In perhaps the most important parenting book of the decade, Dr. Harvey Karp reveals an extraordinary treasure sought by parents for centuries --an ...
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May 09, 2008
Ryan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 13, 2010
Lara
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I have to read this book to be certified in the curriculum for my job with Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, and normally I wouldn't put this type of thing on a personal book list, but it's so great! Obviously I don't have children, but some day in the future when I do, I definitely want to use these techniques! It talks of the "5 S's to Stop a Crying Baby"- swaddle, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking! And I have the DVDs for the whole curriculum, which is amazing! The
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Jun 10, 2008
Lisa
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This book is an absolute parenting essential. In the future, I will purchase this book, along with a swaddler, for every friend/relative who has a new baby. It's the closest thing to magic I have encountered during my brief time as a parent!
We used the techniques in this book almost every day for the first 4 months of our child's life. We still swaddle our son now and he's almost six months old.
I wold strongly recommend reading it before you give birth - we actually used More...
We used the techniques in this book almost every day for the first 4 months of our child's life. We still swaddle our son now and he's almost six months old.
I wold strongly recommend reading it before you give birth - we actually used More...
Sep 28, 2008
Adam
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There's quite a bit of filler in this, I think it could have been about half the length or less, and the publisher was looking for an excuse to charge the full 12.95 or whatever a book costs nowadays. That said, THIS BOOK IS MAGICAL. As a new parent, I don't know what I would do without this book.
Swaddle, Side, Sway, Shhh, Suck. There be magic in them words, and while I'm up at 1am writing this review, my baby is quiet, if not asleep enough to lay down on her own. I'd be ripping More...
Swaddle, Side, Sway, Shhh, Suck. There be magic in them words, and while I'm up at 1am writing this review, my baby is quiet, if not asleep enough to lay down on her own. I'd be ripping More...
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Dec 11, 2008
Kim
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The basic points are good - and they work. But, the book is amazingly boring.
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Feb 11, 2012
Laura
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I wish I had gotten this book sooner. It was recommended to me by a friend with a 4 year old. I had great reservations about the efficacy of the techniques and frankly, put off reading it because I'm a Doubting Thomas.
My daughter is 8 weeks and has recently started fussing and resisting bedtime, leading to a 3-4 hour wailing battle with me almost every night. I was worried it was colic, or reflux, and dreaded considering putting her on GERD medicines.
I read this book last nig More...
My daughter is 8 weeks and has recently started fussing and resisting bedtime, leading to a 3-4 hour wailing battle with me almost every night. I was worried it was colic, or reflux, and dreaded considering putting her on GERD medicines.
I read this book last nig More...
Oct 28, 2011
Chrissy
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I have to say that in the beginning this book was a life saver. But once my body stopped producing milk for some unknown reason and we went on to formula she developed severe colic. The techniques did work to an extent and made life a little more manageable. However I do not agree with constantly holding a baby, as a result of continually holding a baby our daughter is now use to it and at 8 months of age while awake we can not set her down without her screaming bloody murder unless we are right
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Jul 27, 2011
Jasmin
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This book primarily deals with how to take care of a baby during the first three months of life. My husband recommended that I read this book before the other infant care books we have and I am glad that I did. We are expecting any day now (I was due two days ago) and I feel like this book has lifted away some of my worries about newborn care. Harvey Karp basically says that for the first three months of life, a newborn is still a fetus. This means the baby is not really in a position to be lear
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Jul 09, 2011
Corinne
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This is the perfect book if you baby has colic and/or is your first or second child. Useful information, but stuff I learned by accident along the way with all my babies!
Talks about the 5 S's for a happy baby (swing, swaddle, shush, suck, can't remember the last one) and refers to first three months of baby's life as the last trimester. (it is nice to put a name to it)
I am glad I don't have to feel guilty anymore about nursing my babies on demand, holding them a lot, and More...
Talks about the 5 S's for a happy baby (swing, swaddle, shush, suck, can't remember the last one) and refers to first three months of baby's life as the last trimester. (it is nice to put a name to it)
I am glad I don't have to feel guilty anymore about nursing my babies on demand, holding them a lot, and More...
