The Happiest Baby on the Block - The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer (DVD)

Then I searched Amazon one night under "Colic" and found this book and video. Even though we have absolutely no time to read, we did watch the video (while she wailed). My husband tried the swaddling and shhing techniques that night and she quieted down after about 10 minutes. Now 1 week later she calms after 5 min or so AND she is sleeping 4 hours at a time. We feel great and she finally looks peaceful - and not agitated.

Both the book and video are geared toward the first 3 months of life.... and the notion that most babies 1st 3 months of life are really the 4th trimester in their developement. Our first child slept soundly from day one..... but we were blown away with this second one. Thank you Dr. Karp! We finally feel like humans again and the stress level in our home has dropped tremendously.


NEW solutions for crying, difficult babies   July 31, 2004
K. Corn (Indianapolis,, IN United States)
62 out of 65 found this review helpful

Raised 3 kids, thought I knew most of the techniques for ssothing babies, helping them through rough days (colic, teething, fussy times). But this video brings NEW research and tips to make life easier for parents of new babies...and if you're an aunt or grandparent, you'll learn something new too. SOme of the suggestions are simply amazing, making specific sounds gently into the baby's ears and seeing an instant, peaceful transformation.
Many of these suggestions come from looking at life from the baby's perspective and, in retrospect, seem like common sense (but not as easy as it sounds, otherwise there'd be no need for this video). Well worth your viewing time and could bring relief to many an exhausted parent (and baby).


Unbelievable: common sense solutions for crying babies!   September 23, 2003
Manny Hernandez (Palo Alto, CA)
25 out of 26 found this review helpful

Dr. Karp applied common sense to the "problem" of crying babies that most new parents face, by borrowing from traditions being used around the world to calm babies down as if you had "flipped a switch." He acknowledges the existence of a 'fourth trimester', i.e. the first three months of the baby's life and the need to use techniques to make the baby feel as in the mother's womb to calm him/her down, appealing to their calm reflex.

These techniques are summarized as the five S's: Swaddling (very tight, to resemble the tight environment of the uterus), Side or Stomach position (otherwise known as the football hold), Shushing (as loud as the baby cries), Swinging (making the head jiggle slightly, to replicate the mom's movements with the baby in her tummy) and Sucking (with your finger, or a pacifier in place).

As intuitive or odd these techniques may sound to you, you need to view this video: it will probably make the difference for you as it has for so many parents. As I write this, we're in our last couple of weeks of pregnancy, and we're ready to apply them to our upcoming baby boy.


Overly simplistic   July 3, 2005
M. Alexis Seguin (Neenah, WI USA)
21 out of 32 found this review helpful

I felt that this product tried to take advantage of the desperation and desire to do *something* that parents of colicky/extremely fussy babies experience. There are certainly helpful ideas for soothing babies- especially swaddling and the need for a bigger square blanket to get a really good swaddle on. But Karp makes his technique sound like a cure-all- one technique that fits every baby. It just isn't so. Every colicky/fussy baby likes something a little different and what soothes your baby may differ from day to day. The Karp method of loud "shhing" made our baby scream. She does initially struggle but then relax with swaddling and that has been our saving grace. I recommend that if you have a fussy baby that you do try swaddling, try white noise, try soothing repetitive noises, consider a pacifier (interfered with our babies nursing though), but that you don't waste your money on this book. Much better books include Dr Weissbluth's The Fussy Baby and Dr Sear's The Fussy Baby Book. If you do want to try out the Karp method, do purchase the DVD rather than the book so you really understand the technique. And hang in there, it really does get better. The more we learned what our baby needs to be comforted, the less she cried and the more we started seeing her sunny personality coming through... it will all be worth it in the long run!


Happy baby =Happy Parents   January 26, 2004
Deanine & Pete (Sagamore Hills, Ohio United States)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

Our 5 month old son has slept through the night since he was 6 weeks old and we owe it to Dr. Karp's techniques. The 5 S's work great...swaddling and shushing are our favorites. This DVD is a must for all new parents. Everyone says we are just lucky, that we have a good baby. I think we have a good baby because we utlized these techniques from the beginning. A well slept baby is a happy baby. Our son is truly the happiest baby on the block, and we are the happiest parents on the block! (And not sleep deprived!) Thank you Dr. Karp for making our first try at parenting easy! By the way, at 5 months he still sleeps swaddled.