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Dec 16, 2009

Taylor rated it:

What is a more perfect picture in this world than a contented baby in loving parent arms? Leidloff claim that this is the place to be if you are an infant; that the modern traditions of swings, cribs, playpens, and other child-holding-devices go against our nature and evolution, and can do great damage to a person by denying an infant’s automatic expectations.

I agree with much of what she says. Obviously, babies are made to be held. We are the only primates that willing sets our youn More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Apr 23, 2008

Cjasper rated it:

I first read this book seven years ago, as a new mom, and just reread it for book group. First of all, I am appalled at the state of mind I must have been in when I first read it, cause boy did I swallow it hook, line, and sinker. My brain must have been in a hormone-induced state of mush. I mean, "evidence" suggests that homosexuality may be caused by non-continuum care. I didn't even notice this before! Or how awesome it is that the girls' in the indigenous cultures greatest joy More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

May 03, 2011

virginia rated it:

I really enjoyed reading this book. I've always been interested in evolution and the well being of our concious self and bodies through understanding evolution. Jean Liedloff lived with Stone Age Indians in South America for 3 years and studyed the way they raised their children and the effects this had on the childrens development. Not having chlidren myself I obviously have a different point of view, but I do belive we are flawed in some of our theorys about how we raise our children. For exam More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 20, 2008

Jenni rated it:

Yowza. I started this book a few months ago, then picked it up again last weekend. What timing! I just read Weissbluth's HSHHC, and my husband and I are in the midst of transitioning our infant daughter to sleep in her crib.

So with that in mind ... this book made me cry. Liedloff's chapter on The Beginning of Life -- the first experiences and feelings that a baby has when she's not in her mother's arms -- my gawd, how excruciatingly painful was that? I understand that she wants to ma More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 30, 2007

Xio rated it:

I recommend this though any insight into myself personally cannot be accurately gained without talking to me about it.

That said, Liedloff in her travels as a not anthropologist encountered and spent time with some tribal groups, noticed how the adults (and all) appeared to be smiling and calm and non-violent/appropriately aggressive etc.

She wonders why & proceeds to attend closely to the general/specific interactions between the older people with the younger or infant peo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 22, 2008

Adrienne rated it:

If you have a baby or are going to have a baby, I consider this mandatory reading. Actually, whether or not you're having a baby, I think this is a very interesting read. The way we become parents and raise babies in our culture is historically quite strange and I think we would do ourselves all some good if we took some of the principles of this book to heart. Here's a quote:

"It is no secret that the 'experts' have not discovered how to live satisfactorily, but the more they fa More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2011

Florbela rated it:

If you’re going to have a baby this is a must read. Mainly because it gives you a different perspective of how to bring up your child (the Yequana Indian tribe), quite different from our Western ways. But be aware, if you’re already a parent, this book might make cry or become a little depressed, specially the chapter The Beginning of Life. Fortunately, I was already in line with some ideas of this book.
I have, however, two main concerns regarding Ms. Liedloff’s ideas: 1. The book isn’t st More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 21, 2008

Lisa rated it:

Every parent/parent to be should read this book. Very insightful and compelling. I learned so much about why I am the way I am, and why other people are the way they are. I feel it has set me on a path towards healing, and I am relieved to know that I can help prevent my child from being a victim of our culture. The basic idea of the continuum concept is that there is a natural way that we are all meant to develop, though civilized life has torn us away from it. When an infant doesn't get what h More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 08, 2011

Michelle rated it:

This book was a very bad read. So bad it belongs in it's own 'so bad it's good' category - I laughed out loud at some bits. Here (in my opinion) is why:
1. The evidence presented for the book's main premise - that western traditions of raising children are damaging and a primary cause of drug abuse, homosexuality, social isolation and all manner of other societal evils - is hardly scientific. The author's singular observation of a south American tribe in the jungle suffices.
2. Dare you More...

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Jan 08, 2011

Shannon rated it:

I had high expectations for this book, as it is an oft-mentioned title in Attachment Parenting circles and has its own following as a parenting style in and of itself. (Continuum Concept parenting and Attachment Parenting are not the same thing, but there is some overlap.) Though the book does contain many intriguing ideas, I found myself overall quite disappointed.

