For despairing moms and dads everywhere, "Supernanny" Jo Frost may as well be wearing a Wonder Woman costume. Her no-nonsense rules--not tips, not advice, but rules--for consistently managing one's offspring leave no room for arguments (or wrestling matches). From her arms-akimbo stance on the book's cover, it's clear she's in charge, and ready to instruct all wishy-washy (overworked American) parents how to lay down the law in their own home. She offers her "top ten rules" for setting boundaries, managing mealtimes, even surviving toilet training, and it's mostly rock-solid, and peppered liberally with British wit. (For parents who obsess over their toddler's every meal, she warns: "It doesn't take long for them to work out the obvious: you can't make them eat.") Frost may not have a degree in child development, but she was raised in a stable, doting family, and has 15 years' experience taking care of tots, a combination which puts her way ahead of most parents. She may be firm, but by setting definite boundaries, she sets the stage for parenting to be more of a "joy" and much less of a "slog." You can raise your sippy cups to that. --Erica Jorgensen
"Jo Frost was catapulted to international fame when she became the star of a new reality show, 鈥淪upernanny.鈥� She won the role over hundreds of other applicants when television producers were struck by her outstanding childcare skills, her sincerity and candid style that now help her to transform families and instill positive, lasting results. She debuted in the UK in the summer of 2004 with just three episodes, and became an overnight sensation, garnering widespread popularity and acclaim. She made 鈥淣aughty Step鈥� and 鈥淵our behavior is very naughty!鈥� national catchphrases, and got a rave in the House of Commons on a discussion about preventing the causes of anti-social behavior."
I've been reading this book for almost 3 years now. I got it as soon as Sophia was born. I use it more as a reference book. What I like most about this book is that it's very to the point! Most of the ideas and suggestions are commom sense, but you seem to forget teh obvious sometimes...so for me it's a great reference book.
eh. 2.5 stars? maybe this is for big fans of the show ?(i've only seen bits of it a few times) i confess i was looking for quick-fix ideas for the terrible-toddler phase...but this was more of a super basic, first time parent owners manual with very little i hadn't heard elsewhere.
on the positive side, it did have good little bullet point sections which were helful (as opposed to other books directed at parents which drone on for pages and pages...)
here are a few points from one bullet-note page i liked (good reminders): "how to talk to your child" - praise your child when he's behaving well - talk to your child in a positive way (instead of saying, your hands are dirty, say, lets wash hands now, and then we'll sit on the sofa together...) - don't be abrupt or bark commands - don't scream and shout - never use hurtful words to label your child, make it clear that it's the bad behavior you dislike, not the child. - don't compare your child with their siblings and never talk about them to a third party when they're in earshot - dont' offer too many choices to a small child - don't bargain with a child having a tantrum - go large - children read your body language. be playful int he way you talk to your child.
This book is great to give advice on any questions you have on discipline or just how to communicate better with your children. I've had many friends ask me how I get my kids to listen, I just say "supernanny". I'm not saying that my kids listen all the time either. ;)
I bought this book years ago as my first child was entering the toddler phase and I needed some help. Although this book does have some good ideas on child rearing and basic parenting, it isn't super helpful dealing with more detailed problems. I can't say that I blame her, it is a general book on parenting and obviously not every minor problem that is faced by parents can be explained, but I guess I was hoping for something more. A lot of her advise seems like common sense to me, but I guess it may not be that way for everyone. I do appreciate her publishing a book that focuses on setting boundaries and building a relationship based on trust, disciplining with firmness yet love and fostering a parent-child relationship with love and quality time. I think this book was worth it because over time, with both of my children I consulted this book for assurance that what I was doing was right, and also for advise when different concerns would come up. But now I will be taking this book to the local bookstore as my children are now aged beyond what this book covers and I no longer have a need for it.
This book doubles as a reference book and as a textbook for the dedicated parent that lays down the groundwork for creating a good, orderly and effective family environment. Surprisingly, there are very few books on raising children on the market (and one would think this would be a cornerstone of psychology, a well-researched area complete with intro level college courses and so on, since it's arguably of the greatest significance possible, but no, I found scant few books that actually stay on topic and don't sound insane) This book is direct and practical, and more such books are dearly needed.
This is a nice light read with lots of pictures. You don't read it from cover to cover, just the occasional aphorism to contemplate as you stir the oatmeal or pick up crayons from the living room carpet.
Holy crap! - How have I NOT read this book before NOW???!!! Not only does she cite common toddler behavioral issues, but she ACTUALLY explains how to DEAL with them! This is one I'm skipping around in, and not exactly reading from "start to finish..."
I read this book cover-to-cover, but it also makes a great reference guide for busy parents. The information Frost gives is mostly decades-old childcare strategies, but inexperienced and/or struggling parents and caregivers will appreciate the short, easy-to-understand steps to manage poor sleep, eating, and behavior issues in young children under 5.
Positives: All of the techniques in this book DO work if done properly, and it's a great reminder for caregivers like me who have been working with children for years but need reminders about how to manage tantrums, poor eating, etc. My favorite is the "Staying In Bed Technique" because it works so well for older children who give their parents grief with the classic "I'm cold...I need water...one more story!"
Negatives: This is a REFERENCE book and not a huge manual on every stage of childhood and every common behavior problem. If your child really struggles with sleep, for example, you'll need to buy a different book that talks ONLY about sleep for your child's age group. Also, Frost is an advocate for the "Controlled Crying Technique", which allows a child to cry for a set number of minutes at bedtime or naptime. Parents who don't want their child to cry at all need to find a different book about sleep.
Overall, this is a great book for anyone who cares for children 5 and under. And the pictures are adorable!!
I have never watched any of the Supernanny TV show but I picked this up at a secondhand book stall out of curiosity, and decided I really like it. It's short and simple and to the point, and the advice is realistic and sensible. Lots of stuff that in theory I already know, but often forget to do - like, if you want your kid to actually listen, don't just bellow at them from across the room half-heartedly but take them aside, get down on their level so you're not looming over them, make eye contact, and use the Voice of Authority (not angry but firm). There's definitely a spectrum of schools of thought when it comes to parenting, so this might not be everyone's cup of tea. And I don't necessarily agree with every single thing in it either. But in general I think it lines up pretty well with my views on parenting.
I've always been a fan of Supernanny. She is firm, but also so sweet when handling children. My toddler is truly wonderful and well - mannered, but i appreciated this refresher course on how to be more gentle and loving while also reinforcing my rules. I love that she encourages parents not to yell or use violence, and that influencing our children to do good is actually quite simple. If she has a book for raising teenagers, I'm checking that out next. I don't think anyone can be too prepared for that stage of life.
"Children who go undisciplined are often frightened, insecure, angry, confused, and unhappy." This describes my memories of childhood to a tee. My parents were part of a generation that knew hitting children was wrong, but weren't quite sure what to do instead. My parents decided to do nothing. Occasionally they would insult me, which was of course not effective. I'm happy to see so many reviews of this book that call the information inside "common sense". I suppose those that really need to read books like this will never pick them up.