the Happiest Baby on the Block

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2013, and that i will have a child born in this year.

i've discovered i love reading books on babies and parenting much more than pregnancy. i'm "living the dream" right now being pregnant, so i guess that's why i don't feel the need to read about it. in all seriousness, i have had an absolutely wonderful pregnancy and can say that i will miss it dearly when Little Wood is here. of course i will be more thrilled holding her, but there's something almost holy about being with-child. i know i will forever long to feel her kick within me. anyways!

i received "The Happiest Baby on the Block" for Christmas and once i finished my 50 book challenge of 2012, was very eager to start this book. i've heard from several people how wonderful it is, and couldn't wait to start preparing for the wee babe (who will be here in approximately 7 1/2 weeks!).

this book is based mostly on handling a baby's "fourth trimester," aka, the notion that  most babies need an extra 3 months to truly adapt to being outside the womb, because much of their calming reflexes/abilities aren't fully developed. The author, Harvey Karp, M.D., explains his tried and true method of getting newborns and parents to survive the first 3 month's of life, crying, and sleeping. He breaks down the 5 "S's":

1. Swaddling
2. Side or stomach laying
3. Swinging
4. Shushing
5. Sucking

He goes into a TON of detail on each of these, as well as explains some background on how these methods have been used since the dark ages.  It was kind of surprising to see how Americans have tried again and again to change the way babies behave- typical. we think we can get anyone to do what WE want them to do . i would say the only thing that lagged a tad in this book was the repetition. he says the same thing over and over again. it was almost like reading someone's thesis, the way there was a topic sentence, historical context, testimonial, and then research for every section of the book. there are some appendices that i haven't read yet, but plan to once i get through my next book first. i'm running short on time here people!

regardless, i highly recommend this book and am looking forward to having the knowledge in my arsenal, should Little Wood be anything but a complete angel ;)