The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer (2002)

by Harvey Karp

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Family & Relationships. Health & Fitness. Nonfiction. HTML: Perfect for expecting parents who want to provide a soothing home for the newest member of their family, The Happiest Baby on the Block, the national bestseller by respected pediatrician and child development expert Dr. Harvey Karp, is a revolutionary method for calming a crying infant and promoting healthy sleep from day one. 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.<… (more)

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So helpful for the first few months of parenthood! Our childbirth educator, Penny Simkin, told us about the 5 S's in class, but it's worth it to read the whole book. Dr. Karp's tone is friendly and non-judgmental. This is one I'd recommend to all new parents. (

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LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |

Yep. Parenting books are a thing I read now. There were a lot of things I want to try....but of course I feel this book (and frankly any self help/instructional book) should say.... Your child is uniquely them. Some things will work. Others will not....like Audrey does not like being swaddled.

Still, I read it cover to cover. Hence counting it ;) (

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msgabbythelibrarian | Jun 11, 2023 |

The soothing techniques described in this book are top notch. I have a not-quite-three month old, and we've been using these techniques since she was born. I read the book to see if I could pick up some more advanced tips than the ones I had gotten in a baby care class I had taken and from my husband's summary of the book. While there were one or two good tips, for the most part having had the summary version was enough.

That's why I'm only giving this book three stars. As a set of soothing tips, it's worth 5/5. As a book, it's somewhat repetitive and padded.

I've also heard that the DVD is better since you can see the techniques demonstrated and it has less repetition, so that may be worth considering if you're interested in learning the 5 S's for calming a fussy baby. (

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eri_kars | Jul 10, 2022 |

Dr. Karp writes like every pediatrician I've ever talked to... as if you were a child in his office, needing stories, having a hard time focusing, etc. And the information is good. I just had to chuckle at the delivery.

More studies and stats were needed. Also more information on post-4th trimester tips. And I didn't quite buy his explanation for reason babies are born early. Perhaps it's because women's hips got smaller. Perhaps it awakens certain biological instincts in mothers-- they are more likely to care for a helpless infant instead of the 3-month-old. But it was interesting. Nothing I hadn't heard, through one channel or another. And my baby never liked the swaddle. Her arms always had to be O.U.T. to their fullest extent. (

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OutOfTheBestBooks | Sep 24, 2021 |

Modern classic book on helping newborns to cry less.

The book is a classic because his methods work. I had been previously taught the 5 S method (swaddle, shush, side/stomach, swing/shake, suck) so those sections were not particularly helpful, but I did appreciate a number of asides on topics like ear infections and teeth coming in. I also appreciated the section on how the 5 S's apply to sleep, complete with recommendations for timelines for weaning. I took specific notes in the comments on my instance of the work.

N.B.: I'm not sure what the second edition adds beyond a lot of thinly-veiled advertising copy for a "smart sleeper" that "automatically adjusts to your baby's sleep needs" (the only one on the market appears to be sold by the same folks who wrote the book). If the chapter on sleep was added to sell that machine, the second edition is still worth seeking out because the chapter is worthwhile. But if the first edition also has that chapter, I'd recommending seeking out the first edition; the second edition's self-serving regular admonitions to consider such a machine sat very poorly with me. (

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pammab | Oct 9, 2019 |

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Family & Relationships. Health & Fitness. Nonfiction. HTML:

Perfect for expecting parents who want to provide a soothing home for the newest member of their family, The Happiest Baby on the Block, the national bestseller by respected pediatrician and child development expert Dr. Harvey Karp, is a revolutionary method for calming a crying infant and promoting healthy sleep from day one.

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.