The Mother of All Toddler Books [Paperback]

Ann Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mother of All | Publication Date: April 9, 2004

Your baby's growing up! The joys and challenges of parenting a toddler are many, and you may be wondering how best to prepare for this exciting time. The Mother of All Toddler Books provides the skinny on what it's really like to raise a toddler, giving you expert guidance in everything from discipline and nutritional needs to sleep problems and behavioral issues. Packed with parent-tested advice, money-saving tips, and medically reviewed answers to all your toddler health questions, this comprehensive, entertaining guide is a must-have for surviving and enjoying this exciting time in your child's life.

Warm and down-to-earth, The Mother of All Toddler Books covers the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of parenting a toddler, offering a hefty dose of reassurance for everything from toddler-proofing your home to toilet training without stress to administering first aid. Inside, you'll find proven strategies for coping with whining, dawdling, and tantrums, as well as handy growth charts, immunization schedules, safety checklists, a directory of key parenting and pediatric health organizations, and a listing of Internet resources. Concise, authoritative, and fun to read, The Mother of All Toddler Books has everything you need to raise a happy, healthy child!

Praise for The Mother of All series

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books

"The must-read pregnancy book! Ann Douglas has created the most comprehensive guide to pregnancy we've ever seen."
-Denise & Alan Fields, authors of Baby Bargains

The Mother of All Baby Books

"With humor, sensitivity, an easy, no-jargon style, and a million 'extras' that the leading baby books on the shelves don't cover, Ann Douglas holds nothing back. Finally a baby book written for women of my generation!"
-M. Sara Rosenthal, author of The Breastfeeding Sourcebook

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your baby’s growing up! The joys and challenges of parenting a toddler are many, and you may be wondering how best to prepare for this exciting time. The Mother of All Toddler Books provides the skinny on what it’s really like to raise a toddler, giving you expert guidance in everything from discipline and nutritional needs to sleep problems and behavioral issues. Packed with parent-tested advice, money-saving tips, and medically reviewed answers to all your toddler health questions, this comprehensive, entertaining guide is a must-have for surviving and enjoying this exciting time in your child’s life.

Warm and down-to-earth, The Mother of All Toddler Books covers the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of parenting a toddler, offering a hefty dose of reassurance for everything from toddler-proofing your home to toilet training without stress to administering first aid. Inside, you’ll find proven strategies for coping with whining, dawdling, and tantrums, as well as handy growth charts, immunization schedules, safety checklists, a directory of key parenting and pediatric health organizations, and a listing of Internet resources. Concise, authoritative, and fun to read, The Mother of All Toddler Books has everything you need to raise a happy, healthy child!

Praise for The Mother of All series

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books

"The must-read pregnancy book! Ann Douglas has created the most comprehensive guide to pregnancy we’ve ever seen."
–Denise & Alan Fields, authors of Baby Bargains

The Mother of All Baby Books

"With humor, sensitivity, an easy, no-jargon style, and a million ‘extras’ that the leading baby books on the shelves don’t cover, Ann Douglas holds nothing back. Finally a baby book written for women of my generation!"
–M. Sara Rosenthal, author of The Breastfeeding Sourcebook

About the Author

Ann Douglas (Peterborough, ON, Canada) is the author of 21 books, including numerous top-selling titles in the pregnancy and baby book category. She is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and is a much-sought-after speaker at health fairs and parenting shows. Ann's books include The Mother of All Pregnancy Books (Canadian edition and American edition), The Mother of All Baby Books (Canadian edition and American edition), The Mother of All Toddler Books (Canadian edition), and Trying Again: A Guide to Pregnancy After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Death. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764544179
• ISBN-13: 978-0764544170
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #794,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the author of numerous books on pregnancy and parenting, including Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler (2006); Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler (2006); The Mother of All Pregnancy Books (2002); The Mother of All Baby Books (2002); The Mother of All Toddler Books (2004); The Mother of All Parenting Books (2004); The Mother of All Pregnancy Organizers (2004); Choosing Childcare for Dummies (2003); The Unofficial Guide to Having A Baby (2nd edition -- 2004); Trying Again: A Guide to Pregnancy After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Infant Loss (2000); and The Unofficial Guide to Childcare.