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May 16, 2011
Kylene
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Well, I think boo to the apps on the phone. I had a very thorough review posted on here, and it got erased while I was using the Goodreads app on my Droid (I was putting baby to sleep and needed something to do while I was waiting to put her down).
But I digress... 4 stars to this book. Yes there is a lot of fluff, but it really helps you understand why baby is crying and why they need what the author is saying they need. I think this book is better read PRIOR to baby being born. I co More...
But I digress... 4 stars to this book. Yes there is a lot of fluff, but it really helps you understand why baby is crying and why they need what the author is saying they need. I think this book is better read PRIOR to baby being born. I co More...
Apr 28, 2011
Rachel
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Most people who read this book recommend that you skip the book and watch the dvd instead so I watched the dvd with my first child and skipped the book. Now I'm a doula and I'm reading the book a year after my second, very easy, child was born. I think both are fabulous! The dvd is a must for frazzled parents and all first timers. The book is a very good read for people who will be caring for mothers and children as a profession.
At first I was skeptical because the author kept sayin More...
At first I was skeptical because the author kept sayin More...
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Mar 23, 2011
Aban (Aby)
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This book saved my daughter and myself from going insane! My granddaughter was born in February and within days proved to be the most challenging of infants: she screamed for what felt like hours and hardly slept. We rarely ever saw the baby contented. Then a friend loaned my daughter this book (I swear there are angels on high looking after us!) and, thanks to what we learned from the book, the situation improved dramatically.
We learned from Harvey Karp, a doctor, that some babies are More...
We learned from Harvey Karp, a doctor, that some babies are More...
Mar 16, 2011
Brian
rated it:
Hopefully the techniques are more effective than the style
<ol>
<li>There's a lot of unnecessary fluff trying to convince you of the 'calming reflex' and the 'fourth trimester' idea. Skip the first 75 pages.</li>
<li>VERY repetitive (how many times must he remind us that "he had this type of stimulation 24 hours a day IN the womb, what you're doing now is a big decrease"?--apparently, this is written in the context of a society that is afraid of spoil More...
<ol>
<li>There's a lot of unnecessary fluff trying to convince you of the 'calming reflex' and the 'fourth trimester' idea. Skip the first 75 pages.</li>
<li>VERY repetitive (how many times must he remind us that "he had this type of stimulation 24 hours a day IN the womb, what you're doing now is a big decrease"?--apparently, this is written in the context of a society that is afraid of spoil More...
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Dec 07, 2010
Lauren
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Good information for the lay person about a newborn baby's sensory needs. As someone who works with kids with sensory processing disorders, I've seen the disregulation that can occur when a child's sensory needs are not being met. I've bought this book for friends of mine who are new mothers. I like how Karp teaches new parents exactly how to swaddle their babies.
The reason I only gave it 3 stars is that the book is extremeley repetitive and is written in fairly simplistic terms. I think m More...
The reason I only gave it 3 stars is that the book is extremeley repetitive and is written in fairly simplistic terms. I think m More...
Mar 02, 2010
Danielle
rated it:
I'd recommend getting the DVD instead of this book. It's just as repetitious, but it's much shorter to get through, and you don't miss anything from the book.
10,000 stars for the ideas contained within the book, 2 stars for presentation. The author is really repetitious with his ideas, so I ended up skimming most of it. However, the ideas work wonders for my baby!
The 5 S's were things that I naturally tried, either from instinct to comfort the baby or from experience More...
10,000 stars for the ideas contained within the book, 2 stars for presentation. The author is really repetitious with his ideas, so I ended up skimming most of it. However, the ideas work wonders for my baby!
The 5 S's were things that I naturally tried, either from instinct to comfort the baby or from experience More...
