Rating: 
Summary: The most common sense approach of any time
Review: It is often said, "When you don't know what to do, you do what you know." Without the RIE approach, I would have repeated many of the very serious mistakes my mother made. This book so articulately describes the "how to's" and "why's" of child-rearing. There are very few unanswered questions. It is a wonderful guide book not only for raising children, but for relating to people of all ages. Magda Gerber reminds us that frustration, anxiety, fear and other stresses are normal experiences for parents and children. Even with the struggles life dishes out, one can realistically build a life-long relationship with your infant by modeling respect. One of the many of the messages I came away with from reading this book is that aside from the obvious fact that parenting is hard work, it also can be fun and we have the right to relax and enjoy it. Magda Gerber presents guidelines that really work because they are so logical. The experiental aspects of the RIE approach in raising an infant are described in a clear, understandable and applicable way. I wish it were required reading for all parents. This book is now the gift I give to all my friends who are parents or soon-to-be parents. My only criticizm is that the book ended.
Wendy Kronick - Los Angeles, CA.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely the best parenting book!
Review: Magda Gerber has changed my life. I was an "attachement parenting" fan, and even though we still sleep with our children, reading Magda Gerber books brought me to the real depth of parenting. I highly recommend utilizing this philosophy from day 1. I found this book when my son was 10 months, and now he is 3 and my daughter is 11. I must say that I saw even better results with her. She is eating at her little table by herself, she is completely intependent, she is starting to walk and can get herself up from the floor. They both are emotinally secure, most importantly, both of them have excellent attention span. It is the best book out there!
Rating:
Summary: The perfect "new parent" gift!
Review: Nearly everyday my husband thanks me for having discovered this book (and the RIE approach). It has taught us to be more patient, trusting, and "present" parents. In my desire to be the perfect mother, I could easily see myself doing everything for my son, but this book helped me see how that was exactly NOT what my son wants from me. Learning to offer choices and explaining consequences has given us a positive model for teaching and discipling. And unlike anything else I've read, this approach has taught me that it's perfectly ok if my son and I don't agree on everything -- I can still do what I need/want to do and he can have his own feelings about it without me needing to distract him out what he is expressing (geez, what a complicated way of saying that if he wants to cry while I take a shower, that's ok for both of us!) By modeling respect (most of the time), we are teaching our child how important and capable he is. And so far the "terrible twos" are anything but!! Thank you Magda for devoting your life to infants -- and thank you Allison for sharing her theories with us! I have given or lent this book to every new parent I know with the full confidence that they will pick up at least one thing that will forever affect the way they raise their precious new baby!!
Rating:
Summary: The perfect "new parent" gift!
Review: Nearly everyday my husband thanks me for having discovered this book (and the RIE approach). It has taught us to be more patient, trusting, and "present" parents. In my desire to be the perfect mother, I could easily see myself doing everything for my son, but this book helped me see how that was exactly NOT what my son wants from me. Learning to offer choices and explaining consequences has given us a positive model for teaching and discipling. And unlike anything else I've read, this approach has taught me that it's perfectly ok if my son and I don't agree on everything -- I can still do what I need/want to do and he can have his own feelings about it without me needing to distract him out what he is expressing (geez, what a complicated way of saying that if he wants to cry while I take a shower, that's ok for both of us!) By modeling respect (most of the time), we are teaching our child how important and capable he is. And so far the "terrible twos" are anything but!! Thank you Magda for devoting your life to infants -- and thank you Allison for sharing her theories with us! I have given or lent this book to every new parent I know with the full confidence that they will pick up at least one thing that will forever affect the way they raise their precious new baby!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great philiosophy in easy-to-read book
Review: This book explores the "proper" method to raise a child who is self-confident and respectful. I know there is no "right" way to raise a child but I feel the more informed I am the better my decisions will be. This book employs a philisophy the author terms RIE (pronounce WRY)-Resources for Infant Educarers. RIE adheres to the following principles: * Basic trust in the child to be an initiator, an explorer, and a self-learner * Time for uninterrupted play * An environmnet for the child that is physically safe, cognitively challenging, and emotionally nurturing * Involvement of the child in all caregiving activities to allow it to become an active participant rather than a passive recipient * Sensitive observation of the child in order to understand her needs * Consistency and clearly defined limits and expectations to develop discipline A couple of examples given in the book covers getting your child to sleep and communication. RIE recommends that you always put your child to bed awake. Why? Babies are aware of their surroundings. If a baby is lying in the living room and wakes up in a bed, it is confusing for the child. Another example is talking to your child. When you are going to change a diaper, it's recommended that you communicate this to your child and ask for her cooperation. This allows the child the opportunity to process this information and prepare for the activity as well as enable them to become a participant rather than a recipient. I finished this book and found it extremely illuminating. For me, the things that stood out (i.e., things I didn't think about while around babies) are: * Talk to the Baby, not about it * Treat the Baby as a person not as an object. They have feelings and those feelings should be respected. If you want to do something to the baby, ask first. By asking, you are able to establish a routine (an area where children thrive) and they know exactly what to expect. * Crying is Okay! Babies can't talk so they must cry to communicate. Instead of "hushing" or "quieting" a crying baby, let the baby cry and try to observe what is wrong with it. By immediately picking up the child, you are telling the child that what is really wrong (e.g., you are grumpy) is not important and being quiet is. I am sure that some will disagree with this book and some will agree. I found this book right on in its approach and have decided to employ this philosophy with our first child. Gerber writes in a converstaional tone with easy-to-understand wording and structure. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in parenting!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have!
