Customer Reviews

The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

Although the analogy to prehistoric man is overdone a bit, there are so many sensible, clear strategies to try with 1-4 year olds that really are working for us. Talking toddler-ese has really made a difference in the cooperation we are now getting from our 2 and 3 year olds. Mirroring their feelings and "wants" with short, repeated phrases that reflect the child's words, tone and body lauguage has quickly and almost magically stopped much of my toddlers' defiant, annoying behaviors. Karp emphasizes that what you say to someone who is really upset is less important than HOW YOU SAY IT. And his theory has proven itself to be correct in our home.

The only suggestion in the book that I have a problem with is using a hook and eye latch to lock a child in his room even for a very short time-out. I feel this can be scary for the child and although it may get the child to know that you do mean business, I prefer not to get compliance from my children with fear, guilt or humiliation. Karp does suggest that you explain to the child in "toddler-ese" how the locking mechanism works so that he will know the door will not open when mom uses it.

I also recommend another one of my favorite parenting reference books as a compliment to Karp's hardcover book called "The Pocket Parent". This is a very practical, quick read, little paperback book loaded with many positive discipline and communications tips written exclusively for parents of 2-5 year olds. Peppered with humor and organized alphabetically by behaviors such as: Anger, Bad Words, Biting, Bedtime and Mealtime Refusals, the "Gimmees", Interrrupting, Morning "Crazies", and Whining...Pocket Parent is a real sanity saver. Both books will lift your spirits with specific ideas to try as well as loads of compassionte support from authors that have been there, too... especially when you feel you are just about at your wits' end with the little ones.

After having so much success with the Happiest Baby on the Block calming
techniques, I could not wait to watch The Happiest Toddler on the Block
by Harvey Karp,M.D.

My 22 month old grandson began to scream when I told him it was time to
go inside. I spoke "toddlerese" with much expression as suggested by Dr.
Karp.
I said, " No No No" you do not want to go inside.
He looked at me very surprised.
I said, "No No No" you do not want to go inside.
He looked at me again with his mouth wide open.
I said again, "No No No you do not want to go
inside, but we must take sister to potty."

---------he came with me without protest. In the past he
would have continued screaming for about 5 minutes and
I would have picked him up kicking and screaming.


Now I can't wait to read the book The Happiest Toddler on the Block Book to get
more helpful suggestions for the children in my family and in my
practice.

Phyllis Meer,RN, BSN,CPNP
and proud grandmother of 4.

I ran to the bookstore to get Dr. Karp's new book based on my experience with his phenomenal book about babies. I can say that Dr. Karp has proven how genius he is again. So simple, yet so powerful. No wonder he keeps coming back to Dr. Phil's 101 Parenting show. He has real advice that any parent absolutely needs to hear. It made my life so much easier. I am still practicing my "toddler-ese" but I can see immediate results. The book is not just helpful but it is FUN to read.
I have to say that, by adopting Dr. Karp's methods, I can enjoy my kids more. I have minimized daily struggles with them and maximized fun time we have together. That makes my kids love me even more, especially my 18 months old girl who is a real "Neanderthal in my kitchen".
Thank you Dr. Karp. I love your books! And I am looking forward to seeing your video about toddlers.

My son is 23 months old and definitely in the Terrible Two's stage. I felt helpless, lost and had no control of the situation whenever my son would snap into his "I want it my way" mode, sprawling on the floor. I truly had no idea how to calm my boy down. It was very frustrating. I can be very snap-y at times, but I did not want to be that way with my son. After all, he is just a toddler.

I happened to read a snippet about Dr. Karp's book in The New York Times' Science Times section. When I read about his concept that toddlers are basically Neanderthals, I thought he was definitely onto something (I always referred to my son as Bam-Bam from The Flintstones!). With my interest piqued enough, I ordered the book from Amazon.

After a couple of days, I tried Dr. Karp's Prehistoric Parenting method. I was shocked when after a couple of times repeating "You want mommy. You REAALLLY WANT MOMMY!!", my son stopped his tantrum; looked at me; and simply said, "Sorry!" It was like a revelation.

I love that you don't need to read every chapter in its entirety. When stuff about kids older than 3 years old came up, I went straight to the next chapter, since my son is almost 2.

My only criticism is that a lot of ideas are repeated over to a fault. But I could live with that. Dr. Karp is just trying to reiterate his messages.

