5 comments about Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook.

1. This book has some useful information but it doesn't fit the bill as an emergency book because much of it includes things like recipes which you cook in an 350 degree oven - which you may not have in a true emergency. Also, there are a lot of charts that look good but really don't help that much. 9 pages on the use of honey seems a bit much too. Resource section lists lots of resources but closer examination shows that many aren't geared to individuals or only carry one item for emergency use.



2. The publisher, Gold Leaf Press Says: Basics has sold over 350,000 copies. Concerns about the Year 2000 computer bug, unexpected job loss, volatile financial markets, and natural disasters such as severe storms have made home storage and preparedness a current topic all across the country.

   Making the Best of Basics has been the home storage and preparedness bible for a generation of readers. With over 350,000 copies sold, Basics is the most comprehensive single volume available on in-home storage.

   Making the Best of Basics has been updated for the '90s and offers the average family a manageable and effective plan to enable them to live on resources in their own home in a near-normal manner for up to a year. Basics includes chapters on storing and using (including 200 recipes) everything from water, wheat, and dried fruits and vegetables to vitamin supplements to maintain your family's health and emergency sources of fuel and energy.

   Basics is an excellent and proven source you can use to prepare for an uncertain future.




3. If you're like I was, you're looking through the various disaster preparedness books wondering which one is best. I have worked my way through 7 of the most popular books and offer a shared review of all of them here. I hope this comparison helps you make a decision.
   
   Book 1: Crisis Preparedness by Jack A. Spigarelli
   Like many of the disaster preparedness books, this one begins by answering the question, "Why bother being prepared?" It also outlines a framework for being prepared that includes accumulating supplies, getting mentally and physically prepared, and having your finances in order. One thing I particularly liked was the emphasis on the importance of knowledge. It wasn't just about what items you need, but also what skills and knowledge you should develop. But this book is mostly about food preparation for a major disaster, with emphasis on having a year's food storage, milling your own grain, growing sprouts, home canning, dehydrating, freeze-drying, etc. There are detailed tables showing the calories of various foods including their protein, fat, and carbs. The final third of the book offers advice on other topics, including weapons, hand tools, clothing, energy, medical, sanitation, transportation, communications, and home preparation. The book concludes with a list of recommended books and a brief listing of companies that sell disaster preparation items. Overall, this is a very good preparedness book. I probably should have given it 5 stars, but I thought it went a bit overboard on the food plan. That said, it is the most comprehensive of the preparedness books.
   
   Book 2: Preparedness Now! By Aton Edwards
   This is another thorough disaster preparedness book, one that focuses more on emergency situations (fire, chemical attack, etc.). It is organized into brief chapters (some only a few pages) on a variety of important topics, including: water, food, shelter, sanitation, communication, transportation, and protection. It is also filled with many packing lists detailing what you should get in preparation. It introduces the e-kit (a very lightweight kit to keep with you) and grab-n-go bag with more extensive items. Final chapters of the book discuss various possible disasters, including earthquakes, tsunami, infectious diseases, chemical and bio warfare, crime, fire, and extreme weather. Some of the commentary is a bit questionable, but the technical content is good. Note the deficiency with this book is that it does not offer any detail on food storage.
   
   Book 3: Disaster Preparedness for Dummies
   First of all, this isn't a book. It's a DVD video. I wasn't paying attention when I bought it, and was a bit surprised when it arrived. I generally like the Dummies series. They are well researched and serve as a good summary. This DVD offers a lengthy video discussing many disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, etc.), briefly outlining how you might prepare for them. It also has an overview of how you should react in case of a terrorist attack (nuclear, chemical, and biological). But the advice is all very general, and is more like what you'd expect to hear from your local weather station. For example, the video repeatedly advises you to "stay calm" and "evaucate in an orderly fashion." The videos are high quality, but don't expect detailed outdoor survival tips or food storage suggestions. Everything presented is relevant and useful, but it feels more like a FEMA public service announcement.
   
   Book 4: Emergency Food Storage and Survival Handbook by Peggy Layton
   This book is broken into six main sections. The first section offers decent but very incomplete summaries on preparing for short-term emergencies. The second section discusses how to store and purify water. The third part talks about the logistics of setting up a food-storage program, and has some suggestions on how to store food. The fourth section details what types of foods you should store. The fifth section has blank inventory planning pages. And finally the last section has some recipes. About half of the 285 page book is either blank planning pages or simple recipes. The first half of the book is pretty good stuff, but I found this book to be incomplete. It does however offer some good advice on food storage.
   
