Parenting Family Books

Unlike some other reviewers, when I was pregnant I found WTEWYE to be a great resource to figure out what on earth was happening inside and throughout my pregnant body. The book is well-indexed and the format of following the chronology of the pregnancy let me access the information I wanted as it pertained. I am a biologist, so I know that my body is made for pregnancy, etc., but I also have a relative who had a very difficult birth and now has a severely handicapped child, so I wanted all the information I could get my hands on to give my baby the "best odds". Almost every time something new happened (like my first Braxton-Hicks practice contraction!), WTEWYE had a reassuring--to me at least-- explanation. Those reviewers who felt that this book made them paranoid and anxious and guilty, well, perhaps that just means that they learned something! I do like that this edition has a different cover design; after about a week, we made a paper-bag cover for it like we used to do with our textbooks in elementary school.

Carries information about pretty much everything you'll want to know about. Written in a straight-forward, often funny way. Includes stuff for the father too. This book used to be given out at my doctor's office to all expectant moms. They switched to a different book when they discovered just about all of them already purchased the book.

I bought this book because it's supposed to be the pregnancy 'Bible'. It's pretty complete, but I found the tone way too cutesy and patronizing. It gets a bit annoying after a couple of paragraphs.

This is a great book to have when you're expecting! I used a former edition with my other pregnancies so I was already familiar with the series. I needed an updated version to use especially with all the changes there are now. This book should not be used as a substitute for a doctor but it's terrific when your doctor refers to something and you can reference it in the book. As to the comments that this book will scare a pregnant woman - it has a wealth of information in it, which not all of it applies to every pregnancy. I would rather be informed and knowledgeable than never have known. I highly recommend the book!

During my first pregnancy, I received three copies of this book from friends who had had babies. I consumed it, reading every word on every page. And then I WORRIED. What if I wasn't eating right? What if one of the complications listed happened to me? What if my placenta is in the wrong place?! I was a neurotic mess. The more I knew of the various possibilities within my pregnancy, the more worried and neurotic I became. I eventually passed the three books on to a thrift store. Five years later I was pregnant again. No one gave me the book. I missed it--I wanted to know how big my baby was each week, what I should be doing, what I should be watchful for. I couldn't remember anything I had read last time. I went out and bought the book. I no longer worried. I read it all again. It was a wonderful way to focus on the pregnancy, my body, the baby. It was just what I needed.

We have a simple household. We don't do much. Which makes things this book suggests hard. From what I gather, this book is based on activites your child enjoys being taken away or put off until the task you've asked to be done (and you tell them only once) gets done. I actually have to put things in our schedule to make that happen! Even then, my kids don't care. So where's my pull?

The hardest part is homework. (And since school just started, this would be the best time for this.) My daughter isn't doing work at school or at home right now. What she doesn't get done at school is supposed to get done at home, hence homework. But I tell her to do her work, she doesn't do it, it goes back to school and the teacher doesn't do a thing about it. So now what?

I'm ready to throw the book out and go back to pushing my kid to do things. Anybody have suggestions?

Very useful info. And it works. My 8 year old eats his supper instead of picking. My 18 year old realized what we said went. Its hard to remember to stick to your guns, as it is so easy to give in..but the end is worth it!

I have four children one of them a very rebellious teenage girl. A friend of mine recommended this book to me and I'm so glad I ordered it right away. It has helped me see the mistakes I've been making like repeating myself to her, and doing too much for her that she can do herself. It has given me tools to help get through to all my children. I've finally taken my parental power back where it belongs! It's work but well worth it! I've highly recommended this book to friends and family!

Since reading this book and putting the principals into practice I have received many comments about how the kids have really "matured lately". My children and I have noticed our relationships have improved not only between us as parent & child but also between them as siblings. This book was such an easy read in respect to principals, sometimes not so easy with regard to conviction of bad parenting habits, but all in all I have and will continue to recommend this book.

Dr. Kevin Leman's approach can help you turn over a new leaf in the relationship between you and your child(ren). The two most meaningful lessons I learned were A must be completed before B can happen and to let natural consequences happen. Dr. Leman gives many examples in his book to guide almost any situation you may have. However, I realized that it's MY attitude that had to change the most for success to happen.

I was very aprehensive about this book, until 2 different friends recommended it. I read it in one day (it's an easy read) and loved it! It has helped me make my marriage a happy one, indeed!

