The Happiest Baby on the Block

This book made the single biggest difference for my family during my son's first few months of life. I've seen it make a huge difference for many other families, too, across a broad spectrum of baby and parent temperaments. My son's first few weeks were an incredibly wonderful, but utterly exhausting, time. While I had flipped through this book several times before, it was only when I really read it closely and internalized the advice that things got better. The advice allowed both my husband and I to soothe our son, and it provided the first real sleep we were all able to get after our baby was born. I recommend it very highly. If you can borrow or rent the DVD, The Happiest Baby on the Block - The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer (DVD) , I advise you watch that as well -- but it's probably not worth the 20 bucks if you're on a budget. We got the DVD on Netflix. Before my son was born, I heard that the book is full of obvious advice -- a repackaging of stuff that most people already know. Not so, in our case. Within hours after my son was born, he needed to be soothed, and my husband and I found ourselves imitating the "shushing" we'd seen on the Karp DVD because we truly had no clue other than that. But we didn't have much faith in Dr. Karp at that point. In the book and especially in the DVD, the author seems to spend so much time "selling" the legitimacy and originality of his method that my husband and I were both instinctively distrustful. In my son's first few weeks, we were pretty sure he didn't want to be swaddled, and we had no inclination to follow Dr. Karp's five steps in order and in combination. But my son was a very troubled sleeper, and at some point in the weeks after he was born, I returned to this book and read it very closely, a couple of times over. We tried the five steps and they really helped -- my husband and I joked that we were "Karping" our son. We fell in love with the Miracle Blanket - Baby Swaddling Blanket - Blue , the Graco Lovin' Hug Swing, Barcelona Bluegrass , and the Wubbanub Pacifier - Yellow Duck . As we more fully embraced the ideas in this book, we were able to get our son to stop crying and sleep in a swing, which gave us a leg to stand on in getting him to soothe himself independently and eventually sleep in his crib. I also really came to appreciate the tone of this book. Before my son was born, I thought it was a little too cutesy for me. But as an exhausted, worried, delirious, first-time mother, Dr. Karp was my best friend. He struck just the right tone: Comforting, reassuring and informative, striking the right balance between giving me advice and telling me to trust my terrific instincts. Even after I had his advice memorized, I found myself turning back to the book, because it was such a comfort. I highly recommend this to all parents. For parents of new babies, this is a no-brainer purchase. I even recommend this, though, to parents of older babies (maybe up to 4-9 months of age) with sleep troubles. We ended up using many of the Karp soothers for longer than the first few months -- we let our son drive the pace, and let him let go of the five steps as he was ready. My son is now one year old and a great sleeper. Baby sleep decisions are extremely personal, but in my opinion, my son just needed extra help sleeping until he was old enough to soothe himself. This book gave me the tools I needed to help my son, and empowered me to make decisions based on my own observations about my baby.

I was a bit skeptical regarding this book; so many people raved about it and many people bashed it as "simplistic" Well, I agree with the former. First, it was a very entertaining read. Dr. Karp did his best to make the book a very easy, fun read, chock-full of interesting and very useful information! Yes, you may have heard about swaddling and making the "shhhh" noise to calm the baby, however the depth in which Dr. Karp describes each of these helpful techniques is truly astounding--and it's not boring! In fact, I wanted to read more and more! I even liked the somewhat "cheesy" cartoons and all of the testemonials, which fit with the content very well. Speaking about the content--I am a new Mom and although I have heard about all of these techniques in passing, Dr. Karp truly put all of them in perspective. I have tried each of them on my "average temperament" baby, even during crying fits and they all work as Dr. Karp claims! Sometimes, the simplest techniques work! I know so many parents that like to give their children medication for reflux, colic, excessive crying etc. I prefer to go the natural route first, and if that doesn't work, I'll explore other options. I believe that this approach is healthier for all, especially small infants. Dr. Karp fully agrees, and encourages parents to try all of these techniques first, before going the medical route. I have tried everthing that Dr. Karp outlined in his book, and as a result, my daughter is happier and healthier! I found the book to be fun and informative. I feel that I have learned a lot about parenting and soothing from this publication. I would love to meet Dr. Karp in order to experience this man, whom I believe to be kind and very intelligent. True, the suggestions in the book are simplistic and there are no clear scientific data, however, any distraught parent will tell you, this works! Of course, it takes longer on the parent's part to engage in all of these techniques, which some will find discouraging; I am a very impatient person, and if I can do these, I believe most can! When it comes to my daughter, I believe in no short-cuts and in doing everything right the first time around. Dr. Karp's book is very positive and encouraging and I feel that I am a better parent from having read it. Highly recommended.

