Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sensible Advice for Parents of Babies to School-aged Kids, July 6, 2005
This review is from: Nanny 911: Expert Advice for All Your Parenting Emergencies (Paperback)
There is a great variety of helpful advice in this 300 page book. My only caveat is that there is no Index to quickly find a topic of interest.
The book is divided into 3 main sections: Communication, House Rules, and Parenting 911 Emergencies. I found this organization structure a bit confusing to navigate without an Index.
I really liked the charts in the book that clearly address the different negative parenting behaviors: clueless, disorganized, angry, undermining, nagging, loud and excusing...including "What happens in a situation", "What you typically say", "What your partner does", "What your child does", and then "Offers an anecdote" demonstrating how to change for the better. I found myself identifying with most of these negative situations and learned some helpful strategies that have worked in my family.
I think I will continue to refer back to this book again and again when my 2 boys (2 and 4) get older as it seems much of the advice is geared to school-aged children. If you have preschoolers like me, I would also like to recommend a very helpful complimentary book our pediatrician gave us called "The Pocket Parent". This A-Z parent friendly guide focuses soley on the 2,3,4 and 5 year old and the challenging behaviors they present such as bad words, biting, tantrums, lying, morning crazies, power struggles, whining and many others. I really like the anecdotes in both of these books that seem to ground the suggested strategies in reality for me. Both "The Pocket Parent" and "Nanny 911" are welcome additions to your home library that you can refer to over and over again. The best thing about these quick reference guides is that you do not have to read them cover to cover but rather the topics as you need them...each chapter is complete on its own. I really appreciate that in my busy life.
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59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth every penny, August 16, 2005
This review is from: Nanny 911: Expert Advice for All Your Parenting Emergencies (Paperback)
I've had the Nanny 911 book for about 2 weeks now and I can already see positive changes in my 3 year old. The idea of the marble jar is fantastic. It's a great way to stop and acknowledge good behavior and deeds, i.e. today he got 1 marble for holding the door open for me, 2 marbles for being brave in his swim lesson and 3 marbles for using good manners at dinner. He is very motivated by the reward that comes when the jar is full (his reward is staying up an hour late and watching tv in pj's) and it's so pleasant to be looking for little behaviors to celebrate throughout the day. I also love their advice about 'actions have consequences.' One of my son's behaviors that was annoying me was him not listening to me and me having to ask him to do things ad naseum. Finally, last week I asked him to get in his carseat and I told him that if he didn't he would lose his tv privileges. He lost tv for the day and believe me he is now lightening fast about getting his bottom in the seat. I also love their advice about 'mean what you say'. I realized I was letting a lot of things slide by asking him to do something and not following up when he didn't comply. I now pause, get down on his level, make sure we have eye contact and ask him something very specific. It's making me pause and be mindful about what I want to ask of him. I am currently in grad school studying family therapy and Nanny Deb's approach is usually spot on with what I am learning. Her focus on making sure children are taught to be emotionally intelligent (not her words), and practice good communication is the foundation of healthy kids and families. My only critique of the book, as another poster wrote, is that the book seems like it was rushed to press. Some thoughts are incomplete like in the section on Time Outs they talk about Allegra not understanding time and having a tantrum but they never say how/when she would get a timeout. I understand, though, that business is business and the show is hot now and this is the time to sell a lot of books. I'm sure the book could be improved in future revisions but I'm still finding it immensely useful.
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad book, but way too much fluff, June 19, 2005
This review is from: Nanny 911: Expert Advice for All Your Parenting Emergencies (Paperback)
I love Fox's Nanny 911 series. My wife and I, parents of three young ones, are regular viewers. The show is entertaining, offers some good tips and, more importantly, let's us know that our kids aren't that bad!
So, when I saw this book at the store, I grabbed it.
The book is alright. Their strategy is explained, their rules are set forth in detail, and there's some great hands-on learning material.
However, something about the book just doesn't sit right. It's almost as if the book was rushed to the store too soon.
As a result, there are spelling errors throughout, including one or two in the first few pages of the book. There is a lot of filler, too. Sure, the authors try to substantiate their techniques with examples from the show, but there are so many summaries, it reads like dozens of episode recaps. Finally, this book and their techniques are for older children almost exclusively. Very little focus on kids ages birth to five (which are the ages of my kids). I was disappointed.
Next to this book in the store was Jo Frost's Supernanny. Now, I've only seen this show once, and I don't like it as much as Nanny 911. However, Frost's book is miles better; it's more professional, clearer, more comprehensive and more concise.
The Nanny 911 book isn't terrible - but it isn't great either. Many of you, like me, are fans of the show. Stick with the show - but buy Supernanny's book instead.
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