Customer Reviews

Baby Maneuvers

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Now that I'm a parent with zero time, I read books to be informed AND to be entertained. If it's not too much to ask, I also want a little inspiration. In this book, Ericka Lutz provides all three. Face it, going anywhere with a kid, especially a little one, is totally scary until you get the hang of it. No, you may never take your babies around the world or even the block the way the author encourages you to... but, guarenteed, you'll get a strong sense of how to. Better yet, you'll want to. Best yet, you'll believe you can. For anybody tired of the same old magazine articles and non-fiction books with their dry old advice, I heartily suggest "Baby Maneuvers." I've given copies to at least three of my pregnant friends. Oh yeah... those with no sense of humor should probably avoid this one.

This book is SO funny and SO reassuring that it makes the PERFECT shower gift. It has so many tips for travel and general baby care, all in a package of humor and lovely self-deprecation. If you're smart and like to laugh, if you're afraid of becoming a parent for fear of mutating into a couch potato or not-so-happy homemaker, then I recommend this book. Yes, sisters and brothers, there IS hope!

Entertaining, witty is how I would describe the author. Writing from her own experiences, one can actually relate to her "adventures" with baby! I found it helpful for me, more for psychological reasons - I needed to compare notes and see if I was the only parent who felt so restricted all because of a baby. Now I know I'm not! One thing I must add though - it IS possible to travel light with baby! Creativity is the key!

This book is one of the top three parenting books I have ever read. Packed with great information, it is delivered with humor and honesty, making me want to grab my kids and husband and hit the road for a wild adventure. I can't wait to read Ericka's other books, if they even half as well written as this one I will be thrilled. Anyone even thinking of traveling with a kids must get this. AAA***

Is this book about getting out-and-about with baby? Or, is it about all the great music her Annie is being exposed to? And all the non-toxic cloth diapers that Annie wore? And that her sweet little baby butt never touched a baby swing? Moving about with baby is just a launching pad for the author's general opinions about raising a kid in general. (And, she only has one child, so she gets to over-think EVERY aspect of parenting...)

Were you the type of person who travelled the world with just your backpack and camped under the stars without a tent? It should be great fun to read how you'll be when you have kids. If you're planning a trip somewhere actually ON the beaten path, this "guide" is less useful.

Me, me, me, me ... oh, yes, and my daughter and husband, too. This should be in the autobiographical section. I tried; I really tried. But I could not get past the author's self-absorption. If you are exactly like her, you will be fascinated by this book.

What about families including more than one child?

What about families lacking an older and indulgent father / husband who can support these baby maneuvers?

What about children a little older than Annie?

What about people who wish to travel to places other than the specific examples provided?

Well, you get the idea.

Baby Maneuvers (BM) turns all those other BMs, like the messy one at 10,000 feet, into something not only manageable, but, and this is the great part, laughable. Thank you, thank you Ms. Lutz for BM. You've transformed the Nightmare of Logisticalparalysisinfantitum into a truly humourous Celebration of the Ingenuity of the Parent Spirit. Get thyself on the road! Review by Jim Higgins, Montpelier, VT. 50 years old with a 4 and 2 added on. (Both girls)

If you are going on a 'trek' of the Himalayans, or plan on hanging out in a youth hostel in Bulgaria, or maybe plan on living with a family in Indonesia and you want to bring your tyke along, this book is for you.

However, as most of us with children will be heading for destinations more sedate and too ordinary for Ms. Lutz, I recommend spending your money on another author and title.

Lutz speaks with a breezy authoritativeness, but her pronouncements are easy for any experienced mother to see through. Half of what she presents as amazing insight is actually obvious to anyone with a brain, and much of what she states as fact is actually not. Hers is the voice of someone who is four years into raising a child and thinks she has it all figured out. This would be a damaging book for a first-time, impressionable mother to read, and for someone with more child-raising experience, completely unnecessary.

With Ariel Gore's "The Hip Mama Survival Guide" running a close second, you can't buy a bettter baby book. There's dozens of books that will tell you how to strap the kid in a diaper, but only "Baby Maneuvers" reassures you that you will be able to leave the house once the little wiggler arrives - and you may even have fun doing it.

If you, like me, have no experience with babies, no friends with kids, and no siblings to learn from, this is an invaluable way to begin thinking about what kind of parent you want to be. I'm on my second reading of it already, and I can't wait for the baby to get here so we can pack him up and go somewhere! I can't recommend this book highly enough.