   Book 5: Organize for Disaster by Judith Kolberg
   This book goes an entirely different direction than the other preparedness books. Emphasis is on understanding the federal resources (i.e. FEMA, Red Cross, etc.) available, creating a personal intelligence network, organizing essential documents, maintaining insurance coverage, listing a home inventory, preparing your house for disaster, basic first aid, and having a good family communication plan. There is also a good list of necessary items to have on hand that would suit many common disaster. I recommend this book for its common-sense look at disaster preparedness. However, it is not the only book you would need, because it doesn't detail food storage, water purification, heating, etc.. That said, it covers some topics that the other books overlook.
   
   Book 6: Making the Best of Basics, Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage Stevens
   This book is almost completely about in-home food storage and preparation. There is little discussion outside that (except for basic water issues). Many chapters discuss food in significant detail, to include things like grains, recipes, preparing sourdough breads/biscuits, dairy products, honey, sprouting, drying of fruits/vegetables. At the end of this book is a huge compendium of preparedness resources, telling where things can be purchased in every US state.
   
   Book 7: No Such Thing as Doomsday, by Philip L. Hoag, revised in 2001
   This book offers well-researched insights into disaster preparedness. Topics include water, food, heating/cooking, light, power, communications, medical, sanitation, and security. Those subjects are well done. However, much of the book reads like a bit of doomsday prediction, with many pages devoted to scaring the heck out of the reader... focusing on missile attacks, chemical dangers, nuclear war, radiation, decontamination, communist threat, etc. For me personally, I would have like to see more pages devoted to likely threats (e.g. hurricanes, floods, earthquake, blackout, fire, etc.). Also note that Amazon may not carry the latest version (updated in 2001), so you may want to buy directly from the author.
   
   Overall, if you can only purchase three books, I would recommend Book 5, Book 6, and either Book 1, 2 or 7. With those three, you should have a balanced look at common sense organizing, food storage, and emergency items to have on hand. If you can buy only one book, I recommend Book 1.
   
   I've created a useful disaster preparedness list for your automobile on my Amazon author blog (just click on my name above the review). Also, you'll find a link to purchase a fully assembled auto kit.
   
   Written by Arthur Bradley, author of "Process of Elimination" - an intense thriller in which a martial artist, a greedy corporate attorney, and a conspiracy theorist try to stop a world-class sniper out to shape the next Presidential election.
   
   Please be kind enough to indicate if reviews are helpful.



4. This book puts it all together very nicely. It helps you organize and understand everything from emergency preparedness to long term stoage. If you had to pick one resource to rely in such matters, this would be it.



5. I bought this book because I am interested in long-term food storage, and most of it is about food, but it is not necessarily about food storage. There are a lot of recipes in here. Why I don't know. The thing that puzzled me was if you are reading the book to prepare for some emergency, how is it helpful to have all kinds of recipes for things where specific cooking temperatures are required, like bake at 350F for 30 minutes? I could see putting in recipes if they were for things you could throw together on a camp stove. But from what I could see, these were regular recipes. If I had known how many there were, I would not have bought this book.
   
   A good part of the book is composed of urls to sites that could easily be found on Google. They are for shopping for your Y2K supplies. I kind of wonder how much of survivalism is really just shopping, only for guys. The book contains glossy color ads for companies that were obviously selling a lot of freeze-dried meals to people scared about Y2K in 1997. It is weird to look at them.
   
   Some of the recommendations seem kind of foolish, like getting a Coleman lantern or socking away lots of batteries when you can get crank lamps and such. Others were I thought good, like to stock up on charcoal and get a hibachi.
   
   Generally a mixed bag, more mixed than I would have preferred.

5 comments about I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World.

1. I have read a lot of these types of books since we are white and my son is African American. Great book for people preparing to adopt transracially. Gives you a lot to think about and prepare for. I think it's the best of these books.
   
   I have also read the very popular "Inside Transracial Adoption" and this book takes a much more positive spin. I found the other one to be somewhat depressing. This book is much more hopeful and helpful. I consider it a must read if you are considering adopting a child of a race different than your own.



