Happiest Baby on the Block
by Dr. Harvey Karp
Review:
“The Happiest Baby on the Block” is a very popular parenting book because it provides basic calming techniques for very young infants. While some of the principles of the book may be helpful for you and your newborn, we believe this book has a deficit view of children, and we recommend other resources that have a stronger image of children. There is a Happiest Baby DVD that can quickly introduce calming skills for your newborn, but we recommend that you avoid Swaddling, Swaying, Shushing, and Swinging techniques once your child is over 3 months. The Resources for Infant Educarer books provide more respectful resources for parents of infants who hope to have a collaborative household. We recommend checking out Baby Knows Best by Deborah Carlisle Soloman or Dear Parent: Caring for Infants with Respect by Magda Gerber
Challenges:
- Holds a deficit view of children, seeing children as incapable, less than, or not enough. These recommendations can really inhibit your ability to see your child as a whole person.
- If the S’s are used in older children it can build unhealthy calming strategies. We recommend diversifying your calming skills by three months.