There is absolutley nothing in this book that is in any way a breakthrough in the area of baby care
Is the book redundant ?
I asked for this book for my shower because a lot of moms on a discussion forum I read raved about it.  Just a few pages into it, I wondered if there was really any need to read the entire book.  The other mommies assured me it was worth it.I am not convinced.There is absolutley nothing in this book that is in any way a breakthrough in the area of baby care.  Swaddling, swinging, shushing, sucking, and stomach positioning to calm a baby are all as old as the hills.  Some of these have fallen in and out of fashion at one point or another, but none of these tips are so unique that they can't be found as helpful suggestions in other parenting guides or by asking older parents... (I can't even begin to count the number of times my mother or father has suggested I calm my extremely fussy baby by "Try putting him on his belly" or "Why don't you give him a binky?")This book suffers from a number of flaws.1. I can't even begin to say how irritated I am that the author claims to have found a "new" way to calm fussy babies.2. This book would be nice as a PAMPHLET handed out at the hospital to new parents...  it should NOT be a book.  My original impression that this book is extremely repetitive was correct.  It's not so much that none of these methods work, it's just that all can be explained very quickly.  It does not take a full length book.  Luckily, I read this book before my baby got here - any parent already dealing with a fussy or colicky baby would be at their wits end trying to read this entire book.  (Therein lies the irony of childcare help books...  those who need them the most don't have the time or ability to read them!!!)3. The methods do NOT work for all babies and despite Karp's claim that colic does not even exist in some cultures due to parents using his methods...  Colic does NOT always respond to these methods.  Living with my baby was agony for the first few months.  It didn't matter what I tried - days and evenings were horrible.  Anyone who claims to have a cure for colic has clearly never really dealt with colic!  What seemed to matter more to my baby was the clock...  once 11pm hit, swaddled and nursed, he would sleep well at night.  Between 6pm and 11pm, though, it didn't matter WHAT I tried, he was fussy and needed to be held and nursed constantly.  I could nolt put him down no matter what I tried.  There was no magic "off switch," despite Karp's claims.In short, this book was a waste of my time.  Skim it in a bookstore if you wish, but do not spend your money.In response to others claims that babies can become hooked on the methods in this book...  I don't think this is a serious issue.  We swaddled at night until my baby was big and strong enough to weasle his way out of his wrappings, no matter how many diaper pins I tried to fasten him with.  Once he was too big to swaddle, he had no problems sleeping at night.  (I mean, at 4 1/2 months he has yet to sleep through the night, but he sleeps no differently unswaddled than swaddled...)Maybe some babies require the calming methods a little longer than others, but sooner or later they should all outgrow them...  I hope! 