Review: This book is the best introduction to the RIE method of respect in caring for children and yourself, and an absolute essential for new parents and grandparents. This philosophy is summed up in "do less, observe more," and it's the observing that's the key. We tried the RIE philosophy when our son was four months old, and wished we had done it sooner! It's made a huge difference in our household. I had been driving myself crazy reading What to Expect and Baby and Child, trying to do it all. Talk to him this way, give him that kind of toy or mobile, sit him up in the right kind of seat, carry him around whenever possible, take him out to see the world, never just let him be so he can assimilate that world and choose what he needs to work on next. And then I felt guilty any time I did just let him be so that I could have some downtime, even when it was obvious that he was perfectly busy doing his own thing. After beginning to use the RIE way, I feel like I'm a much better mother and that my husband and I are both enjoying our baby and our lives so much more. The best thing has been the level of peace that descended, in all of us, and we still have a very active boy. He's standing and "cruising" at eight months! The difference using RIE has made became very clear when we visited the grandparents this month, and I watched my mother change him. She rushed through it, trying to get him clean and changed without him squirming off the table or kicking his messy diaper and bottom. He almost went off the table, ended up arching his back so that she was holding him completely off the table except for the top of his head, and cried the whole time. When I change him, I tell him each thing I'm going to do, and I do it slowly, enjoying the quiet time we have together. He looks me in the eyes, smiles, lifts up his legs so I can clean him when I ask him to, then puts them down again. I never would have believed it before reading this book. We have also read Dear Parent and Trees Make the Best Mobiles. Dear Parent is a collection of essays and speeches that cover the same ground but not as coherently nor as thoroughly, and with an occasionally annoying tone. Trees is cute, soundbites of the same material, useful for new parents with little time and less sleep. I recommend it as a companion to Self-Confident Baby.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE book
Review: This is a "must have" book. Every new parent is afraid they are doing it wrong and even though we try not to compare our children, we all do. This book helped me relax and realize that my child will do things when HE is ready and that I can't make him crawl or walk, etc. What I can do is give him opportunities and a safe environment then sit back, watch and enjoy. I loved her philosphy about not using a high chair. She said a child should have a table and chair that he can get into and out of and not be propped up and strapped into highchairs and booster seats. This way, when he is done with his meal he can leave signaling that he is done. My son now goes to the table when he is hungry. Letting them eat at a table of their height shows respect and that you realize they are a smaller person and need smaller chairs. She also talks about when children are having conflicts, let them work it out themselves (unless they are hurting each other) so that they can figure out how to work out their differences in the future. She talked about problem solving and gave an example of a ball that rolls under the table. Our first response it to get it for our crawling or walking child but we need to let the child figure out how to get it themselves. I'm not doing this book justice but I can guarantee you, if you purchase this book, you will not be sorry. I am passing it around my baby group and am proud to do so. My son is a happy, social baby with a lot of independence and freedom and he probably would not have been if I didn't learn this philosophy.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Childrearing Guru, Sigh.
Review: This is another baby-raising advice book that promises THE method to produce a happy, self-confident child. There is some wisom in it (I'm all for respecting children and giving them space to become themselves) but I found the book annoyingly preachy and, in the end, silly. The advice includes: don't touch a child unless you have permission first, don't give a baby any toys to play with on the changing table, don't pick up a crying child, don't let the child eat at the table with adults, don't use strollers, high chairs are off-limits--all that stuff seems a little cultish and ultimately sort of random. Since the approach is guru-driven (like most childrearing methods), there's no real evidence or research presented. Who's to say all this studied ignoring of babies won't produce needy, emotionally distant kids? Even so, if you're reading every baby book you can get your hands on, this one is worth adding to the pile.
Rating:
Summary: The best book on parenting that I've read
Review: This is the best book I have read so far on parenting (and I've read quite a lot). This is a book that defends a very simplistic and baby-focused style of parenting. Sometimes the theory is a little over the top, but the basic tenets are right on target...or at least I think so. First of all, the author suggests that you think of those times when you feed, change and bathe your baby as opportunities to bond with her. Also, she suggests that you constantly talk to your baby, narrating everything that you do, asking permission, and expressing your expectations for baby. (Even if you think your baby won't understand, my 5 1/2 month old has a sense of what I'm saying and it helps.) She also suggests that you observe, but not interrupt your child's learning process, unless of course the baby is going to hurt herself. To demonstrate her point, I'll give you my own example with my baby that I found just fascinating. I put him down on the gymini mat (without any toys dangling). Since my baby is the master drooler, as most babies at this stage, I put receiving blankets on top of the mat and just gave him a cup to play with. He played with the cup for a while, but then dropped it. As he reached for it, he inadvertently pushed it away. (My inclination was to give the cup back to him, but after reading this book, I decided not to.) When he realized he couldn't reach it, he turned over toward the cup, getting a little closer. He reached for it, but just pushed the cup away further. This time, he grabbed the receiving blanket and pulled, finally bringing the cup closer...cool, huh???
Rating:
Summary: A Book ALL Parents Should Read!
Review: This was the first book I read from Magda Gerber. I have since read her "Dear Parent" book too. Both books contain, for the most part, the same information.
Mrs. Gerber presents parenting in another light. She explains the importance for the infant to play and discover, how the parent should react by waiting-observing and trusting the infant. She talks about toys and what not to buy, eating and rules, and so much more.
I read many books that advocacted parenting that looked exhausting to me, other books were trendy.
Another valuable tool- is that Magda Gerber has a website and there are also many other "educarer" websites out there were you can write in questions for later support.
This book is one of the BEST parenting books there is. I have given it to all my soon-to-be mom and mom friends. I wish that all parents would read this!! Money invested in buying this is well worth it.
|
