Family: February 2008 Archives

New York Times: Tara Parker-Pope - Coping With the Caveman in the Crib

Pediatrics professor Harvey Karp, the "Baby Whisperer," is now advising parents on how to have the "Happiest Toddler on the Block": "Dr. Karp notes that in terms of brain development, a toddler is primitive, an emotion-driven, instinctive creature that has yet to develop the thinking skills that define modern humans. Logic and persuasion, common tools of modern parenting, 'are meaningless to a Neanderthal,' Dr. Karp says.... But Dr. Karp's method of toddler communication is not for the self-conscious. It involves bringing yourself, both mentally and physically, down to a child's level when he or she is upset. The goal is not to give in to a child's demands, but to communicate in a child's own language of 'toddler-ese.' This means using short phrases with lots of repetition, and reflecting the child's emotions in your tone and facial expressions. And, most awkward, it means repeating the very words the child is using, over and over again."