Overall, I give this a 5 star rating for the sheer fact that the Dr. Karp's method of Prehistoric Parenting and speaking Toddler-ese really does work!

Do yourself a favor and buy this book. You won't be sorry. In fact, you'll be relieved!

Dr Karps book is excelent. As a parent who does practice attachment parrenting I found this book a life saver. I felt that I really did not have trouble with tantrums but after reading the book found that I often avoided tantrums by not setting boundaries. After reading the book I was not afraid of a trantum because I knew I could calm my child down fast.
The book really gives the parent and child power, it gets you off on the right foot by opening the lines of communication needed when your child is older. when you use the active listening techniques described in the book your child with feel that s/he has something important to say and will be listened to.
You do not imitate your childs tatrums but show them that you understand and speak in short simple phrases. Once your child is used to the technique you do not need to be embarassed to use it because often just the look on your face with some quiet words will bring your child around. Not to mention you will definately look better than the mom carting a screaming child around the store or screaming back at them, even if you go all out with his technique. This book is definately worth the read.

As a parent of 2 1/2 year old boy/girl twins, I am enjoying this book very much. While I never read the Happiest Baby on the Block, we also benefited from Dr. Karp's 5 S's - my mother even added a sixth S - smooch!

In this book, I really like the analogy of toddlers to neandrathals, it makes a lot of sense; though the book certainly would have been a bit shorter/easier to read if we weren't being constantly reminded of the analogy. While my twins have been quite communicative since 18 months, I still find it very useful to speak ToddlerEase with them to quickly let them know that I understand what they are trying to say and this seems to head off many a tantrum!

I'm a mother of 2 and have read numerous books about "parenting toddlers" looking for some ways to work with my 3 year old and stop tantrums. I can honestly say that this is the first book that gave me not only practical suggestions to stop tantrums but also some great ideas on how to prevent them from starting in the first place. I saw Dr. Karp on Dr. Phil show and thought his techniques looked too good to be true but I have a happy toddler now and have learned from experience that they DO work. I have already bought this book as a gift for two friends with toddlers and highly recommend it.

Other reviewers highlight the silly, embarrassing methods of this book as well as Dr. Karp's use of Neanderthals as a toddler-comprehension tool; however, readers should go straight to the meat of the book. It's a bit sad that Dr. Karp had to listen to his editors about dressing up the content to get parents to laugh and read his book, but this guide is still a valuable resource for parents embarking on the adventure of toddlerhood. You will walk away from this book with more insight into your toddler's behavior. I know I have, and I recently reread this book and found it insightful.

And just for the obnoxious extremist reviewer, my 10-month-old was definitely a chimp-child complete with the hoots, hollers, yells, Curious George looks, and monkeying around. At 19 months old now, he's definitely a little caveman. Seriously though, the inability to see the analogy of toddlers as little Neanderthals as a setup is just poor reading comprehension. *Lighten up!* And Neanderthals are a fossil record fact. There's no need to knock Dr. Karp for that.

If you are considering this book, read it for the content and techniques. Don't go caveman at the presentation!

I have also reviewed the DVD of the same name, and I have to strongly suggest to you to rent or borrow the DVD to see Dr. Karp demonstrate his methods as well as answer questions in the Q&A section. The book is understandably off-putting in the same way reading a book to learn baseball or ice-skating is, so give the video a chance. Also keep in mind that Dr. Karp instituted these techniques to get through office visits with fit-throwing, screaming toddlers. He says that there is no magic bullet for toddler tantrums, but often you will need such a transitional method to help you redirect your child to something else or new.

I am a mother of a 25 month old. Many of my friends who were also parents of toddlers recommended this book. At first, I was very skeptical. I read through it and tried the Toddler-ese and the Fast Food Rule. It worked immediately!!! In fact today, my husband, my daughter and I were at a restaurant. She started to get upset because she wanted me to hold her. My husband talked to her in Toddler-ese and immedatiately she stopped crying! I am very impressed with this book and will recommend it to others!

I belong to a book exchange and exchanged this book for "The Child Whisperer" which I personally feel is one of the best and simplest parenting books around. Like "The Child Whisperer", "The Happiest Child on the Block" skips the high brow theory and gets right into practical application of sound and proven techniques. If you are looking for a no-nonsense approach to improving your relationship with your toddler, buy this book. Oh, buy "The Child Whisperer" too and you will have two great books for your resource shelf or to exchange with others.