particular area of expertise or a unique perspective about childrearing or parenting, I missed it entirely.
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Summary: What You Need to Know About Raising a Toddler
Review: THE MOTHER OF ALL TODDLER BOOKS picks up where the previous book in this series -- THE MOTHER OF ALL BABY BOOKS -- left off: at the start of the toddler years. Author Ann Douglas takes the same approach she has taken with the other books in this series, interspersing quotes and stories from parents of toddlers with the latest research on what it takes to raise a happy, healthy child. Chapters include - Chapter 1: The Truth About Toddlers (the joys and challenges of raising a toddler, what the toddler years may be like for you and your child) - Chapter 2: The Incredible Growing Toddler (why it's not a good idea to get too hung up on milestones, what to look for when you're trying to decide if your child's development is on track) - Chapter 3: Fun and Games (arts and crafts, sensory play, music, dramatic play, excursions and outings, active play, math, science, reading, toys, toddlers and TV, toddlers and computers) - Chapter 4: Who's the Boss (discipline do's and don'ts, your parenting style, your toddler's personality type, the art of co-parenting, temper tantrums and other difficult toddler behaviors, being a less-than-perfect parent) - Chapter 5: The Maintenance Manual (baths, dental care, hair care, clothing, potty training) - Chapter 6: What's for Dinner? (toddler appetites, picky eaters, nutrition basics, allergy alerts) - Chapter 7: Will the Sandman Ever Come? (toddler sleep problems, naps, from crib to bed) - Chapter 8: The Health Department (immunization, childhood illnesses, top health questions answered, coping with hospitalization) - Chapter 9: The Safety Department (childproofing, safety on the road, grandparents and safety, first-aid essentials) - Chapter 10: All in the Family (avoiding parent burnout, having another baby, adding a pet to the family, working outside the home, etc.) - Appendices: glossary, directory of organizations, website directory, growth charts, recommended readings If you enjoyed the previous books in this series, you'll enjoy this book, too. If you haven't discovered this series yet, you're in for a treat. This is a truly awesome guide to toddlers.
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Summary: Great Guide to the Toddler Years!
Review: This book is a great "survival guide" to the toddler years. It guides parents through the highs and lows of parenting a child through these important years of development by teaching what to expect and then how to handle it. If there is more than one opinion about a given topic it presents each side along with the appropriate research to back it. I would recommend this to every parent with a toddler.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars
Review: This is a great additon to the "Mother of" series. The no nonsense advice is written in a breezy style that busy parents will fine easy to absorb. Some of the funny "front line" stories will have you laughing and nodding in recognition of your own life. It's a great read! by: Debbie Farmer, parenting auhtor of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat!'
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars
Review: This is a great additon to the "Mother of" series. The no nonsense advice is written in a breezy style that busy parents will fine easy to absorb. Some of the funny "front line" stories will have you laughing and nodding in recognition of your own life. It's a great read! by: Debbie Farmer, parenting auhtor of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat!'
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