The book, written in 1975 (with an introduction added in 1985), is based on the author's experiences spending extended t More...

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Sep 19, 2010

Tucker rated it:

The author's anecdotal description of the "noble savage" Yequana tribe is truly bizarre. After living with them, she reports that babies handle knives by the blade without slicing themselves. Children play at archery without any safety rules without suffering accidents--except for the one time a boy shot his brother in the stomach, but it was only a flesh wound--and they canoe alone without drowning. Parents never get frustrated by their screaming kids or worried about what their ki More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 16, 2010

Elisa rated it:

I was expecting much more from this book. While some interesting insights are offered about parenting across cultures, the author's hypotheses are hugely flawed. Backed by very little, if any, science, the author bases a "new" theory of child care to be used by Western parents on her observation of the Yequanna tribe in a South American jungle. She blames homosexuality, drug abuse, fussy babies, loneliness, isolation, lack of independence, and sadness of the Western world on our childr More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2010

Zoe rated it:

Once you read this book a lot of things about what we thought we knew about "human nature" become clear. It gives you hope for the species and it gives you something to do in regard to any mothers and infants you know right now.

I have heard vague stirrings about how babies should be kept in a sling, and have known that normal babies slept with the parents during most of human history but Liedloff spells out the rest of it so clearly and shows how this has affected our menta More...

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Jun 04, 2009

Jude rated it:

a friend of mine had a baby this year & recently reported her positive & amazed adventures with " elimination communication, or, 'tribal baby potty training'. It took me straight back to this wonderful book and reading it the year my child was born 29 years ago. I did not manage to honor or really incorporate much of what i read, mind you, but just knowing, just having a glimpse of how the communal vision of what a child is can radically change what that child can do stayed with me foreve More...

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Jun 13, 2009

Amelia rated it:

My first and strongest impression of this book was that I knew the author. Although she came from the generation before mine, I feel like I knew dozens of people like her, privileged, intelligent, half-educated and profoundly dissatisfied with their home culture. I felt that I was a bit like her, but less starry-eyed.

The author's central theory is that human evolution has primed us to expect certain experiences which are necessary to our fundamental sense of well-being. She argu More...

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Apr 26, 2009

Lisa rated it:

Ok, this is the ultimate attachment parenting book. It is sooo great!!!! Yeah, I skipped some of the parts that were wordy and explaining what Continuum actually means, but then it got really interesting learning about the other culture where the babies never cry and are always held... (in a jungle somewhere in South America I think). And I'm soooooooo glad I read this book, because I know that I can strive for this kind of ideal (it was especially helpful when I had newborn twins, and I wish More...

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Jan 15, 2011

Tricia rated it:

When people ask me about a book or a movie I often reply with a blank stare, left feeling like a deer in the headlights, and mumble how I have a difficult time articulating *a synopsis or review*. My reactions to things that touch me are wordless, they are overwhelming feelings and/or senses about whatever that thing was. Because of this I tend not to *review* things, in fear that I won't find the words to do my senses the least bit of justice. With that said, the reason I am giving this book a More...

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Dec 27, 2011

Arthur rated it:

Hmm. This book is hideously unscientific. Most of its claims are complete conjecture, based on the author's interpretation of her time with the Yequana people of Venezuela, and some of them are real doozies.

That said, I'd still recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in psychology, sociology, parenting, or oh, I don't know, the attainment of happiness. She makes a very compelling case that our societal "wisdom" about how children should be dealt with from infanc More...

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Jul 22, 2009

Eirene rated it:

This book was very interesting, and definitely worth reading if you have/are going to have a baby. Take the best and leave the rest. The author spent some years with a tribe of Brazilian natives, and makes all of her conclusions based on her observations there. She says that packing your baby around in a baby carrier, and co-sleeping, and basically keeping baby near you at all times, meets a psychological need that both mother and baby have to be close to each other; she says it eliminates post More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Aug 17, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this book. I read it because I hear it mentioned (and critiqued) so often that it was time I addressed the icon direct. I've only managed to get hold of the original 1975 edition rather than the newer edition with updates which would have been interesting.

