Customer Reviews

The Fussy Baby: How to Bring Out the Best in Your High-Need Child (Signet)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Even though my child was past six months by the time I had the energy to read this book, it validated the various strategies that I had attempted in order to have some relief from the screaming. My child screamed 95% of the time when we first brought her home and slept less than 8 hours a day. Many of these strategies provided me with at least temporary relief. Therefore I highly recommend the book, especially for the chapter on creative ways to soothe a fussy baby. Also, validation of the feelings of shared by parents of similar babies helps one feel understood at a time when perfect strangers constantly offer useless advice. The chapter on hidden causes of fussiness in infants is one that is still of interest to me as we as parents continue our search for answers to our struggle. I read other reviews that were not as complementary, however as a parent of one of the most difficult children that I have ever met (professionally, I deal with parents and children) this book was especially helpful to me in looking at our struggle from many different angles and feel encouraged that we will survive. Some are opposed to the idea of the "family bed" however if a child is truly difficult, parents are willing to try "ANYTHING". The "ANYTHING" is what I believe the Sears have willing explored and shared. The only thing that would have been better for me was if this book would have been on videotape or audiotape so that my arms would not have been free to consume the information contained.

I found this book very useful - as the mother of a very fussy baby (now a very high need 2 and a half year old) I was at wit's end trying to figure out how to calm my baby and why she just didn't sleep like my friends' babies. The book reinforced the fact that my daughter was born very sensitive and I would have to work on bonding with her, creating security and consistency in her environment, and most of all to understand her and myself.

My daughter was colicky for about 4-5 months. I was really glad to have found this book when she was 4 months old. (Wish I had read this when she was a newborn.) I almost cried when I read it. All those months I had struggled with this screaming little baby and wondered if I was doing the right thing. Other people told me I was spoiling my baby and I should change the way I was dealing with her crying, but I couldn't bear to let her suffer alone in her crib.

This book is very supportive for parents who want to nurture and calm their fussy, colicky babies. I thought that the Sears' provided nice tips for handling baby and I also found there advice on breastfeeding helpful.

My baby is now 10 months. She is trusting, good humored, smiley, and very sociable. I feel like all my hard work has paid off. I don't think that I would have been able to do it without this book.

As first-time parents we were overwhelmed -- even the nurses in the hospital called our baby 'a barracuda'! The advice given to us frequently made things worse. If your child is considered colicy, fussy, spirited, or high-need then this is the book for you. "The Fussy Baby" is written by an experienced pediatrician and father. Reading and applying it's suggestions will bring solace, solutions and sanity into your home. Real-life stories of parents and their high-need children will give the encouragement that you're not alone. By the end of the book, you will understand your child in a new way. You'll also learn to enjoy the stimulating life you experience with your wonderful child

I am a new mother of now a 3 month old daughter. From the beginning people would always remark how alert she was being that she is so young. Ava was a very restless sleeper, so I started to sleep with her on my stomach. Now she sleeps 8-9 hours a night. Everyone tells me that I am spoiling her and that is why she always needs to be held and I should put her in her crib to sleep. YOu start to doubt what is best for your child. This book really helped to reassure that I am doing what I FEEL is best for my daughter. Never doubt your instincts is a good message this book delievers. I suggest this book to anyone, regardless if they have a high needs baby or not!

This book gave me comfort that there are other babies out there like mine (because none of my friends' or neighbors' babies are) and that there is nothing wrong with my baby or with me. It also confirmed what I figured was just common sense - follow your instincts and pay attention to your baby's cues. It's been a long road but now we're at 5 1/2 months and her temperament is dramatically improved. No plan or program can substitute for unconditional love. I recommend this book as a source of support to the minority of us who are blessed with high-need babies. We need all the support we can get!

In all honesty, I have not yet finished this book due to my very fussy baby. But I have made it about half way and wow, it makes me want to cry to know that it is not just my mothering - I have a high need baby and unlike what everyone has been telling me; I have been doing everything right. It is wonderful to hear these things, unlike the normal advice of "you know, you just need to make her cry it out" that makes me want to slap the person in the face! This book makes parents of fussy babies feel ok about themselves again. A must read if you have a fussy baby and need to read something positive about them!

don't miss the valuable ideas from the author. if you like to understand your baby, get some support for the efforts you do in your mother - fatherhoood! get some new and fresh air to continue giving your child the best of what you have! go ahead with this book. and if you could do something recommend the translation to spanish. i would love to have this valuable book in spanish too!!!

This book helped me more than anything which made me a better mom to my high needs baby. I was hearing all the same things from family that he was so needy because I was spoiling him and I was really doubting myself. This book turned it all around. I bought it when I was at witts end due to lack of sleep and excessive crying. Within a month, I started getting compliments on my son's wonderful personality and what a change everyone was noticing.

The Sears' do not have any rocket science in their book. They have great wonderful common sense type of items that we sometimes need to hear when we are unsure if anything will work. They also have parenting systems. Every part of the book was not for me but the parts I chose to implement helped me love my son and give him what he needed.

He is now a smart wonderful 22 month old that everyone wants around. He is not like other children but now in wonderful ways.

a really great directed approach for attachment style parenting. my only criticism is that the intended audience seems to be moms who are able to stay at home and dads that are away all day in the workforce. there aren't any approaches or direction for moms that need to return to work and dads who stay home, or for both working parents. it would be great to just be able to make the choice to not use babysitters, but that is not a viable option for a large majority of parents these days.