The Happiest Baby on the Block, by Harvey Karp

This book will probably make it in my “Top 5 Baby Books” list — that is, if the tips in it actually work. I am hopeful, though, as several friends with actual baby-experience (as opposed to my mere theoretical knowledge) say that they love this book and wish they had read it earlier.

Karp has a theory: Human infants are born three months too soon, simply because our brains are too big and there is only one way out of the mama. He points out that, interestingly, colicky babies (ones who cry for hours every day for no apparent reason) don’t exist in many other cultures — so what are we doing wrong in the U.S.? We aren’t providing young infants with a “fourth-trimester” experience — these babies are used to being scrunched up in warm fluid, never feeling hungry, and listening to mama’s heartbeat and blood flow 24/7. No wonder they freak out when they can suddenly move their arms, experience overstimulation, and are left in a silent room to sleep!

The author proposes that we follow the “5 S’s” to calm a crying baby: swaddling, side/stomach position, saying “shhhhh,” swinging, and sucking. He describes each of these in detail. (I have spent quite awhile studying his swaddling diagram and I still don’t think I get it, but hopefully someone will teach me how the diagram translates to reality once we have an actual baby to practice on. I’ve never been a big one to read instructions.)

Things I don’t love: Some of the language Karp uses is a bit gimmicky, like how he has “rediscovered the ancient secrets for calming crying babies.” And sometimes his jokes are over-the-top corny. The diagrams, as stated before, sometimes confuse me, but that might just be my issue — and I’ve heard that there is a video version of the book, so if I get really stuck I can just watch the guy do the swaddle and hopefully that will make more sense to me.

Things I like: I think his fourth trimester theory makes sense, and I appreciate his practical tips. And I like how he says that you really can’t “spoil” a baby this young — just do whatever you can to get them to feel cozy, and decide on your parenting philosophy once the baby gets to be about 3-4 months old. This feels like a welcome break from the attachment parenting vs. scheduling debate.

Funniest part: In a list of “questions parents ask,” we find this one: “If babies miss the womb sensations, wouldn’t it make sense to position them upside-down?” Karp says to please not do this — babies are happy to be upside down in the womb because they are floating in amniotic fluid. (But we were glad to read this, as Jon and I keep wondering how Baby can possibly be comfortable doing a headstand on my bladder all day long.)

Maybe I’ll have to come back and comment on these entries once baby comes, in order to record what is effective and what isn’t. I’m so curious to see if these theories work — but even more curious to meet Baby Boyd!


Considered in this review: “_The Happiest Baby on the Block_”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553381466/octothorppres-20, by Harvey Karp.

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