Customer Reviews

The Mother of All Toddler Books

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

How can you not like a book with this title? It is a huge book with tons of information. I find it a lot more helpful and user friendly than the what to expect series....but that's just my opinion...Great information - I keep it out for ideas, suggestions and to check up on my toddlers progress.

Ann Douglas' Mother of All books have guided me through my pregnancy, the baby years and helped me tremendously for the toddler years. I appreciate the humour and down to earth approach to topics... you can tell she's a mom too. By having the "moms in the trenches" advice, I didn't feel so alone in my child-rearing. Hey - the potty training portion of the book is really good - worth the prize of the book right there!

This is a great additon to the "Mother of" series. The no nonsense advice is written in a breezy style that busy parents will fine easy to absorb. Some of the funny "front line" stories will have you laughing and nodding in recognition of your own life. It's a great read!

by: Debbie Farmer, parenting auhtor of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat!'

This book is a great "survival guide" to the toddler years. It guides parents through the highs and lows of parenting a child through these important years of development by teaching what to expect and then how to handle it. If there is more than one opinion about a given topic it presents each side along with the appropriate research to back it. I would recommend this to every parent with a toddler.

A reader had criticized this book for not being Canadian enough. This edition (ISBN 0764544179, published in 2004) is the *American edition* of the book, not the *Canadian edition.* Parents wanting to order the *Canadian edition* should order the edition published in 2002 (ISBN 1553350162). I hope this helps to prevent other parents from ordering the incorrect edition of the book.

I ordered this book because i love to look at baby/toddler books and learn all that i can. I have twin 2 year olds and I can not tell you how many times i have needed this book to look at for reference or just ideas. It has all the info you could want and more! The one time i ran to it i needed to know how to convert celsius to farenheit and it helped in seconds. I love this book and recommend anyone who has or will have a toddler to get it.

I had liked The Mother of All Pregnancy Books and decided to try this one. But I don't find it nearly as complete or helpful as "What to Expect the Toddler Years". I haven't read it cover to cover, but so far I find that the sections don't delve deeply enough into topics or offer unique suggestions/advice.