The Happiest Baby on the Block

The Happiest Baby on the Block – Harvey Karp

Every parent of a newborn knows the feeling: the baby is crying, and nothing seems to help. Pediatrician Harvey Karp believes there is a reason, and a solution.

In The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer, Karp explains his theory of the fourth trimester. Human babies, he suggests, are born a few months before they are fully ready for the outside world. Many fussy babies are simply missing the soothing sensations of the womb, and parents can recreate them to activate a natural calming reflex.

Karp introduces the five S’s, a set of techniques designed to do exactly that: swaddling, side or stomach position (for holding, not for sleep), shushing, swinging and sucking. He explains how to perform each step correctly, how to combine them for best results and how they can help reduce crying and improve sleep.

The book also covers colic, the reasons babies cry, safe sleep practices, feeding and ways for parents to care for themselves during the demanding early months. Karp’s warm, reassuring tone and practical approach have made the method popular with parents around the world.

The Happiest Baby on the Block is an invaluable guide for new and expectant parents, grandparents and caregivers. It complements, but does not replace, advice from pediatricians, especially regarding safe sleep.