Everyone has heard that opposites attract, but then how do these two opposites communicate after all the excitement has worn off? I learned that my love language was quality time talking together and my husband's was words of affirmation. I would have never figured this out on my own. I have been giving this book as a wedding present because I realized that young couples need it as much as couples who have been married 25 years. I've been told that it was the favorite gift one young couple received!

A great book to help understand expressing love, or at the very least a way to get one to actually become more mindful in a loving relationship.
I am looking forward to reading the singles edition. I would recommend this book for all who are interested in learning about "love" and how to express it and how to read your partners expression of it. If I had read and practiced what this book teaches, I know my love life would be very different now.

Great book. I highly recommend it. One of the best relationship books out there. A must read. It is a short, quick read.

My ex (note ex)and I went to a marrage counselor and she recommended this book. It resulted with him buying me things (gift giving) and asking if I needed anything at the store (acts of service). My ex was very content thinking he was following the book and making things better and it gave him the excuse to avoid the real problems. Neither the counselor or my ex listened to the real issues and couldn't understand why things wern't getting better. People should raise their standards and not marry anyone who doesn't know the ridiculous basics in this book....be nice. It kept us from getting to the real issues but I had nice gifts by the time I'd had enough and left.

This book describes an amazing way of thinking about weight control for your kids. Not necessarily by giving up eating out, but learning to make better food choices both at home and at restaurants. The author's point out that making smart food choices is all about having the knowledge. This book can help you to help your children make better choices.

This book definitely gives you the inside look at the nutritional value of foods in your child's favorite eating joints as well as advice on what to choose when they are facing a variety of options.

I plan on keeping this copy handy for both my shopping trips and at restaurants. It is a great reference. And it's not just for kids...this book helps me as well!

This book is terrific like the adult version. It is a great help for kids to look for themselves at how to make wiser choices without just hearing from their parents. Also, many people are on the run and don't take the time to read labels, so this is helpful to carry with you to make wiser choices. Carry it in the car so your child can choose before you order fast food or restaurant food. Kids love to make their own choices and they feel good about themselves when you trust them to make a wise choice. The price is right for something that can help cut calories with small incremental changes.

I received this book as a gift from someone who knew how much I liked the first one - and this one is even better! It's bright and clear and easy to understand, and gives great suggestions for making healthier options appealing to kids. My little one isn't quite on solid food yet, but I can't wait to use all this info with her as she grows up!!

This book is amazing. I thought I knew something about nutrition, but this takes it to a whole new, shocking level. The best part, the pictures make it easy for my 5 year old son to understand what's healthy, what's not. A cereal that he loves is on the "NOT" page-- he refused to eat it. I felt guilty for even offering (I swear, I didn't know.... the sugar looked okay compared to the others... there was fiber... ).

Loved it, loved it, loved it. They should give it out at the hospitals before handing you the baby!

The only down side-- you will feel horribly guilty for a few days.

Readers familiar with the popular Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! will find this book similar in format- except this time the content is aimed at kids.

The book consists of seven chapters. Here's a brief rundown of what you can expect from each:

-Chapter 1 covers "8 rules of kid's nutrition" which includes such advice as "never skip breakfast" and "snack with a purpose"

-Chapter 2 discusses choosing the right foods at fast food restaurants such as Arby's or Applebees

-Chapter 3 talks about "menu decoding". Since the book can't cover every restaurant you'll ever eat at, it teaches the reader how to read a typical menu- what to look for, what choices to make. It does this by going over general menus of Chinese restaurants, Mexican restaurants, etc.

-Chapter 4 goes over making proper buying choices at restaurants. Here the reader is taught how to read labels.

-Chapter 5 covers eating at schools, which means, of course, the school cafeteria. Vending machines choices are also included because most schools (unfortunately) have them.

-Chapter 6 discusses eating at home. A nice touch here is the sample menus and recipes.

And last but not least, Chapter 7 talks about exercise. Included are sample activities to keep your kids fit. I personally suggest trying a pedometer- kids like to fiddle with them and counting steps is fun too.

All-in-all, I found this to be a great little book and actually quite fun to read with its many pictures. With this kind of knowledge in hand, the only other obstacle a parent faces is to get their kids motivated to do what they know is good for them.

I love the book, very easy to follow and so far it is helping. Although my daughter will not eat anything green so some ideas still would not work.

I originally bought this book because my nephew just loves brownies. He eats them for breakfast and snacks. So, I wanted some healthy recipes for him. After going through the book a little, I realized this would be a great cookbook for me as well being that I have high cholesterol.

This concept is great to me--love the idea of fortifying foods to make them better. We need more of this in our American diet that largely lacks good nutrients--both for children and adults.