Now that my little fussy one is 2+ months, I think I can safely review a book which addresses how to handle a baby's crying during the first 3 months. Dr. Karp's advice is solid and, without a doubt, helpful. Was it as helpful as I'd thought it would be when I read it at 8 months pregnant? Absolutely not. But isn't that the case with any parenting book read before actually becoming a parent? Reading it when I did, however, helped to ease some of my anxiety as I tried to mentally prepare for the possibility of a colicky newborn. And you *will* be able to add at least some of the ideas found here to your ever-expanding, ever-changing "bag of tricks." I especially appreciated the thorough explanations on *how* to implement the "5 Ss" (swaddling, swinging, shushing, side/stomach position, sucking). These tequniques are not new -in fact, they are rather intuituve- and you will probably find them in almost any other baby book -- but not in this kind of depth. More importantly, the author unites these tequniques under a common rationale. And his thesis makes sense. Why wouldn't a new baby be comforted by the experiences he/she experienced in the womb? My baby loved white noise during his first several weeks (he still likes it). Swaddling has been a gift. I can't say enough good things about the pacifier, and our cradle swing has been a god-send. That said, I'm sure a lot of this reflects my own parenting style and preferences. Also, I have struggled with one of the Dr.'s main points: the importance of what he calls "vigor". For my baby, increasing the intensity of my jiggling, swinging, shushing -whatever- in porportion to the intensity of his crying was often counter-productive. He seemed to prefer my husband's gentler approach. Also, you could drive youself crazy trying to combine all the "S"s in just the right way and with exactly the right intensity (which the author insists you must do for truly fussy babies). In my experience, there simply is no one single "cuddle cure". What's helping today may not quite be "what the doctor ordered" tomorrow -heck, may not even be working five minutes from now. At which point, you will draw from your little "bag of tricks" or from your own timid but growing parental intuition and try something else. You try to learn to "read" your child. You begin to realize it will be a life-long endeavor but probably the most important endeavor you will ever undertake as a parent. Reading this book, on the other hand, will only take a few enjoyable sittings (it is -at the very least- an interesting read) and will give you some good ideas and facts to get started with.

I feel that this review by Carrie on another website is by far the best review and insite to what this book has to offer. Please read as you will have the best understanding of what will get out of this book. We highly recommend it as this book was indeed a game changer with out little ones and being happy in our family. Happy wife happy life… Happy baby happy mother happy wife happy life!!! “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 a baby and simulate life in the womb: Swaddling (firmly), Side/Stomach, Ssshhhing, Swaying, Sucking. They are combined and should match the VIGOR of any crying to immediately pacify the baby. Actually... this all made sense to me and most importantly.... IT WORKS! Author: Harvey Karp Publisher: Bantam Dell Copyright: 2002 Genre: Parenting/Childcare Pages: 260 Date Read- 5/21/09 to 5/26/09 p.100 The FASTEST way to succeed in stopping your baby's cycle of crying is to MEET THEIR LEVEL OF INTENSITY. Only after your screaming baby pauses for a few moments can you gradually slow your motion, soften your shushing and guide them from frenzy to soft landing. The best colic-calmers say that soothing an infant is like dancing with them in the lead. These talented people pay close attention to the vigor of ther 5 "S's" p.125 1st S- Swaddling This TURNS on the calming effect by stopping the Moro reflex (hand jerking/flailing) that helps them to pay attention to the other S's. 2nd S-Side/Stomach Lay your child on their side or place them in your arms on their stomach. This prevents them from feeling that they are falling. 3rd S- Shhhh You have to do it as LOUD AS YOUR BABIES CRY and close to their ear. It stimulates the sound of the womb. It can be replaced by white noise. 4th S- Sway Support your babies head and neck and wiggle their HEAD with fast, tiny movements (like you are shivering). Once they are entranced, you can move to a slower swinging motion. 5th S- Sucking This works best after the other S's have calmed. A finger or pacifier work and can be eliminated after the 3rd month. p.195 Baby Massage. In a 1986 study by Tiffany Field, massaged babies gained 47% more then babes who did not have the same touch. The same babies had higher IQ's a year later. 1. Prepare for pleasure. Warm the room, dim the lights, play soft music. 2. Bring Yourself to the moment. Sit comfortably, take 5 slow deep breaths and allow yourself to be present for the experience. Its an exchange of love in one fleeting, tender moment of time. 3. Speak to your baby with your hands. Always try to keep one hand in contact with the skin and talk to them about what you are doing and what your hopes are for their life, or sing a lullaby. Let your massage strokes move in synchronicity with your calm breathing. 4. Reward your babies tummy. Bicycle their legs then firmly push both knees to their belly and hld them there for 20 seconds. Massage the tummy in firm, clockwise, circular strokes - starting at their right lower belly, up and across the top of their tummy and ending at their left lower side (this traces their colon and intestines) 5. Follow you baby's signals. p.245 Top 10 survival Tips for Parents of New Babies 1. Trust Yourself. You are the Latest in the Unbroken Chain of the World's Top Parents. 2. Lower Your Expectations. 3. Accept All the Help You Can Get 4. Get Your Priorities Straight: Should You take a break or do the dishes? 5. Be Flexible. It is better to bend than snap. 6. Know Thyself. Share how you are feeling. 7. Don't Rock the Cradle to Hard. Know when to take a break. 8. Keep Your Sense of Humor Handy 9. Take Care of Your Spouse 10. Don't Ignore Depression.” Review by Carrie

