From Publishers Weekly
Prolific authors Adler (365 Things to Do with Your Kids Before They're Too Old to Enjoy Them) and Robin (The Safe Nanny Handbook) offer a fresh outlook on the toddler years and approach their subject with practical yet humorous determination, incorporating advice from parents across the country and other, often contradictory, advice by various parenting experts. At the heart of Adler and Robin's approach is their belief that all toddlers are not alike. So the authors offer flexible strategies for overcoming a host of dilemmas, depending first and foremost on the child's individual personality. For instance, methods for giving up a pacifier range from going "cold turkey" to implementing "slow, incremental steps." While they claim their methods work without bribes, Adler and Robin are perfectly content to recommend using rewards, as long as parents reward only positive behavior and not the cessation of negative behavior. Little white lies are also condoned as well as the phrase, "Because I said so." In short, while the authors are clear about the methods they advocate versus those they don't, because they emphasize flexibility, they largely tackle toddlerhood from a "whatever works" perspective. This is a playful yet sensible guide that covers every significant phase of toddlerhood, from potty-training to preschool. Parents who feel like the helpless hostages of a dawdling two-year-old will find plenty of fresh--as well as time-proven--ideas.
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