I made the brownies as the first recipe thinking this would be the best place to start. They looked good, smelled good... and tasted absolulely nothing that even resembled chocolate. We were baffled. We had to actually spit them out.
I thought they would be somewhat tasty... afterall, they're brownies!
I am willing to try another recipe to see if this cookbook can redeem itself. We'll see. So far, though: yuck.

I can't believe there is so much bickering behind the concept of this book. What's so terrible about getting extra nutrients into kids' food? I think some people here are completely ignoring the blatant fact that the author says she still puts vegetables on their plates and wants them to eat them. She isn't saying just cook these meals and voila, they got their daily servings! I just don't understand why everyone is so uptight about putting some pureed vegetables into food. As long as you're still trying to get the kids to eat whole vegetables, it's not all that "deceptive", it's just smart.

I for one don't have kids yet, however, the "kid" I do have is my husband. He grew up eating a lot of food out of boxes and canned vegetables, and unfortunately never really grew out of those eating habits. He turns his nose up at most cooked vegetables that are fresh, which infuriates me. So I bought this book mainly to have some basic recipes around that I can at least get some extra nutrients into him when I can, and he knows all about it. The vegetables he destests most are broccoli and cauliflower, so I made a point to try those first. So far I've only tried the mac and cheese (the 1st version), the chicken nuggets, and the tuna salad. The mac and cheese was a bit pasty, but for some reason tasted a lot better and creamier the next day reheated. The nuggets were great, and the tuna did indeed taste like regular tuna (not even a hint of cauliflower), so we were both thrilled. This weekend I'm hoping to try the turkey chili and the infamous brownies. If this is what it takes to get my "kid" to eat some more veggies, so be it. I'm glad I have this book now so that when we start a family in the near future I'm ready to cook for them!

I found this cook book to be a great way to make healthy meals and snacks for kids and the whole family. My husband and I love the pancakes. It got my creative juices flowing and now I have found that I can make healthy meals for my family without a lot of fuss. You can sneak healthy veggies into almost any meal. So if your in a rut like I was on how to make healthy meals that the whole family can enjoy, this is a great book to buy.

I purchased this book for my niece and she not only said it was extremely helpful for their family in making decisions about immunizations but that their doctor had heard great things about it and definitely intended to read it. My niece was thrilled to receive this book.

very helpful book . read more than once. Deciding to vaccinate your kids isnt neccessarily a yes or no decision. I feel much more educated about my decisions after reading this book.

This is an unfortunate attempt to exploit the panic and fear regarding childhood vaccinations. The author has done no scientific studies himself and selectively references studies that are poorly done or taken out of context. He also suggests complicated vaccination schedules that have not been researched to demonstrate their efficacy or lack thereof. I suggest every physician who is struggling with parents refusing to protect their children by vaccination read this book (get a used copy) in order to counter Dr. Sears arguments. The CDC and AAP have much better information on their websites regarding vaccines, and I refer parents to those sites for information as well as handing out a comprehensive information booklet to them. This is yet another economic exploitation of the Lunatic Fringe.

This is a great book because it is neither for vaccines nor against them-it just presents as much information as possible and leads the reader to his or her own conclusion. Now I feel a bit educated on the issue when my son's pediatrician presents his "convincing" side of the story (pro- all vaccines).

The most helpful parts of the book are Dr. Sear's Selective & Alternative vaccine schedules. This informs parents of their options besides (1) getting all vaccines on the AAP's schedule, or (2) declining all vaccines.

This book compiles information that is a good beginning when trying to learn about vaccinations and whether or not they're right for you and your child. Not the difinitive guide though.

This book is the 1st book you should read when coming home from the hospital (or shortly before having the baby). I had a very fussy baby and the soothing techniques shared in this book are an amazing education on how to care for a fussy child when nothing else works. The results are immediate. This book gave me the knowledge that boosted my confidence and made me more capable of caring for my child.

Pros- Invaluable soothing techniques and easy to understand definition on colic
Cons- None

I bought this book when I was still pregnant and did my best to get through it. That was difficult because it is incredibly repetitive. I don't need to be told something multiple times. He could tell you everything once and this book would be much more useful and only 10 pages long. I already knew the basics and thought this book would enlighten me. It didn't. It bored me. And, as it turned out, my son wasn't a crier so the information in it was completely useless to me. If you already have a colicky infant and have tried everything else, you might consider this book but otherwise, I'd save yourself some money and avoid it.