Oct 09, 2009
Kolby
rated it:
I found this book and the accompanying DVD useful in better understanding why my second and third children were so much more difficult to soothe than my first. It also helped me to not take it so personally! I like his concept of the "fourth trimester," that creating a womb-like environment helps the fussier baby transition into the world. Many of these tricks (the four s's) were ones I already knew or used in my own ways, but it was helpful to think of putting it all together for max
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Jul 26, 2009
Holyn
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I read this book during the last few weeks of my pregnancy and the first few weeks of Adeline's life. I recommend this as a must read to any future parent. I think it was really helpful in knowing how to keep Adeline calm - and might be one reason she was not terribly fussy during her first few months of life.
Dr. Karp takes what he believes are the 'myths' surrounding a colicky baby, explains their origins, and then debunks each myth. I thought it was marvelous. He then explains More...
Dr. Karp takes what he believes are the 'myths' surrounding a colicky baby, explains their origins, and then debunks each myth. I thought it was marvelous. He then explains More...
Jul 07, 2009
Lisa
rated it:
Let me preface my review by acknowledging that the tips and tricks described in this book will probably be of great use in calming my baby when I have a newborn. And, if this book were, say, a seven-page article in a magazine, I would rip it out, keep it for reference, and recommend it to friends.
The problem is that this is not a seven-page article. It is a 260-page book. 260 pages of fluff, filler, and drawings. 260 pages to essentially inform the reader that calming a newborn takes More...
The problem is that this is not a seven-page article. It is a 260-page book. 260 pages of fluff, filler, and drawings. 260 pages to essentially inform the reader that calming a newborn takes More...
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Jan 07, 2009
While I can't yet attest to the results this book claims, it seems like it has good suggestions for the first 3-4 months of your child's life. There is a LOT of repetition, and it could've been a much shorter book.
The author believes that babies are missing a fourth trimester in the womb and thinks the best way to calm a fussy baby is to recreate their experience in the womb. The main points are the 5 s's, which need to be done in order:
1. Swaddle- to stop your baby from flail More...
The author believes that babies are missing a fourth trimester in the womb and thinks the best way to calm a fussy baby is to recreate their experience in the womb. The main points are the 5 s's, which need to be done in order:
1. Swaddle- to stop your baby from flail More...
Dec 30, 2007
Amelia
rated it:
How can I say this?... If you want to never hear your baby cry for longer than 5 seconds and have them sleep through the night for their first three months, read this book and get the instructional DVD. I read it twice and perfected the technique before my baby boy was born and I seriously LOVED having a newborn and NEVER felt like I couldn't console him. It worked EVERY TIME. I really don't know how people do it without knowing this technique. It's a must for every mom.
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May 29, 2009
Carrie
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I saw this doctor on Oprah YEARS ago... I remember that the audience was full of QUIET, contented babies and I wondered if they were all sedated.
The premise is that human babies are born 3 months BEFORE they are really developed because of the size of their heads. Therefore, the fist 100 days of their life is virtually a "fourth trimester" in which the baby needs constant vigilance and caring.
He offers "cuddle cure"... 5 steps done in sequence to calm More...
The premise is that human babies are born 3 months BEFORE they are really developed because of the size of their heads. Therefore, the fist 100 days of their life is virtually a "fourth trimester" in which the baby needs constant vigilance and caring.
He offers "cuddle cure"... 5 steps done in sequence to calm More...
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Jul 07, 2011
Cindy
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We would have gone insane without this book. For four months, our baby was on the verge of crying, crying, or screaming nearly every minute she was awake. We felt totally alone and isolated, not to mention exhausted and hopeless.
Many critical reviews of this book are written by non-parents who have never needed the kind of support this book offers. I'm glad it was long. I'm glad it was simple. Each page gave me hope that our baby's behavior wasn't totally uncommon, even though More...
Many critical reviews of this book are written by non-parents who have never needed the kind of support this book offers. I'm glad it was long. I'm glad it was simple. Each page gave me hope that our baby's behavior wasn't totally uncommon, even though More...
