I love having a newborn, but there is no question that it is one of the most intense experiences you ever go through in life! Caring for the needs of a tiny baby, especially while having your body adjust from being pregnant and giving birth, can be really challenging. I'm always happy to find something that helps that remarkable time be a little more peaceful — and The Happiest Baby on the Block does just that.
The Happiest Baby on the Block movie is an excellent and effective overview on enjoying the early months with a content newborn.
I read The Happiest Baby on the Block when Asher was a baby and I used the techniques with him and all my babies since then. But getting the The Happiest Baby on the Block movie was really an eye-opener. It was incredibly helpful. Though I still think the book is a good read, I highly recommend the DVD if you are expecting or if you have a newborn.
Seeing is Believing
The Happiest Baby on the Block was written by Dr. Harvey Karp, and Dr. Karp walks you through the DVD.
Dr. Karp himself is wonderful for harried parents because he's calm and confident — even with wailing babies all around him! As he shares on the DVD, he's been helping parents soothe babies for years and has a lot of practice with the techniques he shows. You'll gain confidence from watching him soothe the babies. The best thing about the DVD: you can watch it over and over until you feel like you've mastered it for yourself. I watched it several times in Honor's first few weeks!
Dr. Karp goes through each of his “5 S's” — five soothing techniques that will help you take your baby from crying to calm. Here they are:
- Swaddling
- Side Position
- Shushing
- Swinging
- Sucking
You'll get a complete explanation and a demonstration of each of these (with real babies, not dolls). It's amazing to watch the babies on the DVD go from crying, wailing, and fussing to calm and happy — even sleeping!
The most amazing thing, however, was watching the same thing happen with my little Honor. The “5 S” techniques were especially effective with Honor in the early weeks after her birth. I think Honor's “favorite S” was Shushing — she truly loved and calmed down to hearing white noise.
Dr. Karp also tackles tough questions like “can a baby be spoiled?” You'll like the answer 😉 Real parents share real feelings on the DVD, which is helpful and validating.
He does use pacifiers in the video, but you don't have to. I use nursing as the “sucking” part of the 5 S's (and on occasion we used a clean finger).
I really like his gentle, yet effective approach to really helping babies settle. I really like that it keeps babies happy and keeps parents sane! The newborn time is such a time of change… it's especially hard with a baby who has trouble settling. It's almost as good as a “hands on demonstration” to help your little one settle. Click Here to get more info on The Happiest Baby on the Block.
