The Happiest Baby on the Block; Fully Revised and Updated Second Edition: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer

Dr. Karp's approach to soothing fussy infants is not just a technique but a revelation, providing a compassionate and effective toolkit for calming even the most colicky babies. The book introduces the 5 S's—swaddling, side or stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking—as a gentle and reassuring method to replicate the womb environment. Dr. Karp's insights into the calming reflex and the fourth trimester concept offer a deeper understanding of newborn behavior. As a parent, I found the practical tips and step-by-step instructions immensely helpful during those challenging moments when my baby was inconsolable. The reassurance that comes with understanding a baby's needs and providing comfort in a way that aligns with their natural instincts is invaluable. "The Happiest Baby on the Block" isn't just a manual for calming babies; it's a guide to building a strong and nurturing connection with your little one. If you're a new parent seeking an empathetic and proven approach to soothing your baby, Dr. Karp's insights are a must-read. 📚👶💤✨

As a first-time mom, navigating the initial stages of motherhood felt overwhelming—until I found this book. It provided me with much-needed guidance and peace of mind at a time when I felt utterly lost. Motherhood is challenging, especially in the beginning when everything is new and you’re still getting to know your own child. This book became my go-to resource, helping to ease my anxieties and offer practical advice that I could trust. Because of how much it helped me, I now give this book as a gift to all my pregnant friends, confident that it will serve as a great guide for them as well. For any new parent feeling daunted by the journey ahead, this book is a treasure worth having.

This is an excellent book! My husband read this book before our baby was born. Although I found a synopsis to be enough for me (no need to read a whole book for five main techniques), as an engineer, he really liked understanding all of the "whys" behind the methods, and understanding the reasoning gave him more empathy for our baby. My husband started implementing the techniques in this book immediately in the hospital right after the birth, and they really worked! It was extremely helpful for his confidence as a dad and for my confidence in him / us as we started the adventure of parenting (especially when I was recovering from childbirth in those early weeks). We have continued using these techniques for months, and they make a huge difference. Sometimes babies get overly tired and don't even know why they are crying anymore, and these techniques help to soothe quickly to get down for a nap. Truly, I do not know where we would be without a good swaddle and turning our baby on his side while swaddled, because he can be losing it completely and then the swaddle / gentle bounce calms him down very quickly. The one thing I wish the book did mention but does not is that it IS possible for a swaddle to be too tight on the legs - the latest research shows that babies need room to bend and straighten their legs for safe growth of their hips, so it's ok to do a fairly tight swaddle such that their arms cannot escape, but there does need to be slack at the feet.

Not that I am hoping my baby will be a screamer, but if he is I hope that the lessons learned from this book will be put to good use. It’s a decent read in terms of learning actual techniques - hence the five stars - however its length is equivalent to being given a 2,000 word assignment and you reiterate the same five things four times in different ways.

As a new father with zero baby experience this book helped prepare me.

I don't know why I didn't leave a review on this book as soon as I finished reading it! My daughter was quiet for the first week home from the hospital, but along came week two and around 8 pm one night she began to cry, and this time it was different, we literally could not get her to stop. She cried until around 4 am, and I was terrified that we had a year of colic crying ahead of us, but prayed it was just a fluke and that the next night things would be different. However, 8 pm rolled around, the crying began, and we had a repeat of a night full of inconsolable crying. I had never felt such all encompassing exhaustion in my entire life and I just prayed that there was a book that would have answers for me. So the next morning I took to Amazon and began my search. After reading reviews I decided to give this book a try - the length was perfect, thank you Harvey for getting straight to the point and telling us exactly what we needed to know! I was able to implement the S's the following evening at 8 pm when the crying began and I believed with every fiber of my being that it was going to work - AND IT DID!!! Simulating the womb experience was exactly what my daughter needed to soothe her overstimulated little newborn nervous system and she calmed down in less than a minute and fell into a blissful sleep that lasted until her next feeding, after which we repeated the process and she was asleep again. She was sleeping through the night after a couple of months, and we continued to use Harvey's method until eventually she didn't seem to need it anymore. This book was a lifesaver, I have given it as a gift at every baby shower I've attended since I first discovered it, and I'll continue to give it as long as I live!! This book could just as easily be called Happiest Parents on the Block - I am so very grateful that I found it when I did!

If you are having a baby, you must buy this book. If you know someone who is having a baby, you must buy them this book and force them to read it (lol). But seriously, I would not have mentally survived the first three month’s of my baby’s life without the 5 S’s. It gave me control, confidence - “with these tools, I can get through this” was my attitude. And it WORKS guys, the 5 S’s work. Whether you use all 5, or use one and then add another if needed. Our boy is 4 months old now and doesn’t really need all the S’s anymore, but I still use them to signal sleep time and he loves it. Buy this book!!

So far, we love the book and the reaction of our two days old daughter to the 5 S’s. Had the book given to us by a friend of my partner’s I was somewhat skeptic about it because of the title. But in the end I’m glad I read it. It’s not as catchy as the title suggests: I don’t want the “happiest baby on the block”; just want a well-adjusted baby. And I feel that this book is a great way to achieve that. This is an evidence- and practice-based method that works great for us. Highly recommend!

L'ho comprato per fare un regalo, l'avevo già letto prima della nascita di mia figlia, lo straconsiglio

Life saver! All the advice worked like a charm and saved our sanity during the first few months of parenthood. Ever since every friend who is expecting for the first time gets this book as a baby shower gift from me.

So far it’s a very good and entertaining book abt babycare but it’s not as hands on as other baby books. I think it’s a good read but I wouldn’t recommend this as the first go to book. If you intend on buying only one or two baby books, this isn’t the one.

This is the magic trick every new parent needs. Definitely helped me through the first few months.