The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old by Harvey Karp


My rating: 1 of 5 stars
The farther I got in this book, the less I liked it. Many of the authors methods - like "Patience Stretching" - are very manipulative. He even admits that it may seem like teasing, but he says that because a toddler's brain works differently than an adult's, it's actually an effective exercise. This guy does not follow Attachment Parenting at all, and a lot of what he advocates just makes me uncomfortable.

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Things to Do with Toddlers and Twos by Karen Miller


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book gives some great ideas for activities to do with kids. It seems specifically written for day care centers, but most of the activities can also be done at home. There's also great advice on how to interact with kids and build their creativity. I especially like that there are recipes for homemade finger paint and play dough that cost a lot less than store-bought. Some of the activities are things that parents would most likely come up with on their own - playing with pots and pans, drawing, sand and water play, filling and emptying a bucket, blowing bubbles. But there are lots of new ideas as well, so this book is definitely worth checking out. Best of all, most of the activities don't require a lot of set-up - I hate it when I have to take 20 minutes to prepare an activity that only holds my daughter's attention for 5 minutes!

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