Dec 30, 2011
Asho
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My sister is a NICU nurse and she bought this book for me as a Christmas present after some of her nursing friends recommended it. My baby hasn't been born yet so I haven't had a chance to use the 5 S's that Dr. Karp explains in the book. However, I am happy that I read this BEFORE the baby's birth so that when I'm inevitably freaking out during his first few weeks I'll have this list of soothing techniques to try. The theory that the baby needs a "fourth trimester" and that you can c
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Jun 13, 2011
Rebekah
rated it:
Pretty much what everyone else said. The writing is idiotic and the whole book could be summed up in a page (as one reviewer mentioned, pages 95-99 tell you everything you need to know). But, the one page worth of stuff is pretty miraculous. Once our daughter sort of "woke up" from the daze of the first few weeks and realized how difficult and weird and uncomfortable her new world was, she had a few days of being really unhappy and frustrated. She would cry and fuss and the most we
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Apr 17, 2009
Annette
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In the last couple of years, I have read - or at least tried to read - more "self-help" type books than probably the rest of my life combined. I am noticing a common problem: the author has a good or even great idea, piece of advice, research, or insight into the human condition. This idea can be adequately communicated in, say, 5 or 10 pages. But, the author would like to make some money off this idea, and therefore goes shopping for a book deal. The publishers would like to sell
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Jun 03, 2011
Elizabeth
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I didn't think I would like this book at first. However, after sleepless nights and a crying baby who only stopped when held, I decided I should look into it (from a suggestion of a friend). I think a lot of his fussiness had to do with the fact that he was six weeks early, so he REALLY needed that fourth "trimester". I now have a baby who sleeps through until feeding times and doesn't mind being put down because he's all swaddled up! It has given my husband and myself a little bit
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Jan 17, 2009
Laurel
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I thought this was a good book and I especially thought it would be helpful for parents of a colicky baby, although, so far I haven't had one.
However, there we some things I didn't like about it. I thought that the author was wrong in saying that soothing a baby is not a natural or instinctual thing. I think all of the 5 S's come very naturally to parents if they are trusting their instincts, but a lot of parents are too afraid to trust themselves. I did all of those things with More...
However, there we some things I didn't like about it. I thought that the author was wrong in saying that soothing a baby is not a natural or instinctual thing. I think all of the 5 S's come very naturally to parents if they are trusting their instincts, but a lot of parents are too afraid to trust themselves. I did all of those things with More...
Nov 16, 2011
Lena
rated it: 
As far as I could tell, the information in this book could be condensed to a single page (the 5S's is about it). In fairness I didn't actually manage to finish it given how redundant it got.
When I first read of this "method" I thought it all sounded kind of obvious. Now that I've tried it out with my own baby, I'm still not impressed. A large fraction is plain common sense (or maybe it seemed so because I had my mom around to help with baby so that I could observe someone w More...
When I first read of this "method" I thought it all sounded kind of obvious. Now that I've tried it out with my own baby, I'm still not impressed. A large fraction is plain common sense (or maybe it seemed so because I had my mom around to help with baby so that I could observe someone w More...
Jul 28, 2011
Katie
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I think this was a valuable read. While I have yet to practice it (due date 09-11), I'm hoping this prep reading will prove beneficial should I have a colicky baby. The author leans more heavily toward the attachment parenting side of the argument, but certainly isn't extreme enough for me to discount his "5 S's." And I appreciate how he emphasizes historical and cultural ways to soothe fussy babies, recognizing that a lot of the parenting ideas we cling to in our society is only a
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Dec 06, 2010
Kelly
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I read this book almost six years ago during nursing sessions with my newborn...sometimes at 2 in the morning. Since then I have bought copies for all the new moms in my life. It is an absolute must-read for new moms!
My husband's parents would cringe whenever they saw us wrap our daughter in swaddling blankets, but we knew it was what she needed and it worked every time. We would wrap her up every night and within minutes she would turn her head to the side and nod off. That (along wi More...
My husband's parents would cringe whenever they saw us wrap our daughter in swaddling blankets, but we knew it was what she needed and it worked every time. We would wrap her up every night and within minutes she would turn her head to the side and nod off. That (along wi More...