2. This book was one of the worst I have read. As a transracially adopted person, a parent with a white partner and multi-racial kids, a teacher, and a diversity director, this book is misleading. It gives teachers of young children an excuse to not talk about race. This attitude silences children. It also gives them a message that there is something wrong with race. Do we not talk about gender at an early age, hair color, eyes. Let's get all these "researchers" to live, be in and run a classroom over time. There is where your research is. White parents, don't be fooled by this book. She is making money off of your need for eduacation.



3. We are adopting kids from Ethiopia, so I got this for my wife to read. She absolutely loved it. Not sure if it was due to our situation or if she would have loved it anyway. Brings up interesting points about inter-racial adoptions. She is recommending it to our friends and family as an good read.



4. Wow, the title alone is a turn off for me. As a biracial individual, I am little offended at the simplification of racial-identity as ice cream flavors. There are no how-to's for white parents raising Black children. It's complex and often painful, and that's what white parents need to know going into this.



5. Althought this book is titled and covered as a black/white book, it actually helps parents understand any child of a race different than white. We have an adopted Chinese daughter and it has enlightened me in many ways.

5 comments about The Big Book of Small House Designs: 75 Award-Winning Plans for Your Dream House, All 1,250 Square Feet or Less.

1. The book have a lot of good ideaas for how to draw / design houses. There is a lack of pictures of the actual solutions, in order to give a good idea of how the the solutions actually work.
   Jan T.



2. Be warned. This book contains only 2D home plans. Their are no photos besides the one on the cover.



3. I knew the book wouldn't be a great resource but I thought it might have some reason for having been published other than the author and publisher just trying to cash in on the "not so big" / "green" trend.
   
   There is really no redeeming quality in this book. Most of the houses are severely outdated and are poorly proportioned. Except for one or two, they don't even look designed by an architect, they just look like run-of the mill cracker boxes, some with poorly planned additions. There's no useful information on how to best economize space or anything. The "design" information is useless because the illustrations are so bad they are painful to look at. Some are so muddy, it looks as if the book were published using water damaged drawings and a broken Xerox machine.
   
   I apologize for not editing this review, but this book has already wasted enough of my time. If you're looking for something more current, try James Grayson Trulove's 25 Houses Under 1500 Square Feet. It's more design oriented, even if does have a lot of filler. It's not a 5 star by any stretch of the imagination. At least his illustrations are legible and the photos make the book look produced by professionals that actually care about design and architecture.



4. When I buy a book I either want to learn or relax. In this case I wanted to learn and had to really concentrate because of the lack of pictures in it. Great plans, great book but the lack of pictures makes it difficult to read.



5. The type and drawings in this book are so small you need a magnifying glass to read it. This book might be more suited to the classroom.

5 comments about Design Directory of Window Treatments, The.

1. Fast and simple, my title says it all. The book is well worth the cost, with wonderful sketches and terrific organization.



2. Fabulous! Most comprhensive in the window covering industry. Which does make it large and heavy. Highly recommend this book



3. I am an interior designer with a start up company. The Design Directory of Window Treatments is an absolute much- this is an invaluable tool to someone who really needs assistance with window treatments. The CD is also a great tool. I could not be happier with my purchase!



4. Clear illustrations. I think about every type of window treatment is covered. Can help maximize sales with customers. A must have for all Drapery Professionals and Designers. No more misunderstandings between customer and designers. Can hardly wait for Jackie's NEW bedcovering book to come out next year. I will be one of the first to buy it.



5. I've been making window treatments for about 6 yrs and I have to say that this is my favorite book by far of all the window treatments books that I have purchased. Not only does it give all sorts of great information its sketches are sooo creative. I find designs in this book that I have not seen anywhere before. A must have for all workrooms!!!

5 comments about Creating a New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home (American Institute Architects).

1. This book was very interesting to look at. The pictures were great if you like old style homes. The title is deceiving. I was looking for a more modern looking style but this book is still a looker but if you're looking to modernize an old home, I would recommend Colonials: Design Ideas for Renovating, Remodeling, and Building New (Updating Classic America) by Matthew Schoenherr.



2. When building our new house; we turned to this book for inspiration.
   The brand new homes in this book feel rooted to the ground. They have quirks and nooks like an old house full of character would have.
   There are rooms with a brick wall, hinting at an addition built on over time, although it's a new house.
   The subtle character that gives an old house its charm, is on full display with this beautiful book.
   I couldn't recommend this book more!



3. Great book on how to update older or run down homes. The pictures are beautiful. It is a book on fine taste in home building.



4. My husband and I are just beginning the process of building a custom home, and this book has been a wonderful resource for me. It is helping me to learn what it is that makes an old home feel so established, and how to achieve the same permanence in a new structure. The photos are gorgeous, and the accompanying text is useful (unlike the frou-frou text of many home design books). If you don't mind that all of the homes were clearly built with extravagant budgets, this book provides fodder for beautiful fantasies...and some nuggets for inclusion in a more modest home, as well.



5. My husband and I are thinking about building a colonial revival home. I was hoping this book would give more examples of what it really takes to make a new house old. What I found was that there was one BRIEF example of each different architectual style with a very general description. There wasn't much to sink our teeth into. The pictures were pretty, but
   the information was too general.

5 comments about Kid Cooperation: How to Stop Yelling, Nagging and Pleading and Get Kids to Cooperate.

1. I dont know how to thank the author but she did a great job in this amazing book,she has mentioned almost all of the problems im facing with my 5,3 and 2 year old kids...and she knows exactly how a mother can feel and how she acts and at the same time she gives amazing ( i tried most of them) solutions..its one of the best book i have ever read and i highly recommend it to every parent.



2. I highly recommend this book. Very helpful, especially for those parents that fail to be consistent and "go with the flow", failing to create strong rules and a loving, solid discipline.
   This books acts a self-confidence booster for parents, offers very empathetic advice when it comes to parental anger, and actually gives very practical tips and hints to deal with misbehavior.
   I love the humor and the bright, positive thinking that fills up the book, and I really appreciate the fact that Pantley also addresses other side issues like marriage skills and parental self-esteem.
   Overall a great book.



3. I found this book to be so helpful in raising my grandson. It has been and is a refreshing way of dealing with childhood again.



4. Non-judgmental and very honest style of writing. The tools in the book brought immediate results.



5. This book is wonderful. I have started recommending it to all of my friends. If you can read only one book on parenting, this is the one to read! When you read it you will learn about different parenting styles, their effectiveness or lack there of and a new way to create a happy loving and peaceful family life where you can get your children to cooperate and act as they should.
   
   I am the mother of a 3 and 7 year old. My kids go to bed easily and on time, are polite and well behaved when outside of the house, but at home is another story. Overall my kids are pretty well behaved, but at home we have to ask them/tell them things multiple times until we ending up yelling at them, are plagued by emotional outbursts and temper tantrums, back talk, whining and have a hard time enforcing some key rules. Lately I have taken to watching those nanny shows to get tips on what to do. My kids are not at all like the kids in the shows but I had found a few tips that I have applied at home.
   
   But when I read this book it was if I had an epiphany. This book was clearly written and easy to understand. It unravelled all of the mysteries of why my kids act the way they do and what to do differently to fix it. I learned that I was using at least two ineffective parenting styles and if I just adjusted what I was doing I would be much more effective. It gave tons of useful tips and approaches to use in all situations. The parenting style is kind, effective and helps your children grow and become self reliant to boot. I think it would work for all ages and the book addressed all ages needs and how to modify accordingly.
   
   I have already started to see the effect in my kids behavior and it has even started to improve my marriage (partially thanks to the one chapter on the parental relationship). I can't wait to see where we are in a month or two, but I know the book has profoundly changed the way I parent and I have already seen some results and can't wait to see more!

5 comments about Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of.

1. To heck with "going green" - Manmade Global Warming is utter nonsense (or explain why the icecaps on Mars are melting, too...) I use the shower-head cleaning technique to make sure I am getting the maximum force out of my environmentally hostile pulsating showers. This is a fun book, and you will be amazed at how versatile the product is. We're fans of apple cider vinegar, by the way.



2. A very interresting compilation of recipes. I have tried several already and i was extremly pleased with the result.



3. I just love this book. So easy to read and find stuff your looking for. I had no idea vinegar was so awesome. After reading this I became a vinegar addict and use it for all sorts of stuff. Well worth the money, especially if you are interested in cleaning without using harsh chemicals.



4. I don't know who has all the time it takes to figure out all these great uses for vinegar but better them then me! If you want to be an organic or green cleaner, this is a must have book. I bought this and the book about Baking Soda. I'm happy to add this to my home green cleaning book collection.



5. Most people would be surprised at the number of uses for vinegar and this book helps by providing many. From marinades to drain opener to insect stings to fabric softener, this book is a great reference work that should be included in any household library.
   
   Vicky Lansky's other publication, Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun & Frugal Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of is another book that offers great suggestions and makes a wonderful companion book to this one.

5 comments about The Only Wiccan Spell Book You'll Ever Need: For Love, Happiness, and Prosperity.

1. This book is very useful, and definitely helpful for those who are new to Wicca, and those who have practiced it for years.



2. I bought this book for my daughter who chosen the wiccan path. She really enjoys it almost as much as I do being a green witch. She said it is great for those who are new to the craft as well as to those who have been practicing it their entire life. I often see her reading this book when I go to visit her, infact she has opened it so much that the cover is wore out!



3. Just when you think every possible book on Wicca had been published already.Along comes this fine book on Wiccan spells and interpretation.This spellcraft book is ideal for camping sabbaticals and day-hikes in the wilderness.It's not weighty enough for a serious ponderous look.Yet,it can not be dismissed as a feather-weight either.You can't even use it as a 'Pagan Breviary' really.You can use it as quick resource for your heathen inspirations and ideas for Wiccan devotional ritals.Do yourself a favor,and read a copy of this excellent wicca-craft book.Bright Blessings & Blest Be!



4. It seems to me that magic is just another form of positive affirmations/prayers/spiritual practice. I enjoyed reading this and still refer to it every now and then.



5. It's great wiccan manual for spells, solitAary wicca as well as you can
   find many useful tips and explanations for starting with wiccan rituals.

5 comments about The Difficult Child: Expanded and Revised Edition.

1. Some kids are just upset from day one. Frantic me wonders what have I done wrong, how can any baby be so touchy? As she grows, she hates the feel of the tags on new clothes, loud noises, big groups of children, changing routines, hurrying, unexpected events...the list goes on, you get my point.
   
   I picked this book up years ago based on title alone. And thank heavens I did. Dr. Turecki relieved my guilt, gave me a plan about how to cope with her tears (and mine!), AND a way to change her behavior. This book was a lifesaver. I recently gave my treasured copy once again to someone who needed it; she cried when she read it, with relief and recognition. I told her to keep it; my daughter's grown, successful, and no longer difficult at all!



2. Over 23 years ago, I was the mother of a difficult child. Literally, since the day my daughter was born she had a difficult temperment. I was exhausted by her behaviors and felt I was a bad mother. Somehow I found this book and I was finally able to understand that I was not a failure as a mother and my child was not possessed by the Devil. I learned that she was born with an under-developed nervous system and I was then able to understand her sensitivity to her surroundings, textures of clothing, food, etc. I learned to work with her temperment, not against it. What a relief!
   
   My daughter is now 27 years old. She is a beautiful, intelligent, and "well-behaved" young lady. I have learned to love her for who she is and we have a wonderful relationship. I am very grateful for the advice I received in this book.
   
   I did a search for this book tonight and was so pleased to find it. I am a mental health counselor and today I met with a young woman who is suffering depression following the birth of her 3 month old daughter. As she sat before me in tears, she began to describe the behaviors she is struggling with in her infant: cholic, unable to sleep for more that 2 hours, appearing to want to eat every two hours, not wanting to be put down, preferring to be carried, and crying, crying, crying. When I shared with her my very similar experience and what I had learned in this book years ago, she immediately appeared relieved. Someone knew what she was talking about! I am buying another copy of this book tonight to share with this young mother.



3. I have for many years suggested this book to families I work with. Dr. Turecki's book has been a mainstay in the popular work on temperament. He is faithful to the original work of Thomas and Chess regarding the traits, and the need to look beyond the behavior to why the child is responding in a certain manner in different environments.
   
   I find that he is more realistic about how extremes of the individual traits can make a child vulnerable to different disorders than some other authors I have read. He has some good suggestions on how to approach traits that are creating stress for the child or adults around the child.
   
   While temperament is a good foundation for understanding how children process their world, it is not the end all of how to work with children with special needs. They add another dimension of how they interpet the world which has to be added to the temperament profile. This is where some of the newer titles on children with special needs can be helpful



4. Excellent book for "any" parent, not just one with issues. Written in simple terms and easy to follow instructions. One of the best educational books on parenting that I've read.



5. Often I find that the universe seems to hand me just the book I need when I need it most, and this would be case in point. By the time my daughter was two, I'd worked my way through stacks: the high-need stuff, the strong-willed stuff, the highly-sensitive, the challenging, the high-I.Q., the out-of-synch, the spirited--so much, yet I stopped short of reading "The Difficult Child" because I decided, after reading a couple nasty-spirited books, that I wouldn't read anything with a negative title; semantics mattered, and "challenging" was OK, but "difficult" was not. Ironic, of course, given the fact that Turecki's approach is admirably complex and quite brilliant on temperament, compassionate, humanistic , and attuned to children as individuals. So I was stuck with the marshmallow fluff of "Spirited Child" instead of this meaty one, which of all the books I've read, seems best to "get it" in a wholistic sense. Turecki gets it! He gets that temperament is present at birth; most books on discipline refuse to discuss the child under six, which mystifies me, because if you have a truly challenging child, you're desperate before they turn 6 months. He understands the social isolation, the family complexities, the ever-augmenting dimensions of irony and complexity and difficulty, the maternal and marital pressure. So why did I finally pick up this book? Upon the birth of a second child, I no longer had the leisure of my idealism; if there had been a book titled "Coping With Your Spawn of Satan" I would have picked it up--if I'd had time to read.
   
   Here's why this book is a real "dragon-slayer": Even the most un-neurotic, level-headed, intelligent parent--who knows better!--will at times question whether her robust yet difficult-to-raise child is perhaps brain-damaged (that glass of Champagne I drank at my cousin's wedding during the first trimester! Heavens!), suffering from an undiagnosed mood disorder, in need of special education or therapy or medication or acupuncture. Turecki begins his book with a quiz based on the following tempermant traits: high-activity level, impulsivity, distractibility, high-intensity, irregularity, negative persistence, low sensory threshold, initial withdrawal, poor adaptability, negative mood. I rated my daughter as moderate to extremely high in all categories, which would make her a mother-killer, and that's not including something Turecki leaves out--intellectual giftedness--which adds another dimension.
   
   Here's why I'm glad I didn't read Turecki's book when she was a baby: I adopted an "attachment parenting" philosophy in reaction to her extreme difficulty, including co-sleeping, extended and on-demand breastfeeding, complete access to my person (in six years, I've not been apart from my daughter for an over-night or even more than a few hours). I got into it; it expanded my consciousness, you know, John Holt saying, "Listen to your child as you yourself were not listened to," and the idea that meeting the deepest needs of babies with a YES means their deepest needs are met for a lifetime. I was deeply transformed as a person and mother; if I'd had tools to maintain control--Ha!-- perhaps that wouldn't have happened. And here's what happened: it worked! Attachment parenting worked so well, in fact, that rather ironically, my daughter's difficulty was masked from all but those closest to her, which in a way added to the insanity of the situation my husband and I found ourselves in, as we were worn ragged meeting the needs of our sensitive tyrant, who just seemed shy and sweet to others. Turecki's book is divided into two parts, the theory of temperament (my favorite) and The Plan, which I would have hated when my daughter was a toddler; I'd probably have thrown the book across the room. Though Turecki tries to remain neutral, he's clearly baffled by the "attachment" folks. I still believe in that stuff, but I also believe in change--children grow, and new ways of relating need to come into being in response.
   
   My daughter recently started elementary school in an accelerated public school classroom, which is highly-structured, disciplined and small. I didn't hope for much and saw it as the least bad of bad choices...but my daughter...loves it...and seems to be thriving. I'm baffled, especially as preschool was a nightmare of separation anxiety, topped off by a round of observations by our local special ed program, as the teacher wondered if my intense, creative, brilliant child, who refused to make eye contact with her or speak to her, might be autistic. So, I'll explore Turecki's methods, which are behavioral, tempered with knowledge of temperament, and which emphasize the importance of structure for the child with a difficult temperament. Here is my point: implementing such structure simply would not have worked when my daughter was a baby. I found Turecki's chapter on infants laughable, though I think he's right that colic is temperamental in origin. I likewise found his scenarios/profiles demonstrating how to implement consistent, effective response a bit simplistic. But I am inspired about the possibilities of regaining authority, maintaining neutrality and distancing myself from negative patterns.

5 comments about The New Contented Little Baby Book.

1. You'll love it or hate it and that's a fact, but I think those that have written poor reviews of this book have taken it too literally or not read it thoroughly.
   
   Admittedly it's written utterly rigidly, but truly, it contains nothing but great advice which I've found to be near perfect for my breast fed son (7 weeks old at time of writing) who is thriving... as am I! I think rather it is the nature of this kind of book which requires it to be written as it has been, and it is up to the reader (who if I remember rightly has their own mind!) to interpret it and apply/adapt what is useful to them.
   
   A gift from my sister, I didn't even look at the book until 2-3 weeks into motherhood and breast feeding when the lack of routine was sending my crazy. I had been noting my son's own 'schedule' but couldn't see any real pattern to it all, but after looking at the routines Gina suggests I could immediately see how, with a few gentle tweaks, J would be right on track for a great eating and sleeping routine.
   
   I then went back and read the whole book rather than just looking at the suggested schedules and actually found Gina's methods to have more flexibility in them than a first glance suggests. Plus, as Mum, I know I can read my son better than anyone or any book, but Gina's advice has helped me understand J and his sleeping/feeding patterns better, and certainly has been far more helpful than any other book I've read (and that's quite a few!)
   
   Since staying loosely (J always gets the final say of course!) with the routine, J and I are both doing well, sleeping well and feeding/lactating well. This book kept me sane when everything felt like it was going to pot.
   
   I have docked one star purely for the fact the book is written so rigidly and would do better to include more clearly how you might adapt the suggested schedules to work for you, since clearly some readers struggle to do so.



2. After 7 months, our Attachment parenting baby was getting crankier day by day, as were we, given that she would wake up at 5 am in our bed and want to play.
   
   At 9 months, we started implementing Gina's routines. ZOMFG! My happy girl was back. I think she was suffering from chronic sleep deprivation. She naps now easily twice as much as she did when she was six months old.
   
   How many people who have negative reviews here have actually TRIED the routines on a baby? Hmmmn? Very few, I bet. It worked for me. It might for you too.



3. I am a mother of beautiful 4 month old twin boys and have been following Gina's methods (the twin version)since the boys were 3 months (when I found out about the book). I wish I had this book from their birth- it helped me become more confident as a mother and my babies are happy and very healthy. The small sacrifices you have to make to keep the babies on schedule are worth it. Prior to purchasing this book, I felt like I was going crazy-feeding and pumping constantly, getting no sleep,and being cranky with my cranky babies. Please take the dr.'s comments w/ a grain of salt- every book I read by a dr. who is an "expert" has different advice, and I usually get another opinion from my own pediatrician (who recently told me to start the boys on solids despite others' recommendations to wait until 6 mos.). As a CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST, I recommend this book- children need routines, it helps them spend more energy on important things like developing thier minds and body.
   
   I may be a little more schedule orientated since I have twins and routines are a necessity, but I think this book is great for any mom.
   
   Thank you Gina



4. I thought this book was great. After reading several books and websites as much as I could before and after my baby was born they all just say don't try to do any type of schedule for the first 3 months and no help on how often to express milk or anything just feed on demand. I was not liking that thought and wanted to make sure my baby got enough milk and wanted to figure out how to build other activities into our lives without making things too difficult. This book has a schedule that is pretty tight in it but I used it as a guide. When we were not doing anything or were struggling with sleeping at night or something we tried to stick closer to it and it helped us figure out when the baby was tired, hungry or what. The rest of the time we loosely followed it and still do. My baby is 7 1/2 months old and I feel that this book is a great resource for those who need help getting their babies to sleep more or plan around naps or introducing solids slowly and carefully. If there is any advice you don't like in it, just don't do it. I think there's lots of advice that almost anyone could use if they don't view it as an all or nothing thing.



5. We were very grateful to this book for helping us to establish a schedule for our baby early on. He is so deeply entrenched in the routine that when he is off schedule his entire personality changes. On the schedule is indeed a contented little guy. Now he is two months old and unfortunately we are still not able to get him to sleep through the night, albeit he is only waking up once a night now. There were pieces of advice that did not work for us, like not changing the baby at night or waiting several weeks before introducing the bottle. Basically, this book was a good guideline and served as a nice base to start off with for us. I would definitely recommend it to other new parents. So far we have seen good result with my son and my cousin's daughter, so we have an n of 2.
   I will say that in the beginning, when he was less than a month old getting him on the schedule was very tough (he just did not want to be awake in the daytime). So don't be discouraged, stick with it, getting the baby on a schedule is so WORTH it.