Yes, you may be a parent who ends up with a perfect, quiet, charming infant who sleeps through everything and coos when he/she is awake. Many of us aren't so lucky, though. And if you're in the latter group, you MUST get this book. (Better yet, get the dvd. Who has time to read with an infant? And mom, dad, even grandma, etc can watch at the same time.)
There's no pretense here. No philosophizing. Karp explains simply that for many babies, they struggle through the "4th trimester" and need the extra comforts that you can give them. (This is not just preemies or kids who had trouble in the womb or getting delivered. Could be any baby. Any.) He tells you EXACTLY what to do and how to do it. And IT WORKS.
Our son was an angel until we hit the 3-week mark. Then boom, suddenly he was crying whenever he wasn't sleeping or eating. Constant crying. Killing-every-last-nerve-at-the-top-of-his-lungs crying. After returning from my first trip to the store and finding my husband in pieces because my son had screamed for the whole 3 hours that I'd been gone, we remembered that someone had recommended that I buy the HBOTB dvd. In desperation, we pulled it out and watched. We shushed and swaddled and rocked the baby exactly as shown/explained.
1) Again, it works...
2) ...but it may take some time to get it right. The right angle to hold the baby. The right way to swaddle. (We used the Anais + Aden (or whatever they're called) gauze wraps but later, we also used the swaddle-me velcro types. Both work great.) The right shushing sound...
3) ...which for us, turned out to be a hairdryer. Stunning. It worked so well that we put them in every room. I even packed one in the diaper bag from time to time. (I worry that I hurt his hearing or brain or something b/c we used it so often, but I figure that crying 16 hrs a day couldn't be healthy either.)
4) And last thing: if you find yourself in the situation where these techniques are needed, Karp's book lets you know that no, you did not do anything wrong. You are not to blame, and you are not bad parents. The person who lucked out with the perfect infant angel is not a better mom or dad who is more capable than you. Simply, your baby needs the comfort and you have the ability to provide it. He gives you confidence and hope (which is hard to find when you're feeling so desperate for yourself and so sad and concerned for your child).
IMO, this is a great thing to have even before you have a kid (whether it's your first or 14th) because the techniques can be used even for the perfect angels. But if you're reading this because you're at wit's end and wondering what you're doing wrong... this book/dvd is probably your answer.
Good luck to those who are going through this. Our son grew out of it around the 4 mos mark and has been that perfect, nary-a-meltdown kid ever since. I often feel like it's earned having spent so many days and nights swaddled baby in one arm and hairdryer in the other. I have no idea how we would have gotten through those months without HBOTB. (p.s. posted the same for the book)
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
|
VHS Tape
November 30, 2004 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $2.60 | — |
|
VHS Tape
March 18, 2003 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $17.77 | — |
Watch Instantly with 
| Rent | Buy |
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Frequently bought together
$5.98
Get it as soon as Monday, May 13
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the manufacturer
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ex Machina | John Wick | John Wick: Chapter 2 | Saban's Power Rangers | |
| Customer Reviews |
37,698
|
21,594
|
17,642
|
5,266
|
| Price | $19.99 | $10.73 | $11.99 | $17.99 |
| Our 4K releases | ||||
| Format | 4K, NTSC, Widescreen | 4K, NTSC, Widescreen | 4K, NTSC, Widescreen | 4K |
Reviews with images
ANYONE can learn how to comfort a crazy crying newborn with this video
17 months in and I am still so grateful for the methods in The Happiest Baby on the Block I buy it for all my pregnant friends. They showed a clip from this video in my labor class when we practiced swaddling. I had read the book but being able to see Dr. Harvey perform the actions all together made it so much easier and attainable for my husband and I. Our son has always been pretty happy but this helped a ton when he was a newborn and breastfeeding all the time. The soothing methods helped both my husband and I because it gave him a way to soothe and comfort baby so I could get a break. My husband got so good at these methods I even would pass baby off if I couldn't get him to stop crying!TL;DR: Great resource especially to help loved ones soothe a baby if breastfeeding mom needs a break. Good visual explanation of the book.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2012
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2023
Top reviews from other countries
Charismacka
I wish I'd known about this before my baby was born
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2014Mag. Petra-Sophie Streitenberger
absolut bereichernd
Reviewed in Germany on May 30, 2010