This book helped me so much with my extremely fussy baby!

As I’ve gotten closer and closer to baby time, there’s one resource that keeps getting mentioned by parents I trust and respect: The Happiest Baby on the Block. The title is cheesy and, frankly, so is the presentation of information . . . but many young parents I know swear by its practices. The gist of author/pediatrician Harvey Karp’s theory is this: human babies are born too soon (thanks to their stupidly large heads). In contrast to other mammals, like ponies and fawns and lambs, that pop out ready to walk in mere minutes, human babies can’t even hold their own heads up. For the first several months, babies are kind of miserable and don’t know how to manage in the outside world. They’re used to the warmth and security of the womb . . . and they want it back! The solution, according to Karp? Provide your baby a “fourth trimester.” The hours of uncontrollable (and inconsolable) crying? The “Witching Hour”? Colic? They can all be handled with adherence to the “Cuddle Cure,” which turns on a baby’s calming reflex by creating a womblike atmosphere. The comforts of the uterus can be simulated, Karp believes, with a combination of “The 5 S’s”: -- Swaddling (wrapping your baby up tightly, so she can’t flail); -- Side/Stomach position (holding her on her side or stomach, so she feels more secure—babies sometimes experience a falling reflex when held on their backs); -- Shhhhing (loud “shhhhh”ing that imitates the bodily noises—like the rush of blood through veins—that babies heard constantly while in utero); -- Swinging (“rhythmic, monotonous, jiggling movement”); and -- Sucking (on a breast, bottle, finger, or pacifier). The above synopsis is really all there is to making your baby the happiest baby on the block. . . which begs the question: WHY is this book over 250 pages long?! The book aims at being easy to digest. It has cartoons, it has lists, it has anecdotes, it has charts (some, like the chart comparing the abilities of four-day-old versus four-month-old babies is pretty interesting). Each chapter begins with a “Main Points” section with a bulleted overview. All of these features contribute to the book’s length (there is filler galore among those 250 pages). But what it also has a lot of are two very annoying things: 1) repetition and 2) unnecessary information. This book is huge on burying the lead. Part One of the book is called “Look Who’s Squawking: Why Babies Cry—And Why Some Cry So Much” (yes, this cutesy/conversational/annoying tone is, unfortunately, typical of the book), and it is largely useless. There are chapters like “Crying: Our Babies’ Ancient Survival Tool” and “The Top Five Theories of Colic and Why They Aren’t Right” that I should have just skipped. If I already had an inconsolable newborn, I would never have gotten to the heart of the book; I would have abandoned it during the boring, useless, repetitious filler of Part One. Beginning with Chapter 8 (page 105), Karp finally begins to go into detail about each of the “5 S’s,” providing one chapter for each “S.” There are helpful step-by-step drawings of how to swaddle your baby. There is a list of the top ten ways to use motion to calm your fussy baby. There are helpful pointers on pacifier use. All of the specific information on the “5 S’s” is presented in a digestible, easily skimmable manner (lists, call-out boxes, charts, drawings, etc.). These chapters are a great resource—they are what I will return to when my little one arrives. But you shouldn’t have to wade through 100 pages to get to them. Appendix A, “Red Flags and Red Alerts: When You Should Call the Doctor,” is also a helpful resource for first-time moms and dads. It tells you the ten symptoms that your doctor will look for to determine whether your baby’s crying is a sign of something more serious. It’s good information to know. Bottom line: There’s a lot of nonessential filler included in the book. But, if you are willing to skip/skim through that, the book is worth it for the helpful info and pointers it also contains. Word to the wise: If you're already in the throes of parenthood, I've heard the DVD is the way to go--much quicker, more to the point.

