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
Author: Paula Spencer, Harvey Karp

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 t... more »he 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.

ISBN-13: 9780553802566
ISBN-10: 0553802569
Publication Date: 3/2/2004
Pages: 336
Rating:

Currently 3.3/5 Stars.

3.3 stars, based on 38 ratings

Publisher: Bantam
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Similar books to this author and title:

$The Girlfriends\' Guide to Toddlers$

The Happiest Baby on the Block : The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer

Members who requested this book also requested:

$The New Father : A Dad\'s Guide to the Toddler Years$ $Mommy\'s Locked in the Bathroom: Surviving Your Child\'s Early Years With Your Sanity and Salvation Intact!$

Top Member Book Reviews

Currently 2.5/5 Stars.

Genia B. reviewed 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 on 1/7/2007 + 5 more book reviews

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Some of it is good but other parts seem far fetched or manipulative.

Currently 0/5 Stars.

Melissa O. (mobooks) reviewed 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 on 7/24/2006 + 37 more book reviews

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

I just love Dr. Karp. This is a great book.

Read All 4 Book Reviews of "The Happiest Toddler on the Block The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and WellBehaved One to FourYearOld"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

Currently 1/5 Stars.

Heather reviewed 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 on 8/12/2010

After really enjoying Happiest Baby on the Block, I was disappointed with this book. Some of the toddler-ese *might* be helpful (I'm skeptical and don't see it working for the toddlers I know). Too much of the book focused on the same old parenting advice in many other books that centers around manipulation and control.

Read All Book Reviews of "The Happiest Toddler on the Block The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and WellBehaved One to FourYearOld"

Genres:

Parenting & Relationships >> Parenting >> General
Parenting & Relationships >> Parenting >> Babies & Toddlers >> Child Development
Parenting & Relationships >> Parenting >> Babies & Toddlers >> General
Parenting & Relationships >> Parenting >> Babies & Toddlers >> Toddlers

My Account
Post Books
Wish List
Bookshelf
Member Tools
Under the Hood
Newsletter Archive

Search for a Book
Browse My Favorite Genres
Advanced Book Search
Book Browser
Club Tag Cloud
NYT Best Sellers
Newbery Medal Winners
Pulitzer Prize Winners
Books Posted Today
Award Winning Books
Mobile / PDAs

Help Center
How to Swap Books
Ask the Librarian
Live Help
Browser Test
Feature List

Community
Spread the Word
Widgets & APIs
Feeds RSS/XML
Box-O-Books
Discussion Forums
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Company
Press & Media
Pulse of PBS
Contact Us
Careers
Privacy & Security

Sister Sites
SwapaDVD.com
SwapaCD.com

Back to the Top ↑

Tell a friend about this book...

Search - 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

Top Member Book Reviews

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews