Your Fussy Baby

If your new baby cries inconsolably for many hours a day, take heart. The soothing help you need is here. Renowned pediatrician Dr. Marc Weissbluth knows firsthand how stressful life can be for a sensitive, fussy newborn—not to mention the child’s frantic, exhausted parents. His own firstborn, like more than a fifth of all babies, was a colicky child, causing him and his wife to suffer many sleepless nights. Your Fussy Baby is Dr. Weissbluth’s gift to other sorely tired mothers and fathers, written to help them comfort their newborns without disrupting their own lives. Even extreme fussiness, he says, is not dangerous and usually stops when the child is about four months old. In the meanwhile, however, life can be tough for the whole family. But whether your baby cries for as long as eight hours a day, suffers from gas, refuses to sleep, or all of the above, Your Fussy Baby will gently guide your little one—and you—through this mysterious phase of infant growth. Inside you will discover • Why your baby cries so much: The most up-to-date research, including some fascinating possibilities that researchers are just beginning to explore. • Dangerous myths about fussiness: Facts and fiction about diet, mothering, proper medications, and much more that even your pediatrician may not know. • The emotional effects: Avoiding the guilt, anxiety, and frustration that having a fussy baby so often stirs up. • What to do when your baby fusses: Specific recommendations for what parents can do to minimize the distress that prolonged crying causes the whole family. • Expert, step-by-step advice on establishing healthy sleep habits for your baby. With this reassuring, down-to-earth guidance, you can help your fretful, fussy newborn to become the sweet, happy baby he or she was meant to be.

Perfect for expecting parents who want to provide a soothing home for the newest member of their family, The Happiest Baby on the Block, the national bestseller by respected pediatrician and child development expert Dr. Harvey Karp, is a revolutionary method for calming a crying infant and promoting healthy sleep from day one. In perhaps the most important parenting book of the decade, Dr. Harvey Karp reveals an extraordinary treasure sought by parents for centuries --an automatic “off-switch” for their baby’s crying. No wonder pediatricians across the country are praising him and thousands of Los Angeles parents, from working moms to superstars like Madonna and Pierce Brosnan, have turned to him to learn the secrets for making babies happy. Never again will parents have to stand by helpless and frazzled while their poor baby cries and cries. Dr. Karp has found there IS a remedy for colic. “I share with parents techniques known only to the most gifted baby soothers throughout history …and I explain exactly how they work.” In a innovative and thought-provoking reevaluation of early infancy, Dr. Karp blends modern science and ancient wisdom to prove that newborns are not fully ready for the world when they are born. Through his research and experience, he has developed four basic principles that are crucial for understanding babies as well as improving their sleep and soothing their senses: ·The Missing Fourth Trimester: as odd as it may sound, one of the main reasons babies cry is because they are born three months too soon. ·The Calming Reflex: the automatic reset switch to stop crying of any baby in the first few months of life. ·The 5 “S’s”: the simple steps (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking) that trigger the calming reflex. For centuries, parents have tried these methods only to fail because, as with a knee reflex, the calming reflex only works when it is triggered in precisely the right way. Unlike other books that merely list these techniques Dr. Karp teaches parents exactly how to do them, to guide cranky infants to calm and easy babies to serenity in minutes…and help them sleep longer too. ·The Cuddle Cure: the perfect mix the 5 “S’s” that can soothe even the most colicky of infants. In the book, Dr. Karp also explains: What is colic? Why do most babies get much more upset in the evening? How can a parent calm a baby--in mere minutes? Can babies be spoiled? When should a parent of a crying baby call the doctor? How can a parent get their baby to sleep a few hours longer? Even the most loving moms and dads sometimes feel pushed to the breaking point by their infant’s persistent cries. Coming to the rescue, however, Dr. Karp places in the hands of parents, grandparents, and all childcare givers the tools they need to be able to calm their babies almost as easily as…turning off a light. From the Hardcover edition.

Parents of fussy babies hear these kinds of remarks all the time. Faced with a baby who demands to be held, nursed, and comforted much of the time, new mothers may begin to doubt their own intuition, even as they long for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. The first edition of The Fussy Baby, published in 1985, helped parents think about their demanding babies in a new light. These are children with high needs, children who are smart enough to ask for the high-quality caregiving that will help them develop their full potential. In this revised edition, attachment parenting experts William and Martha Sears bring new insight to the tried-and-true advice that has worked for so many families over the last two decades. Look for new information on colic (the "hurting baby"), gastroesophageal reflux, and the challenges of breastfeeding a fussy baby, along with updated references, reorganized chapters, and lots and lots of mothering tips. The Fussy Baby has carried many a family through trying times with a high-need infant. This new edition brings that tradition of sensitive, intuitive parenting to a new generation of caring mothers and fathers. Book jacket.

The best-selling authors of The Baby Book (Dr William and Martha Sears) have created a supportive and practical guide to coping with difficult and fussy children. The book contains proven methods for dealing with a multitude of difficulties you may encounter. Parents of fussy or difficult children, take heart, best-selling childcare experts William and Martha Sears have written a book just for you. Drawing on more than twenty years of paediatric practice and their experiences with their own high-need children, they provide: - Creative ways to soothe a fussy baby - Information on medical causes of infant fussiness - from infections to food sensitivities - Effective ways of coping with common high-need personality traits and behaviour - Proven strategies for discipline - getting connected to your child early, providing structure, setting limits, knowing when to say yes and when to say no - Tips on learning how to talk and listen - Real-life stories and advice from parents of high-need children In The Fussy Baby Book Dr. William and Martha Sears acknowledge the difficulties you face but show you how responsive parenting can turn these challenges into advantages for both you and your child. The Searses prove that difficult children can provide the most rewarding parenting experiences of all.

Helps parents identify the cause of a baby's suffering, and discusses colic, allergies, and getting through difficult times with a restless infant

With decades of expertise as a pediatric gastroenterologist and a pediatric occupational therapist, the co-authors have helped thousands of parents soothe their high-needs infants--improving attachment, sleep, feeding, and overall quality of life for the whole family. Parents will learn possible causes of their baby's crying and ways to help, including information on reading their baby's cues, attachment, infant massage, positioning, and nutrition. Additional chapters address postpartum depression--especially critical when coping with colic--and what to do when colic extends beyond 6 months of age.

For generations, doctors have been diagnosing babies with colic, offering little comfort and few solutions to worried, weary parents. But recent medical advances made through cutting-edge technology now reveal that many if not most cases of colic are actually caused by acid reflux. In this revolutionary book, Bryan Vartabedian, a noted pediatric gastroenterologist and the father of two babies with acid reflux, provides hands-on, practical advice about this hidden epidemic–and how to make your own baby happy again. • Recognize the seven signs of reflux in infancy. • Discover the role of milk protein allergy–the other colic. • Learn what, when, and how to feed an irritable baby and the best positions for sleep. • Recognize the role of formula, breast milk, bottle systems, burping, and pacificers in your baby’s fussiness, and irritability. • Understand when and why your baby may need testing for reflux. Weigh the pros and cons of available treatment options. Identify when a specialist is needed and where to find one. Complete with inspiring real-life cases of colic solved, plus tips, sidebars, and illustrations, this essential guide provides real answers to a problem that has been upsetting babies–and parents–for years. Help and hope are at hand! “This is the book for every parent whose young baby is a ‘bundle of misery,’ in pain, and hard to feed, and for that baby’s pediatrician, too.” –Laura Nathanson, M.D., F.A.A.P., author of The Portable Pediatrician “Great news for exhausted parents and for suffering babies! Colic Solved gets to the root of what is making many babies cry, and offers powerful, real-world solutions. This is a must-have book for desperate parents everywhere.” –Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, author of From First Kicks to First Steps and founder of DrGreene.com

"This is not a book about how to make your child into a genius, however. We firmly believe that every child is unique and intelligent in his own way. It is a book on how to understand and cope with your baby when he is difficult and how to enjoy him most as he grows. It is about the joys and sorrows of growing with your baby."--Publisher's website.