The basic premise seems to be screwed-up (or at least 'not at ease with herself') privileged woman goes exploring in the Amazon and feels at home with the Yequana tribe who seem to have things sus More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Brooklyn rated it:

The writing style is a little arrogant, but the concepts in this book are so important for all new moms to read and consider.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 02, 2011

Kristi rated it:

When keeping in mind that the author is neither a parent or an anthropologist, this book gives an incredibly different, and much needed point of view on baby-rearing. A must-read by any parent, whether you agree 100% or not, everyone with an intent to raise a child should give this book a read in order to see another perspective. The insights in this book are invaluable when forging your own parental style, one that frees the mother to pursue her own needs while at the same time giving the bab More...

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Dec 23, 2011

Trace rated it:

Absolutely fascinating read...the kind of book that forces you to think about how the concepts mesh with your own beliefs. I found that I had to jumble very few of the puzzle pieces in my brain to make many of the beliefs introduced in this book, fit. I even found connections to a couple of my beliefs that were sort of fragmented (I knew that I believed a particular idea, but didn't know how it linked up with these other philosophies). So that's always an exciting moment when you can make a lin More...

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Sep 28, 2010

Stacy rated it:

3 stars seems a low rating for this book, but I can't say I REALLY liked it although I definitely liked the book. I wish that her more far-fetched theories had been edited out and that her more profitable ones were elaborated on. There is a mix of somewhat-rubbish along with bursts of dazzling insight.
A very important read for parents. Not so much a purely scientific look at human development but an honest expression of an experience the author had that makes a good point, allowing us to More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 17, 2010

Liz rated it:

Holy crap, this book could cause serious depression. There is absolutely no way to completely recreate what the author describes as the best way to help a baby turn into a happy adult. So read with a grain of salt. I really liked some of the methods (for lack of a better word) the author observed in South America. But it took a good week or two to get over the horror of some bits of her book. When you come to the sections that say words like "agony" or "skin crawling despair" More...

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Mar 15, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

It may not be 100% accurate from a psychological perspective or an anthropological one... but boy did this book really make me think and alter my view of reality. Changed a lot of how I thought about my childhood, and changed a lot about how I wanted to parent my children. It even has a lot to say about how we live in general (in the modern world) and why so many of us are unhappy without even realizing why that might be... a life altering book for those searching for a different way to engage More...

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Nov 16, 2010

Rachel rated it:

The premise and basic concept of this wonderful book can be life-changing in a very positive, long-term way. To summarise it crudely, the act of being held and physically carried around (by a parent, sibling and/or other carer) as a new born and growing baby can have an incredibly positive and essential influence on our consequential life experience. Conversely, if this stage of development is missed out or reduced (as it is with most of us born into so called 'modern civilization'), this has a More...

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Jul 17, 2008

Sue rated it:

This book is about the happy social lives of the Yequana, a Stone Age tribe in the Venezuelan jungle, and the importance of what the author calls "the in-arms" experience. "In-arms" means quite simply that a mother or care-giver carry a baby from the moment it is born until the baby learns to creep, crawl and otherwise seek independence from his mother. Liedloff's premise is that babies who are unconditionally and constantly held and who participate, albeit passively from t More...

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Apr 01, 2007

Oi Yin rated it:

Brings to light the age old nature versus nurture question once again. Liedloff discusses her experiences living among the Stone Age Indians in South America as a study of child rearing techniques. What she found was a culture of people where there were no conflicts at all, despite the anarchist nature of the society. There were no recognized leaders yet each member of the community put in his/her contribution with joy and cooperation. Even the children played/worked together in harmony with More...

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Jan 28, 2009

Kris rated it:

If I ever have kids, my mothering would be consistent with many of the ideas in this book. It seems like common sense to me that a newborn baby needs and expects to be held. It also makes total sense that it is not healthy for a child to always be made the center of attention by doting adults. I think anyone planning to have children should read this book. It's a worthwhile read for others as well because it gives some good points in explaining much of our adult insecurities.

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