According to pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp, toddlers are like pint-sized cavemen: “they walk like cavemen, they talk like cavemen, they go ape like cavemen.” Undeniably true. Trying to reach a toddler in the middle of a meltdown using a calm, logical voice is completely futile. Instead, Karp suggests becoming an ambassador from the 21st century to the little Neanderthal by speaking his language. Communicating via the “fast food rule” and learning “toddler-ese” (repeating back the child's wishes in simple phrases and mirroring the child's tone of voice and expression), parents can join the child in the jungle and then lead him or her back to civilization. Parents following this method for a week or two experienced a success rate of 50-100% in reducing tantrums, and even those at the low end reported shorter duration, severity, and frequency of fits. Karp, also the author of The Happiest Baby on the Block (video reviewed in VL-11/02), has been featured on CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, and other mass media outlets, so expect patron demand. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (R. Reagan)
The Happiest Toddler on the Block, Vol. 1
(2004) 38 min. VHS: $18.95, DVD: $25.95. The Happiest Baby (dist. by The AV Cafe). PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 0-9721795-5-0 (vhs). Volume 19, Issue 5
The Happiest Toddler on the Block, Vol. 1
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