Trees Make the Best Mobiles: Simple Ways to Raise Your Child in a Complex World

by Jessica Teich, Brandel France de Bravo

Overview

Books like Simplify Your Life and Don't Sweat the Small Stuff have encouraged millions of readers to slow down and enjoy life more. Now, Jessica Teich and Brandel France de Bravo help new parents- who barely have time to return a phone call or wash a sock- learn to do less, listen more, and spend focused, fruitful time with their children. Practical and fun to read, Trees Make the Best Mobiles urges parents to treat every task-even diapering and feeding-as a chance to connect with their child, and gives calming advice about hot-button issues from pacifier use to temper tantrums. Parents will be relieved to discover that they don't have to buy lots of stuff-a tree outside a baby's window can serve as a mobile-or shuttle kids from one activity to another. In fact, in today's hectic, high-speed world, children need less "stimulation" and more unhurried interaction with the people who matter most. The authors call their approach "present parenting," because they believe being "present in the moment," without resentment or distraction, is the greatest present any parent can give.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312303259
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/21/2002
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Jessica Teich is a journalist and filmmaker.

Brandel France de Bravo is a poet and health educator. Both are mothers of young children and long-time students of RIE, a unique method of infant and toddler care.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	xiii
	Preface	xv
	The anatomy lesson: changing a diaper	1
	I want to be alone: the need for solitude	4
	The long and the short: the "real" quality time	7
	Baby talk: speaking to your infant	10
	Safe at home: keeping your baby safe	13
	Thumbs up: pacifiers and thumb-sucking	17
	K.i.s.s.: choosing toys	21
	Just (don't) say no: empathy	24
	You're only a baby once: developmental milestones	27
	Hickory, dickory, dock: predictability and routine	30
	It's all relative: coparenting	35
	Unplugged: television and videos	39
	Do as i do: setting an example	41
	More k.i.s.s.es: creating a soothing environment	43
	Brain aerobics: offering choices	45
	Food fight: feeding your baby	50
	Being there: slowing down and doing less	54
	Body language: active teaching	60
	Be a believer: having faith in your child	64
	Baby steps: following cues	69
	The apple and the tree: respecting your child's choices	73
	Walking the walk: learning to walk	77
	Octopus mom: setting priorities and simplifying your life	81
	In loco parentis: finding a caregiver	85
	If it ain't broke, don't fix it: baby gear	92
	Mind over manners: etiquette	96
	It's my party and I'll cry if i want to: temper tantrums	101
	Ashes, ashes: telling the truth	105
	Seen and not heard: learning to listen	108
	Mirror, mirror on the wall: seeing, not judging	114
	The committee of sleep: getting your baby to bed	117
	Take my wife, please!: sharing	123
	Thought for food: focusing on food	128
	Days of whine and roses: whining	133
	Potty on!: learning to use the toilet	136
	The color of water: recognition versus praise	142
	Crime and punishment: discipline	145
	Sticks and stones: teasing	150
	Carpe diem: flexibility and cooperation	154
	Playing for keeps: the benefits of free play	158
	Sound and fury: spanking	163
	Keeping the peace: siblings	168
	The real stuff: tv, computers, and books	174
	Footprints: the search for identity	182

Editorial Reviews

Moms-to-be Gwyneth Paltrow and Heidi Klum are gaga for this back-to-basics childcare guide.” —US Weekly

From the Publisher