Product Details

• Language: English
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (439 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0972179518
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,282 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Special Interests > Parenting & Childcare

Editorial Reviews

Michelle Pfeiffer, actress/producer

"What every mother needs are simple tools that really work . . . and Harvey’s do."

Product Description

In perhaps the most important parenting work of the decade, Dr. Harvey Karp reveals an extraordinary treasure sought by parents for centuries --an automatic "off-switch" for their baby’s crying.

No wonder pediatricians are praising him and thousands of Los Angeles parents, from working moms to superstars like Madonna and Michelle Pfeiffer, have turned to him to learn the secrets for making babies happy.

"I share with parents techniques known only to the most gifted baby soothers throughout history."

In an innovative and thought-provoking reevaluation of early infancy, Dr. Karp blends modern science and ancient wisdom to prove that newborns are not fully ready for the world when they are born. His approach is based on three basic principles:

·The Missing Fourth Trimester: as odd as it may sound, babies cry is because they are born three months too soon.

·The Calming Reflex: the automatic reset switch to stop crying of any baby in the first few months of life.

·The 5 "S’s": five simple steps that trigger the calming reflex and guide cranky infants to calm and easy babies to serenity…and help them sleep longer, too.

Dr. Karp also explains:

How to calm a baby--in mere minutes.

Why new babies can’t be spoiled.

How to get a baby to sleep 1-2 hours longer?

Dr. Karp places in the hands of parents, grandparents, and all childcare givers the necessary tools to be able to calm their babies almost as easily as…turning off a light.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

161 of 166 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!! She CAN stop crying!!!, August 21, 2002

By	Kim (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

After 5 straight weeks of sleepless nights, my husband and I were walking zombies. Our infant would wake every hour to 2 hours throughout the night and just scream. During the day she would also scream uncontrollably - even though the doctor found nothing wrong with her physically. I had convinced myself that she just wasn't a happy baby like our 6 year old was and life with Isabel would be tough!

Then I searched Amazon one night under "Colic" and found this book and video. Even though we have absolutely no time to read, we did watch the video (while she wailed). My husband tried the swaddling and shhing techniques that night and she quieted down after about 10 minutes. Now 1 week later she calms after 5 min or so AND she is sleeping 4 hours at a time. We feel great and she finally looks peaceful - and not agitated.

Both the book and video are geared toward the first 3 months of life.... and the notion that most babies 1st 3 months of life are really the 4th trimester in their developement. Our first child slept soundly from day one..... but we were blown away with this second one. Thank you Dr. Karp! We finally feel like humans again and the stress level in our home has dropped tremendously.

69 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NEW solutions for crying, difficult babies, July 31, 2004

By	K. Corn "reviewer" (Indianapolis,, IN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Raised 3 kids, thought I knew most of the techniques for ssothing babies, helping them through rough days (colic, teething, fussy times). But this video brings NEW research and tips to make life easier for parents of new babies...and if you're an aunt or grandparent, you'll learn something new too. SOme of the suggestions are simply amazing, making specific sounds gently into the baby's ears and seeing an instant, peaceful transformation.
Many of these suggestions come from looking at life from the baby's perspective and, in retrospect, seem like common sense (but not as easy as it sounds, otherwise there'd be no need for this video). Well worth your viewing time and could bring relief to many an exhausted parent (and baby).

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable: common sense solutions for crying babies!, September 23, 2003

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Dr. Karp applied common sense to the "problem" of crying babies that most new parents face, by borrowing from traditions being used around the world to calm babies down as if you had "flipped a switch." He acknowledges the existence of a 'fourth trimester', i.e. the first three months of the baby's life and the need to use techniques to make the baby feel as in the mother's womb to calm him/her down, appealing to their calm reflex.

These techniques are summarized as the five S's: Swaddling (very tight, to resemble the tight environment of the uterus), Side or Stomach position (otherwise known as the football hold), Shushing (as loud as the baby cries), Swinging (making the head jiggle slightly, to replicate the mom's movements with the baby in her tummy) and Sucking (with your finger, or a pacifier in place).

As intuitive or odd these techniques may sound to you, you need to view this video: it will probably make the difference for you as it has for so many parents. As I write this, we're in our last couple of weeks of pregnancy, and we're ready to apply them to our upcoming baby boy.