The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old
by Harvey Karp, Paula Spencer
List Price:
Our Price: $5.98
You Save: $17.02 (74%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.33 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Harvey Karp, Paula SpencerEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-03-02
ISBN: 0553802569
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Bantam
Book Reviews of The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old
Book Review: Worked for me!
Summary: 5 Stars
These days, it seems as though every book written by a doctor has a catchy gimmick designed to grab the interest of the reader. This book was no exception, as on the back cover Dr. Karp lovingly refers to toddlers everywhere as pint-sized cavemen. Since I am currently in the throws of the toddler years, I had to agree with Dr. Karp, as there are days that my little one happily wreaks destruction. Lest you think that Dr. Karp is somehow being insulting, let me assure you that it is very evident that not only does he enjoy toddlers and find them fascinating, but that he respects them as well. The point of all the prehistoric talk is really just a clever way to point out the differences that exist between the thought processes of an adult and a child (ages 1 to 4).
Dr. Karp's premise is that in the first four years of life your child will accomplish huge developmental milestones as their brains grow and develop. He divides the ages into four groups: The Charming Chimp-Child (12 to 18 Months), The Knee-High Neanderthal (18 to 24 Months), The Clever Cave-Kid (24 to 36 Months), and The Versatile Villager (36 to 48 Months). Each of these groupings is actually a pneumonic used to describe the highlights of that particular age grouping, for example Cave-Kid's are:C= Curiouser and curiouserA= Attention IncreasesV= Very BusyE= Enjoys Pleasing YouK= KinderI= Interested in Order and ComparisonsD= Determined to Communicate
Dr. Karp also enourages adults to speak to toddlers in their own language, or what he refers to as "Toddler-ese." Basically, the idea is that when a child is upset it is pretty pointless to try and talk to them as little adults. He offers basic tips on communicating more effectively with your toddler, and I found that many of these tips were good communication pointers in general.
I took my time reading this book as I was anxious to give his suggestions a try. Many of them actually worked! It was a little embarrasing speaking "Toddler-ese" in public, but Dr. Karp makes a good point that when your child is in the midst of a tantrum, you usually feel that you are the center of attention anyway. Most of all, I really enjoyed reading this book as it was fascinating to think about all the things my little one has already accomplished and all she will continue to accomplish. If you have young children, or spend a lot of time with the 1 to 4 set, then I can't recommend this book highly enough.
More The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Summary of The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old
Toddlers can drive you bonkers.so adorable and fun one minute.so stubborn and demanding the next! Yet, as unbelievable as it sounds, there is a way to turn the daily stream of "nos" and "don'ts" into "yeses" and hugs.if you know how to speak your toddler's language. In one of the most useful advances in parenting techniques of the past twenty-five years, Dr. Karp reveals that toddlers, with their immature brains and stormy outbursts, should be thought of not as pint-size people but as pintsize.cavemen. Having noticed that the usual techniques often failed to calm crying toddlers, Dr. Karp discovered that the key to effective communication was to speak to them in their own primitive language. When he did, suddenly he was able to soothe their outbursts almost every time! This amazing success led him to the realization that children between the ages of one and four go through four stages of "evolutionary" growth, each linked to the development of the brain, and each echoing a step in prehistoric humankind's journey to civilization:. The "Charming Chimp-Child" (12 to 18 months): Wobbles around on two legs, grabs everything in reach, plays a nonstop game of "monkey see monkey do.". The "Knee-High Neanderthal" (18 to 24 months): Strong-willed, fun-loving, messy, with a vocabulary of about thirty words, the favorites being "no" and "mine.". The "Clever Caveman" (24 to 36 months): Just beginning to learn how to share, make friends, take turns, and use the potty.. The "Versatile Villager" (36 to 48 months): Loves to tell stories, sing songs and dance, while trying hard to behave.To speak to these children, Dr. Karp has developed two extraordinarily effective techniques:1) The "fast food" rule - restating what your child has said to make sure you got it right;2) The four-step rule - using gesture, repetition, simplicity, and tone to help your irate Stone-Ager be happy again.Once you've mastered "toddler-ese," you will be ready to apply behavioral techniques specific to each stage of your child's development, such as teaching patience and calm, doing time-outs (and time-ins), praise through "gossiping," and many other strategies. Then all the major challenges of the toddler years - including separation anxiety, sibling rivalry, toilet training, night fears, sleep problems, picky eating, biting and hitting, medicine taking - can be handled in a way that will make your toddler feel understood. The result: fewer tantrums, less yelling, and, best of all, more happy, loving time for you and your child.General Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in BEST TOY ADVICE AND PARENT ADVICE
The Little Engine That Could: The Complete, Original Edition (A Platt & Munk Classic)by Watty Piper, George Hauman, Doris Hauman
BIGTOFFICE; Grosset & Dunlap; Published: 1978-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.79
Price in other shops:
Raising Children Who Think for Themselvesby Elisa Medhus
Atria Books/Beyond Words; Published: 2001-05-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.49
Price in other shops:
The Co-Parenting Survival Guide: Letting Go of Conflict after a Difficult Divorceby Elizabeth Thayer Ph.D., Jeffrey Zimmerman Ph.D.
New Harbinger Publications; Published: 2001-07-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.05
Price in other shops:
Playful Parentingby Lawrence J. Cohen
Ballantine Books; Published: 2002-04-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.44
Price in other shops:
The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Oldby Harvey Karp, Paula Spencer
Bantam; Published: 2004-03-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.86
Price in other shops:
Toy Tips: A Parent's Essential Guide to Smart Toy Choicesby Marianne M. Szymanski, Ellen Neuborne
Jossey-Bass; Published: 2004-08-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.19
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 (123 Magic)by Thomas W. Phelan PhD
Parentmagic, Inc.; Published: 2004-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.63
Price in other shops:
The No-Cry Discipline Solution: Gentle Ways to Encourage Good Behavior Without Whining, Tantrums, and Tears (Pantley)by Elizabeth Pantley
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2007-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.65
Price in other shops:
Supernanny: How to Get the Best From Your Childrenby Jo Frost
Hyperion; Published: 2005-01-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.97
Price in other shops:
The Girlfriends' Guide to Toddlersby Vicki Iovine
Perigee Trade; Published: 1999-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
The Pocket Parentby Gail Reichlin, Caroline Winkler
Workman Publishing Company; Published: 2001-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.27
Price in other shops:
Toddler 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice for your Toddlerby Denise Fields, Ari Brown
Windsor Peak Press; Published: 2006-08-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.00
Price in other shops:
The Happiest Toddler on the Block DVD with Bonus Spanish TrackRelease date: 2008-03-05; DVD
Best price: $17.51
Price in other shops:
What to Expect the Toddler Yearsby Heidi Murkoff
Workman Publishing Company; Published: 1996; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.14
Price in other shops:
The Toddlers Busy Bookby Trish Kuffner
Meadowbrook; Published: 1999-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.50
Price in other shops:
The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longerby Harvey Karp
Bantam; Published: 2003-05-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.86
Price in other shops: