The Self-Calmed Baby: A Revolutionary New Approach to Parenting Your Infant

Customer Reviews:

This book set the stage for our wonderful adventure in parenting!.......2005-10-19

The three books that helped make our parenting more successful and joyful were: Dr. Richard Ferber's, How To Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems; Dr. William Sammons, I Wanna Do It Myself; and his book, The Self-Calmed Baby. Thanks to Ferber and Sammons, both endorsed by Dr. T. Berry Brazleton, each of my three babies was sleeping through the night within the first month of life. And before you say "Well, but I breastfeed, so...," I nursed my babies for one year each. I just made sure they got as much as they could possibly need or want during the daytime, and until late at night. As a result, they were cheerful, well adjusted,... and so were we parents. Sammons' ideas on self-calming, self-entertaining,... are some of the best skills you can teach you children, and they will benefit from them for a lifetime, in ways that you might not foresee as a new parent. My children are now, 8, 11, and 13 years old, and would not be the same without my having read those three books. They are very confident, affectionate, creative, imaginative, independent,...to a greater extent than they likely would have been without the books. If you don't like a piece of advice here or there, tailor it to your child and situation, so long as it's effective. Teaching or allowing a child to be independent doesn't mean there is or should be any less affection, as some seem to interpret 'independence'. Your child will know that you are always there for them, and ready to guide or help them, as well as to share in the joy of their successes, whether it's her first time clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth at 10 months, or getting the lead in a play at 10 years. Best of luck to All.

Outdated.......2003-04-02

As a first-time mom, I've read many many books trying to understand my newborn, why she was crying and most importantly how to stop the crying! This book brings up some interesting methods in which a baby is able to self-calm (for example, he writes of placing baby on it's side, facing a white or blank wall). I also remember reading some grossly outdated information such as breast-feeding does not provide immunity, etc... This book may have been "the answer" when it was first published (in the mid-80s I believe), but today there are many more current writings which are far more helpful. Some of those titles are "The Happiest Baby on the Block" By Harvey Karp, MD, "The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" By Tracy Hogg, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" By Marc Weissbluth. Those were the most helpful to me in the early months of my baby's life. As for this book, it's outdated.

Wonderful book, cool theory.......2002-03-25

Loved it! Like all parenting books, you take bits and pieces and apply your own instinct for success.

Tremendously useful perspective.......2000-11-17

I'm prompted to write to rebut the other reviews. This book takes the revolutionary view that one of a baby's major tasks is to learn how to deal with stimuli, and that it is important to identify what is bothering your baby and then set up your baby's world so that she has the best chance of trying to calm herself. It explicitly recognizes that babies are different and so what bothers one baby (being swaddled, for example) may not bother another - and gives lots of suggestions about what might be the problem and what might help your baby feel more comfortable with his world. This was a very helpful approach for me to read so that I could keep experimenting with what I was doing, rather than relying on (and getting discouraged by) the same old tired advice.

I completely disagree that this advice goes against a mother's instincts. Every mother wants to help her child. Some mothers may want to try to do this by holding their child all the time. I have no problem with that. What this book says, however, is that some *babies* may not want to be held all the time: in fact, it may be overstimulating to them to be bounced, rocked, sung to, and soothed - so much so that, in a state where they are constantly trying to deal with these stimuli, they never are able to figure out how to settle down. If you have this kind of baby, who somehow persists in being unhappy despite your best efforts, then this book is for you to help you figure out how to help better. If you are offended by the proposition that the baby somehow has tastes of his own that mean that he doesn't happen to like what you are doing for him for moments at a time, then this book is not for you.

It is the most compassionate book I found toward the baby and toward the new parents, in the sense that it tries to provide concrete suggestions to help a baby and relieves a new parent of some of the guilt and nervousness that comes from thinking that a baby's happiness depends only on them. Something of a baby's happiness depends on the baby! Far from being detached from research, this book adopted the premise (which has gained even more currency since its publication) that babies know a lot more than we think and start trying from birth to make sense of their worlds. This book takes the attitude that parents can do a lot to help them along. If you can find a copy of this book, give it a try. Don't be deterred by reviews from people who didn't seem to get the message...make up your own tired mind.

Might as well be called "How to abuse your child".......1999-10-08

Another book written by a man that claims mother's instinct does not exist. Any man who writes a book on childcare and does not back his word up with research (not a reference listed in the book), or ignores a woman's basic biological knowledge of her own child has no business writing a book on childcare. Thank God it's out of print.

Book Description

Challenging many common assumptions about the glamour of medieval warfare, this highly readable history recreates the real war experience of thirteenth- and fourteenth-century England. Filled with anecdotes and illustrations, it examines how English medieval armies fought, how men were recruited, how the troops were fed, supplied, and deployed, what new weapons were developed, and what structure was set in place for military command.

Customer Reviews:

One of the great historians of the Middle Ages.......2007-04-30

I read this book for a graduate course in medieval history.
Michael Prestwich is a great historian of the Middle Ages. "Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience" is a great comprehensive work for warfare of the period. It is especially useful for battle descriptions of English wars against the Scottish, and for the Hundred Years War. Prestwich writes that the lesson of the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, was clear for any competent military commander to follow; cavalry alone could not defeat the Scottish squares, but archers supported by cavalry could easily break them. These tactics would be successfully repeated by Edward III against the Scots at Hallidon Hill in 1333, and Neville's Cross in 1346, not to mention in his invasion of France

Edward I's most important contribution to advancing the war fighting capability of Britain was in the battlefield tactics that he employed. It cannot be stressed enough that his use of mixed cavalry and archery was a monumental leap in battlefield tactics, as well as the precursor in making the longbow a force multiplier during the Hundred Years' War. The military record of Edward II, who reigned from 1307-1327, was abysmal. Prestwich spoke on behalf of all historians who wrote about Edward II's lack of military prowess, and was justifiably unflattering in his critique of Edward II's military acumen. Most of what Edward I won on the battlefields in Scotland, Edward II ineptly lost.

Edward III's strategic and tactical abilities were on full display during the Hundred Years' War. One of the most important tactical innovations that Edward III instituted to increase the fighting capability of the English army before the start of the Hundred Years' War was the introduction of mounted archers to its ranks. Prestwich took notice of the importance of Edward III's tactical innovation. Mounted archers rode ponies for quick transport to the battlefield, and then they would dismount to shoot their longbows in battle. Undoubtedly, Edward III learned from the previous one hundred years of his predecessors' fighting the Scottish, that too many times the Scots outmaneuvered the English; thus, they escaped from having to fight a battle advantageous to the English. Edward III was going to do all he could to make sure that this did not happen to his army. Oman's research shows muster records from 1334 listing mounted archers for the first time as part of Edward III's expedition into Scotland. This was Edward III's second largest campaign against an enemy during his reign. The expedition served as an excellent opportunity for Edward III and his army to prove their new tactics, which they would put to good use a dozen years later in France.

The requirement on localities to provide longbow men with weapons was very demanding. Edward III made great strides to take on the fiscal responsibility of equipping his army. This actually provided him with two advantages--that of quality control of weaponry, and reducing manufacturing cost through economy of scale. One example of how enormous a task it was to prepare for war comes from the armory records at the Tower of London. In 1359, the clerk of the armory is ordered to put bowyers (longbow makers), and fletchers (arrow makers), to work for the king, under penalty of imprisonment if necessary, if they were non-cooperative. Between 1353 and 1360, the armory added to its stores, 15,300 bows, 4,000 bow staves, and 24,000 sheaves of arrows. Each sheave contained twenty-four arrows; thus, this order equates to 576,000 arrows in all. In March 1345, 15 Sheriffs were issued orders to supply the Tower armory with, "3,000 bows, 8,400 sheaves of arrows and 20,000 bowstrings." By looking at supply records leading up to the battle of Crecy, Prestwich was able to surmise several important factors about the supply of arrows. Each longbow man had an allotment of 60 arrows for the battle. The average arrow weighs 4 oz., so to supply 7,500 longbow men it took nearly a half-million arrows weighing 55 tons. This supply was easily transportable in some 60 one-ton carts from the port to the army. These figures can cast little doubt on the fact that the king was constantly writing back to England throughout his campaign in France ordering more supply of arrows and bowstrings. These facts about arrow supply gives one a good picture of just one facet of the monumental logistical, organizational, and planning skills necessary to support Edward III's invasion force of about 15,000 men crossing in ships numbering some 700 to 1,000.

The longbow reigned supreme on the battlefield until the mid-sixteenth century. By this time, other technologies such as better-tempered armor, cannon, and musketry, overtook the effectiveness of the longbow. Prestwich points to the dawn of the sixteenth century as the one in which gunpowder would change warfare in Europe. This time, the easy use of gunpowder would cause all warring nations to adopt it to their use. Cannons would now make it easier to break up impenetrable longbow defensive positions. In addition, cannons were ideal for siege warfare against fortified positions.

Recommended reading for those interested in medieval history, and military history.

Ubermonkey gives thumbs down..........2006-07-27

THE GOOD: This book gets two stars ONLY because (as the previous reviewer said) there is a lot of information. Had there not been so many facts, the book would have gotten 1 star. The book is laid out well and there are some very interesting illustrations and pictures which are well supported by informative captions. That's about where the "good" ends...

THE BAD: The problem with this book is that it is not written in a way that allows the reader to really sink their teeth into this wonderful period in history. I tried...I mean, i REALLY tried to get into this book but reading it was an excercise in frustraion. Reading this book was like reading the most boring high school text book that could be found. What frustrated me the most was that some of the chapters had real promise. I started such chapters - like "Seige Warfare", "Chivalry" and the like with great anticipation thinking that finally the writer had broken his trend (explained in THE UGLY) only to find out it was more of the same style of writing...which brings me to...

THE UGLY: Here is a snapshot of how each chapter is written: Title: Rewards...in 1053 King X gave so and so this much money...in 1104 King X gave so and so this much money...in 1223 King X gave so and so this much money...etc...Next Chapter - Infantry: In 1104 King X had 5000 infantry...records show in 1223 King X had 2000 infantry...etc...you see the pattern? And this dominates throughout the entire book! I wished the author would have broken it down by periods so it could read more like a story. The way it was written really prevented me from staying interested, which was frustrating because I really wanted to be.

Ubermonkey says you can probably find a better book which covers this topic in a way which does it justice.

Excellent Survey of English Medieval Warfare.......2001-02-21

As a specialist in late-medieval English military history (& author of a book on Edward III's military strategy), I can say with confidence that Michael Prestwich's survey of English medieval military history is one of high quality. It is well written, and contains a nice blend of "war and society" and "sharp end" styles of military history. The level of scholarship is high enough that even specialists will learn from reading it, yet general readers will not find the book beyond their reach.

Armies And Warfare In The Middle Ages. The English Experience

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Armies And Warfare In The Middle Ages. The English Experience
MICHAEL PRESTWICH
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P1JR5S

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ARMIES AND WARFARE IN THE MIDDLE AGES: THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE
Michael Prestwich
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXID08

Average customer rating:

One of the great historians of the Middle Ages

Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience
Michael Prestwich
Manufacturer: Yale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OKDBQG

Customer Reviews:

One of the great historians of the Middle Ages.......2007-04-30

Average customer rating:

One of the great historians of the Middle Ages

Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience
Michael Prestwich
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS5YOU

Customer Reviews:

One of the great historians of the Middle Ages.......2007-04-30

Average customer rating:

One of the great historians of the Middle Ages

Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience
Michael Prestwich
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS255G

Customer Reviews:

One of the great historians of the Middle Ages.......2007-04-30

Book Description

In this classic text, the first full-scale application of cognitive science to politics, George Lakoff analyzes the unconscious and rhetorical worldviews of liberals and conservatives, discovering radically different but remarkably consistent conceptions of morality on both the left and right. For this new edition, Lakoff adds a preface and an afterword extending his observations to major ideological conflicts since the book's original publication, from the impeachment of Bill Clinton to the 2000 presidential election and its aftermath.

Customer Reviews:

Moral Politics.......2007-09-05

The divide between conservatives and liberals in the U.S. and the West has probably never been greater and appears unbridgeable. The author addresses this issue in terms of opposing models of family values and specifically their modes of child rearing, all within the context of the Nation as Family metaphor. The author skillfully and convincingly makes this seemingly naïve approach plausible. I found much to like in his arguments, which I expect will shape my thinking from here on. At the same time I found much to dislike and believe the author's rendering furthers the liberal-conservative divide.

The author's opposing family value models are the conservative Strict Father Model (bad) and the liberal Nurturant Parent Model (good). In simple terms the former model has the father (government) strictly in control of the family (nation) and meting out rewards and punishments to exercise that control. The latter model has all family members (government and citizens) coequals negotiating from mutually respectful and loving positions. Conservative fathers who find this nomenclature offensive need only rephrase them as the Strict Parent Model and Nurturant Parent Model or more simply as the Strict Model and Nurturant Model with no other change to the author's arguments required. Beyond this offensive nomenclature issue there are more substantive issues that conservatives will find offensive or at least puzzling and that receive some clarification only toward the book's end.

One such issue arises when the Strict Model is equated to the academic community's Authoritarian (bad) Model of child rearing and the Nurturant Model is equated to that community's Authoritative (good) Model of child rearing. Implicit in both is the importance of parental authority, but the former emphasizes strict (abusive) emotional and physical interactions with the child and the latter emphasizes loving (nurturant) emotional and physical interactions. The author reminds us that the Nurturant Model also requires parental authority, but I found that message to be muted and submerged beneath other concerns in the earlier discussions. Also, in contrast to the author's assertions, I believe that most conservatives will identify more strongly with the Authoritative (good, liberal) Model. We find this inconsistency clarified when it is discovered that the Strict Father Model is really the model promoted primarily by elements of the fundamentalist Christian community, a minority in the conservative community. The author would have us believe that his Strict Father Model is central to conservative beliefs and that all conservatives adhere to it in various shades of gray, but it may be that his Strict Father Model is more correctly an extreme position on some continuum.

This view receives support from the author's reports that the Strict Father Model produces children who become ineffective adults, in contrast to those raised under the Nurturant Parent Model. If so, and all conservatives were raised under the Strict Father Model, then in time liberals would run the world. That this is not so and does not appear to be an eventuality suggests that the author's view of conservatism and the Strict Father Model needs modification.

A complete theory of politics should include the problem of hostile foreign nations and terrorists. The author discussed neither, but he does touch briefly on difficult (hostile) individuals and groups. His prescription for dealing with them is continued attempts at nurturant interactions, a strategy that a persistent enemy could easily turn to his or her advantage. Accordingly, it seems to be an insufficient strategy for foreign policy but is consistent with the Democratic strategy for the current war in Iraq and against terrorism, which consists of cessation of fighting (troop withdrawal) and negotiating with the enemy.

A puzzling inconsistency with the author's thesis is his report that many in the academic community prefer the Strict Model when teaching their students. Since most academics are liberal it would seem they should prefer the Nurturant Model. Could it be that the author's thesis is just another case of an academic counseling, `Do as I say and not as I do?'

Not Surprised He Doesn't Understand Conservatives.......2007-01-23

I have to give George Lakoff's "Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think" a "B" for effort for at least trying to understand the cognitive differences between liberals and conservatives. Unfortunately, that's where my credit for his book ends.

Lakoff's thesis is that the worldviews of liberals and conservatives in general are formed by what each considers to be the best family dynamic for which to raise children. For conservatives, Lakoff creates what he calls the "Strict Parent Model," while the "Nurturant Parent Model" describes its liberal counterpart. After thoroughly explaining both models, Lakoff extrapolates them to address issues upon which liberals and conservatives fundamentally disagree.

Because he is a liberal, I am sure that Lakoff's rich description of the "Nurturant Parent Model" and its application to various issues is accurate and complete. Alas, because he is a liberal, his "Strict Parent Model" is one-dimensional and fundamentally flawed. Lakoff doesn't understand, for example, that punishment and discipline ARE nurturing to a child since children naturally crave limits and boundaries. They see limits as security, and a parent who imposes them as loving. Love and security are both nurturing traits.

Lakoff also doesn't seem to understand that the whole concept of using a "parental" paradigm as a worldview is absurd. An individual's need for parental care is something to grow out of, not something to merely transfer to a worldview or a governmental entity in particular. That's called "maturity." A governmental entity's function should never be transformed into that of a surrogate parent, which is precisely what the liberal worldview compels it to do. His model has value in explaining why liberals are the way they are, but it should never be held up as something noble or desirable, but only as the abnormal pathology that it is. Unfortunately, Lakoff tends to do just that as he strays from being a dispassionate theoretician to active advocate for the "Nurturant Parent Model."

The basic fallacies underlying the "Nurturant Parent Model" are readily detectable (arising predominantly from a fundamentally incorrect view of basic human nature,) rendering the model unworkable and ridiculous. Therefore, his extrapolations into individual issues with both models are, on the one hand, totally inaccurate on the conservative side and laughably utopian on the other.

The only value I see with this book is as a means for conservatives to understand the liberal worldview better. Unfortunately, this new-found understanding will only confirm to them how illogical and dangerous liberals are if they are ever allowed the power to actually implement their "nurturing."