I have no idea how come so many intelligent people like this book and talk about it like it's the discovery of the century. There is ONE idea in the book (the fourth trimester) and one practical set of advice summarized in 5 words: swaddle, swing, shush, side and suck. The rest is fluff. The whole amount of information could have been fit on one index card, no need for a book.
Maybe the structure of the book works best if you are reading it already sleep deprived and your brain cannot handle complex sentences and you actually need all that repetitive stuff.
So, bottom line: swaddle your child, stick a pacifier in his/her mouth, rock the baby in your arms and sooth him/her by shushing (I really don't buy the author's suggestion that a roaring vacuum cleaner is the next best thing to the noises of the womb).

I was disappointed in this book. All it has to offer are the 5 s's which don't take up a whole book to understand. Additionally, if you've taken a child birth class you were most likely taught the 5 s's. Not worth the money. Very wordy and low on information.

I bought this book with a bunch of other books, I'm due in two months so I haven't actually tried any of Dr. Karps techniques but the book was super easy to read, and had some really interesting techniques that I'm dying to try now! :-)
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially for first time parents.

I highly recommend this book (which was recommended to me) It points out destructive patterns of speech and interaction we have with our children (of all ages) and how to improve our parenting skills. Awareness is the first step to doing better, but not only does this book tell you what you can improve, it gives plenty of stories/anecdotes, visual examples in the form of cartoons and a QA-like section for each chapter. It's really easy to apply to real life!

This book is an invaluable resource and every parent should read it. We all say that a child should come with an instruction manual - well, this book is just that! I would highly recommend the active listening and talking techniques to anyone with children. The skills that are taught can transform a bad behaviored, ill-tempered child into a good kid with little effort. Wonderful Book!

"Describe, don't evaluate."

That was probably the most helpful information FOR ME in the book. If I could have given this ten stars I would have. It really forced me to examine how I was speaking to my children. This is definitely the kind of book you want to buy and not borrow---it's easy to slip back into old habits and you'll want to reread some sections frequently.

My son has gone tantrum free for days now. Un-freaking-believable!

Note that this book will not tell you how to discipline or punish your child. Nor will it teach you how to "make" your child "mind you." This book WILL teach you how to engage cooperation without disrespecting your child. The skills taught here will take a lot of practice. It may be several weeks before results are apparent. My son is not an "easygoing" child, but this book has changed our relationship. I now have read it several times and continue to re-read it whenever my son goes through a transition. The skills taught are simple but they really work!

when you start using the methods your life changes! I did it with my 6 year old and so far it changed our lives! a must read!

This book is the best baby book available. It not only guides you on sleeping but eating and any other questions you may have. My son was sleeping through the night by week 11 and I didnt read the book until he was 6 weeks old. Very easy to implement. I buy this book for all my pregnant friends and the most recent has given birth and by 10 weeks her son was sleeping through the night. Yours will too if you just follow the guidelines.

I bought this book along with several others while I was still pregnant. I read all of them before my son was born. I am glad I did. I also read 12 Hours Sleep by 12 Weeks Old and with the two books, I had a plan for my son. By 8 weeks he was sleeping 5 hours a night. By 12 weeks, he was sleeping about 12. He is now 6 months old and has a wonderful sleeping, playing and eating schedule. He is curious and on, or ahead of, all of the developmental milestones. I am constantly being told how "lucky" I am by other mothers with babies my son's age. I don't think it is luck at all, I think it is what I learned from the book. With everything, you will have to read it to decide if it will work with you and your values. It did with me and I'm glad because I have a beautiful, happy, thriving son and I give a lot of credit to what I learned from this book.

I was recommended this book by several people whose babies slept through the night as a result of the scheduling that is layed out in this book. So for that I gave this 3 stars because I know it works for some people. I did try this method for a while but it just didn't work for my son. Actually as a result of the more sleep that the book suggests (more napping) my son woke up much more during the night. I was convinced that all the people who recommended this book to me couldn't be crazy so I stuck with it for quite some time before I realized that it just wasn't going to work for us and that I needed to read my sons cues and not go by a formula. My 3 month old began developing his own schedule once I gave him the freedom and didn't try to force him into my schedule and it's worked out much better for us. He naps less often than the book recommends for his age. Also because my baby would spit up so much I had to begin feeding him before his nap times in order for the food to settle in his stomach and then I would feed him again after he woke up but much less. If I fed him an entire meal right after he woke up he would spit up atleast half of his meal. So for those of you who have babies who spit up a lot try doing wake/ eat/ activity/ eat/ nap. Also this book says that in order to get a baby to sleep longer at naps cut back on his wake time. This has worked for many mom's. BUT This backfired on me - I had to lengthen his wake time in order to get him to sleep longer on a nap. I have used some of the recommendations in this book though - for instance, atleast having some sort of schedule has been helpful for me. And also putting him to bed and waking him up at the same time each day is very helpful.
Remember though that your baby is an individual and what works for some babies may not work for yours! ... and that's OKAY! Follow your maternal instincts..

Every day that my child did not sleep through the night after reaching 12-13 pounds, I bought another book with sleep advice. This is the fifth and final book that I bought. Every friend I recommend it to is incredibly grateful and I am forever grateful to the friend who recommended it to me.

My wife and I are were very skeptical about this book, especially after reading all of the negative stuff on the net. But after hearing some rebuttals by people who actually read and used the book, we decided it couldn't hurt to read it.

After reading it, we decided to give it a try, with our radar on full alert to anything that might rub us the wrong way. Long story short: we don't know what we would have done without this book. True, we had to slightly modify the method for our baby (something the author encourages), but by 4 months our son was sleeping through the night (from 8pm to 8am), taking nice naps in the day, and eating (breast feeding)... all more or less on schedule. It was like a miracle.

We happen to have a bunch of friends who had babies around the same time, give or take a year. Most of them are what you'd consider "hippies" (heck you might consider US hippies too), and all of them are followers of the "attachment baby" method of parenting. For those of you that don't know what this is, do a Google search. Since they tend to be very judgmental about other methods of raising children -especially of the "BabyWise system- we largely kept kept the details of many aspects of our parenting from them. They eventually found out that we weren't co-sleeping or "wearing" the baby 24/7, but that's about all they knew. They certainly were wondering why our baby was sleeping through the night at 4 months, while their much older babies were waking up many times throughout the night. Maybe they also noticed behavior differences in our son, but we never really talked about it.

Suffice to say that my wife and I are soooo happy we went this direction.

People always comment about how happy and personable our son is. He's full of love, and positive energy; and he seems to be just well-balanced and strong for his age. And my wife and I couldn't be happier or more well-rested. :)

This book was so helpful and amazing. I was definitely skeptical in trying it out with my rambunctous 2.5 year old. He is extremely active and LOVES to do the opposite of everything I say! It worked like "Magic" and now we are both enjoying eachother's company much more!

My husband and I found ourselves at a loss in how to handle our high spririted toddler. This book gave us a consistent strategy and confidence in dealing with challenging situations.

I'm amazed by some of these negative reviews. I wonder if they read the same book I did or just skipped whole sections. Plus, many of them are clearly operating under the Little Adult Assumption (see chapter 3).

My 4yo took a while before he got it (we started when he was 3), and he tested me every conceivable way. Some days he still does. It worked for my 9yo (8 at the time) in one day. Those who have said it shouldn't be used with older children don't realize that by the time they are 9, they catch on and you barely ever count them. And what does all this order and peace in your home provide? Hours of peaceful playtime to spend with your children during which they can respectfully express their feelings, without attacking or blaming whether positive or negative. My children and I get along better than ever because I am no longer screaming at them and they are clear on what my expectations are.

When you're at your wit's end and you buy this out of desperation, you will read through it in one day and get started, but I highly recommend that you read it again a couple of months later to be sure you don't miss relevant things - like "active listening," discuss discussions and counting attacks, etc., etc.

Happy parenting!

I bought this for my daughter who has a two kids, ages 2 and 3. The technique worked the very first day. It was amazing. Forget all the psycho babble that's so prevalent in today's parenting advice books. Kids want guidelines. If you don't give them that, clearly and consistently, they'll keep pushing, looking for those boundaries.

1-2-3 Magic has a very large following for good reason. For many children it is all the structure and expectation they need to know that their parents/caretakers will follow through with the previously learned consequence.

There is a caveat, however, for families with special needs children. This book needs to be modified to meet their needs. Your children may need to have visuals before hand to review what is expected. Visuals would include schedules, and social stories. Many children with special needs, be they be ADHD, LD, or in the autism spectrum, can not access this information readily, due to problems seeing the similarities of the current situation with previous ones. It is much like when my children were small, I taught them not to even consider asking for a treat in the checkout line of the grocery store. But when we went to Target or Wal-Mart they would beg. I asked them why and they said they were told not to do it at the grocery store but this wasn't the grocery store so it must be all right.

So I would say do learn the trategies, but realize that you will have to "make them your own" through modification to meet the needs of a special needs child who processes differently or slower.