My husband and I have four children (ages 10-19). I have also experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, and infertility.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Helpful Edition to the "Mother of All" Series, June 11, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mother of All Toddler Books (Paperback)

A great sequel to the previous "Mother of All" Books. I have had the pleasure of hearing the author give a presentation recently and found her to be very knowledgeable, supportive and funny. I really appreciate the humorous, true anecdotes of many parents with toddlers throughout the book. This is the key comfort factor for me that grounds this book in reality...that I am not alone in sometimes being unsure of what to do and occasionally regretting what I chose to do. I am often doubting that I am a good enough mother compared to some of my friends and relatives. The warm, friendly tone of the author, a mother of 4 kids herself, is carried through her books and helps calm my anxiety. I also wish to highly recommend "The Pocket Parent" by two authors that are also knowledgeable, compassionate, "tell it like it is" mothers. This book addresses just four years of life...the challenging behavior issues of 2, 3, 4, and 5 year olds and offers hundreds of tips and true, short anecdotes on handling every annoying behavior you can think of. Both of these upbeat, well-written, quick-read reference books are designed to be read as you need them...each chapter complete on its own...both books equally helpful to moms and dads of toddlers.

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Underwhelmed, December 15, 2004

By 

A reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mother of All Toddler Books (Paperback)

I received this book and read it in one day - very easy to do, since the margins are huge, the whole text is in bulletpoints and it reads as if it came straight from the Internet.

This title came up as a recommendation while I was looking at other parenting books. Since it was less than 11 dollars I decided to take a chance. Based on the number of pages, the title and the positive reviews, I thought that it would be a comprehensive book. And I was looking forward to a common-sense Canadian perspective from the author. A bust on all counts.

As a parent of a 19 m.o., my feeling is that any other parent who has made it this far and has access to the Internet does not need to buy this book. I haven't read any of her other books, but this one was really poorly put together and edited. The transitions between topics were really weird, often sounding like a videoscript, but really strange in writing: "We've covered a, b and c, now we're going to move onto x,y and z." These intros and transitions really bulk up the book. Poor editing. And this might sound really picky, but the phrase "dreaming in Technicolor," for example, appeared at least three times.

The quotes from mothers were sometimes interesting, but again, nothing I haven't already run across in my very short time as a parent. I just didn't learn anything new from the book, and as I said, I only have a 19 m.o., so anyone with an older toddler and common sense would probably be bored by this.

Being a mother of four is great, but that alone is not a qualification for writing a book. If Ann Douglas has a particular area of expertise or a unique perspective about childrearing or parenting, I missed it entirely.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent suggestions re: activities to enjoy with your toddler, August 17, 2005

By 

Craftymama (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mother of All Toddler Books (Paperback)

While The Mother of All Toddler Books provides excellent information on all of the important topics that parents of toddlers need to know about, like discipline, health, nutrition, sleep, and healthy development during the toddler years, I felt that this book's greatest strength was the chapter entitled "Fun and Games."

The arts and crafts section of the chapter provides a detailed checklist of toddler-friendly craft materials (both homemade -- including recipes -- and tips on zeroing in on the best store-bought art materials for toddlers).

You'll also find tips on planning art projects that are perfectly geared to toddlers (not too frustrating), suggestions on getting craft-related stains out of your toddler's clothes, and practical ideas about setting up craft activity centers in your home.

The chapter also includes a number of suggestions for fun sensory play activities that you can try with your toddler (e.g., water play, sand play, snow play, modeling clay, cooking), along with music activities (including how to make your own musical instruments), dramatic play activities (dressup and puppet-making tips); fun excursions to plan; games that encourage your toddler to move his/her body; pre-math games to play with your toddler (sorting, matching, grouping, measuring); fun science games and activities (cause and effect toys, gardening); and activities like making your own books that encourage a love of reading.

The chapter wraps up with a discussion of how you can get the best value for each dollar you spend at the toy store. That means buying durable toys, age-appropriate toys, toys that your child will be able to play with for many years, and toys that can be played with in more than one way.

There are also some helpful (and money-saving) tips on cleaning and fixing toys that might otherwise end up in the trash, storing toys, and making your own toys, as well as a list of the best toys for toddlers.