Happiest Baby on the Block    Author: Harvey Karp

Saved our sanity the first night!, June 30, 2007
By S. Wilder "book lover" (MO USA)

It was the first night home from the hospital and it was 2 a.m. Our daughter woke up, I nursed her, and she would not, for the life of us, go back to sleep. Each time we put her in her crib she would wake up and cry. She cried, and cried, and cried (louder and louder and louder). We tried everything we could think of and nothing. So imagine a baby and two adults flipping through baby books (at about 3 a.m. by this time) trying to find something, some sort of indication, on how to stop this sound machine. Finally, we got to this book (of course it had to be the last book we grab) and found the magic spell. IT WORKED!!!! She went to sleep AND stayed asleep.

She's three now and I always recommend this book (plus the already made swaddlers) to all new moms. I did the blanket swaddle for a little while but then our dd figured out a way to get her one arm out -- never really good at it. A friend got us a swaddler and we loved it! With the swaddle and a wedge (it's suppose to prevent baby from rolling over but for us, it was a way to give her the feeling that she's being held) she always slept well.

I read comments on jiggling baby. It's not like your shaking the kid, you're just swaying/rocking. We also ended up getting a swing and she loved napping on it.

Our suggestion: read the book after you get it while you're still pregnant, not after baby comes home from the hospital at 2/3 a.m.

The miracle "off switch" for crying, June 25, 2007
By Brian A. Schar (Menlo Park, CA United States)

Our baby daughter is not colicky, but like all newborns has times when she's screaming like the world is coming to an end. Thanks to the techniques in this book, we discovered the position in which we can hold her, and the two other things we do at the same time, that shut down her crying within 10 seconds. Dr. Karp calls it the calming reflex, but whatever you want to call it, it allows the baby to calm down enough to eat (and hopefully sleep!). New parents will find this book well worth the money. And it makes a great baby shower gift!

The DVD is a great companion to the book, because you see visual and auditory proof that the techniques work, and you see a visual demo of proper swaddling technique. We have both and I'm glad we do.

I've got the Happiest Baby on the Block, June 19, 2007
By Jackie "Happy Mom" (Canada)

A must-read for all new parents. I read this before my son was born. As a result, while we were still in the hospital, I was able to soothe him based on what I had learned. This would be especially good for those with a colicky baby. We have the sweetest, mellowest baby, who has slept 7 - 8 hours per night since age 6 weeks old. I think this book helped from day one!