This book was recommended to us before the birth of our first child by our friend - and since the birth of our son, my husband had called that friend several times to thank her for recommending it! The book itself has 2 parts. The first part describes how our culture is different than others in the phylosophy of baby care, and how "colic" is a misnomer...i thought this part of the book was kind of long, especially if you have a screaming newborn at home and you are trying to get to the good stuff. i would say, if you got this book before giving birth, definitely read the first part, otherwise, skip to the part number 2, the meat of the theory. The second part of the book in detail describes the 5S's of baby soothing. I must say that the technique works impecably. you may not get it on the first try, but do persevere, and the benefits are plentiful. While our son was never particularly colicy, the several particularly horrific screaming episodes he did have could only be terminated only by using techniques described in the book. In addition, we used the 5S's to establish his sleeping routine. My son originally used to struggle somewhat against the swaddling, but after a couple of weeks, he started to want to be swaddled. How do we know this? Well, if he is tired and cranky because he's just not having a good day and unable to settle himself to sleep, as soon as you lay him down to be swaddled, he relaxes and smiles, and is able to fall asleep in no time. My son is now almost 4 months old. He still sleeps much better and longer if he is swaddled. We haven't had to rock/sush/jiggle him for over a month and a half now - just swaddling does the trick (i mention this because in the beginning i really worried that we'd be rocking him and jiggling him until he is 5 years old!). Couple of notes about the swaddling: i could never find a blanket large enough to swaddle my son. He was too large for the receiving blankets since birth. I bought a twin-sized sheet and cut it to make a large square - we've been using this to swaddle him since very successfully. In addition, there is a product you can buy in baby stores called the "swaddler" - we haven't had much luck with this. it's good to swaddle the baby in this for maybe a quick nap, but he wiggles out of it quite quickly, so it's useless for the night's sleep. In summary - great book, a must-have for new parents who want some sanity to remain in their lives. when pressed for time, read part 2 only.

I bought this book back when I was pregnant. I was simply so scared that having a baby means not sleeping at all because that was what everyone around me were telling me. It turned out not to be entirely true and my baby was easy to calm and definitely not the worst sleeper. I was still happy I bought this book for these reasons: - It explains the nature of a newborn and why all new parents should take it calmly, even when their child cries for an extended period without a good reason. It is good to help setting the right expectations, e.g. that a newborn cannot sleep through the night (at least the majority cannot), that they need to be held and comforted and often need quite some time to learn to sooth themselves etc. - It describes the techniques, how to calm and sooth a baby, which are natural and easy. By natural I mean something every parent instinctively feel, but often are advised on doing differently - here I mean the famous cry-it-out method. The techniques described in this book will not be painful to introduce and will not be hard to follow. - The combination of techniques described really work. While my baby turned out to be pretty calm, she had her fussy days from time to time. The book gave me confidence and told me what to do in these occasions. At the same time, there are some things I did not like about this book: - It contains many "personal testimonies", which were completely unnecessary and only made the book longer. Longer book= longer time to read it, and time is not exactly something one has too much of, especially having a newborn. These testimonies seem to be some kind of American thing and maybe it works for some, but I was looking for scientifically proven facts, not what happened to Amanda or Sally and their newborns. - It is only useful until baby is about 3 months old. I expected to see some techniques that would work for 6 or 9 month olds. Well, I guess this strategy helps to sell more books... To sum up, I was happy I bought this book even though my daughter was a relatively calm baby. I would definitely recommend it to anybody who is expecting a child.

