Editorial Review:

In perhaps the most important parenting book of the decade, Dr. Harvey Karp reveals an extraordinary treasure sought by parents for centuries --an automatic "off-switch" for their baby's crying.
No wonder pediatricians across the country are praising him and thousands of Los Angeles parents, from working moms to superstars like Madonna and Pierce Brosnan, have turned to him to learn the secrets for making babies happy.
Never again will parents have to stand by helpless and frazzled while their poor baby cries and cries. Dr. Karp has found there IS a remedy for colic. "I share with parents techniques known only to the most gifted baby soothers throughout history ...and I explain exactly how they work."
In a innovative and thought-provoking reevaluation of early infancy, Dr. Karp blends modern science and ancient wisdom to prove that newborns are not fully ready for the world when they are born. Through his research and experience, he has developed four basic principles that are crucial for understanding babies as well as improving their sleep and soothing their senses:
·The Missing Fourth Trimester: as odd as it may sound, one of the main reasons babies cry is because they are born three months too soon.
·The Calming Reflex: the automatic reset switch to stop crying of any baby in the first few months of life.
·The 5 "S's": the simple steps (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking) that trigger the calming reflex. For centuries, parents have tried these methods only to fail because, as with a knee reflex, the calming reflex only works when it is triggered in precisely the right way. Unlike other books that merely list these techniques Dr. Karp teaches parents exactly how to do them, to guide cranky infants to calm and easy babies to serenity in minutes...and help them sleep longer too.
·The Cuddle Cure: the perfect mix the 5 "S's" that can soothe even the most colicky of infants.
In the book, Dr. Karp also explains:
What is colic?
Why do most babies get much more upset in the evening?
How can a parent calm a baby--in mere minutes?
Can babies be spoiled?
When should a parent of a crying baby call the doctor?
How can a parent get their baby to sleep a few hours longer?
Even the most loving moms and dads sometimes feel pushed to the breaking point by their infant's persistent cries. Coming to the rescue, however, Dr. Karp places in the hands of parents, grandparents, and all childcare givers the tools they need to be able to calm their babies almost as easily as...turning off a light.
From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Very loving method of helping newborns adjust to the world:

The program Dr. Karp presents in this book was a lifesaver during the first three months of my daughter's life. We didn't follow his plan down to the letter (and Dr. Karp says it is adaptable for each baby's needs) because my daughter hated having her arms swaddled in, so we swaddled her arms-out and it worked like a charm. She started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks, and the four "S's" worked incredibly well when she needed help calming down. I really appreciated the fact that this plan helped us... more info

Great Resource:

This book has been great so far. Just brought our daughter home and have already started to put things into practice. Thanks for the practical advice!

Excellent book to help parents with crying & colic:

This book is excellent. Dr Karp not only teaches you the techniques to help your infant cry less and be happier, but he also explains the theory & why it works. In addition, he goes into other theories of colic, and explanations about them. As a pediatrician, I found this fascinating and very useful. I highly recomend this book to toher parents and especially other health professionals. My mother, a pediatric rheumatologist, has worked with Dr Karp since he was a resident, and has seen his theories work... more info

Five Basics:

The second half of this book has really practical, proven-by-experience advice (five basic strategies for keeping a baby peaceful) for anyone with a newborn baby. The first half, on the other hand, is almost laughable. My recommendation to my daughter was to soak up part two of the book and ignore the first half in the interest of saving time.

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