Questo libro offre una serie di metodi pratici per calmare il nenonato durante i primi 6 mesi, specialmente durante le famose coliche. Attraverso il metodo delle 5s, Dr Harvey spiega come mettere in pratica una serie di accorgimenti pratici, che si fondano sull'osservazione della sapienza materna nella diverse culture, sulla psicologia e la fisiologia che caratterizza il neonato nei primi mesi di vita. Dr. Harvey e' molto competente suo nel campo, conisglio vivamente di guardare il video del suo metodo 5s (su Youtube) per rendersi conto della sua genialita' con neonati e bambini - davvero impressionante! Una lettura veramente da consigliare a tutti i genitori per migliorare la qualita' del sonno dopo la nascita dei pargoli!

El nacimiento de tu primer hijo conlleva un montón de cambios en tu vida pero, para nosotros, uno de los más importantes fue la pérdida de control. Ahí está ese nuevo ser, carne de tu carne, dulzura de las dulzuras, que en ocasiones llora a moco tendido sin que tengas la más remota idea de qué narices le puede pasar. No es pañal. No es hambre. Tampoco duerme. No tiene fiebre. ¿Qué narices está pasando? Cada vez que oigo que alguien está esperando un bebé le regalo o le recomiendo este libro. Y sé que estoy regalando un poquito de cordura y tranquilidad que vendrá muy bien en un momento en el que todo se complica. Porque tu primera obligación con tu bebé es amarle con locura, y cuidarle y alimentarle y que esté sano... Y con este libro consigues, además, que tanto el bebé como sus progenitores vivan un poco mejor. En serio. Es una magnífica inversión.

I can not thank this book any less.. It saved our lives.. As it was our first child we were worried for the sleepless nights and all the struggles new parents go through.. It actually made our baby happiest baby on the block.. She is very calm pleasant and happy.. Touchwood

This is an upbeat book that will empower you in getting you through the first weeks of parenthood. Karp's cheery style is annoying, and the book is shamelessly padded to get it up to the desired number of pages, but if you can skim through, you'll get the main ideas quickly. It doesn't make sense to read the book after the first three months of parenthood.

Our first child suffered terribly from colic in the early weeks and it was exhausting, distressing and frustrating. My wife saw Harvey Karp demonstrate his techniques on TV and bought this prior to the arrival of our second baby. It should be called `The Happiest Newborn Baby on the Block', because it does only apply to the first twelve weeks. Experts agree that human babies are born after nine months because that is as long as they can go without risking the big human brain getting stuck in the pelvis on delivery. Harvey Karp's central idea is that, because of this, we need to create a "fourth trimester" outside the womb to comfort our babies until they are finally `ready to be born' at birth plus three months (what he charmingly describes as 'womb service'). Karp's own research led him to identify what he calls `The Calming Reflex' in unborn babies. It is a certain combination of sensations that instantly calms a baby and prevents it from harming itself (or the mother) inside the womb by getting caught in the umbilical cord or flailing limbs about in distress. Karp's 5S technique recreates these sensations, causing the Calming Reflex to kick in and soothe a screaming, colicky baby. His theory is further backed up by anecdotes from several `primitive' cultures that don't experience colic in their babies because they don't adhere to modern western parenting techniques. The ideas stacked up for me in theory and they certainly work like magic in practice. By systematically doing Swaddle, Side, Shhh, Swinging and Sucking I can calm our baby, when he's in full blown convulsing, screaming colic mode in about 15-30 seconds. As Karp predicted, it took a couple of minutes initially, but, as our son has got used to the routine, a kind of Pavolvian response means it now works virtually instantly. For Dads especially, Karp's techniques are great. They require "vigour", which he recognises Dads tend to be able to do more confidently than Mums (eg: Shhh-ing loudly like the most irritated librarian rather than like a Grandmother). As a committed follower of Gina Ford's `Contented Little Baby' routines (which worked brilliantly for us first time and second time), I really liked how this book complemented Gina Ford's approach and encouraged me to cuddle and soothe my son to sleep, rather than let him settle himself in his cot. Harvey Karp's book is simple advice, based on thousands of years of child-rearing folklore that works wonders.