Complete Rubbish.......2006-12-10

Lakoff, once again ignores every law of economics and makes an emotional account for his view of the world. All flames and no facts.

Eye opener, but tends to be bias.......2006-07-29

I didn't agree with many parts of this book but all in all, I would recommend it. It will make you think and maybe even understand what goes on in the political arena.

Understanding Why People Vote the Way They Do.......2006-07-05

Many years ago I concluded that the overwhelming majority of every race, religion, political party, etc. were decent people. I found that I grew to like nearly everyone I got to know. But I was mystified by many who managed to maintain opinions that seemed to me to be clearly misguided despite what I considered overwhelming evidence.

Dr. Lakoff's book explains how it is possible. 'conservatives' and 'liberals' view the world thru radically different perspectives, based on different views of how a family should function. 'Conservatives,' generally, adhere to what Lakoff calls the 'strict father' model, whereas 'liberals' tend to adopt the 'nurturing parent' model.

It should be noted that conservative vs. liberal is not a true opposition. There are three true oppositions: conservative vs. progressive, dogmatic vs. liberal, and authoritarian vs. libertarian. There are conservative liberals, dogmatic libertarians, and authoritarian progressives, for example, but these are relatively rare. People who are dogmatic are MORE LIKELY to be authoritarian and conservative, and people who are liberal are MORE LIKELY to be libertarian and progressive. Most of us are somewhere between each pair of polar opposites, perhaps dogmatic on some points but liberal enough to acknowledge that differing opinions of others on many questions may have some merit; or libertarian on some issues and authoritarian on others; or generally conservative but favoring some progressive ideas.

The 'strict father' model is clearly authoritarian and dogmatic, leading to the set of family values generelly favored by conservatives, emphasizing obedience to hierarchical authority. The 'nurturing parent' model, on the other hand, tends to lead to a different set of family values more oriented toward cooperation and shared authority, helping people toward freedom and fulfillment, and realizing their potential.

Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think

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Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think
George Lakoff
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPDYQS

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Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think
G. Lakoff
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
ASIN: 1417667206

Book Description

In any other context, saying that someone was "for the birds" would hardly be polite. But applied to Connie Hagar, it would be high praise. The diminutive birdwatcher nicknamed Connie was reared as Martha Conger Neblett in early twentieth-century Texas, where she led a genteel life of tea parties and music lessons. But at middle age she became fascinated with birds and resolved to learn everything she could about them. In 1935, she and her husband, Jack, moved to Rockport, on the Coastal Bend of Texas, to be at the center of one of the most abundant areas of bird life in the country.

Her diligence in observation soon had her setting elite East Coast ornithologists on their ears, as she sighted more and more species the experts claimed she could not possibly have seen. (Repeatedly she proved them wrong.) She ultimately earned the respect and love of birders from the shores of New Jersey to the islands of the Pacific. Life magazine pictured her in a tribute to the country's premier amateur naturalists, and she received many awards from nature and birding societies.

Hagar's life history is more than just a bird book. It is a story of dedication to nature and the role she could play in promoting it to others, despite recurring threats of blindness and other health problems. The hundreds of species of birds that visited Rockport each year brought thousands of other birders, and Hagar patiently hosted and assisted both the greenest beginners and the most magisterial experts.

Hagar and McCracken's Boswellian-Johnsonian relationship, Hagar's own "Nature Calendars" containing thirty-five years of observations, and interviews with those who knew the "bird woman of Rockport" provide the basis for this narrative. It was Hagar who, more than anyone else, made coastal Texas a mecca for serious birders.

Customer Reviews:

birders will love it.......2002-12-20

Connie Hagar lived the birder's dream: she settled on the Texas coast just a stone's throw from the wintering ground of the whooping crane, and spent just about every day of her life birding the various surrounding habitats. The location is the neck of the major north American migration flyway, and so there were new birds to be discovered every day. She also had a photographic memory, and recounted detail after exciting detail, bird by bird, to her biographer. Most amusing are her encounters with the high and mighty of birding deans; remember that this was long before women's lib. Most amazing are the accounts of the fallout of migrating birds-and sometimes devastation--caused by storms. Her supportive husband ran their motel court, and so they were able to play host to many notable birders. By the time Roger Tory Peterson visited, her reputation was well-established. Public speaking and a leadership role in nature organizations made her known to thousands. The author is a journalist, and the book is smoothly written and factual.

Connie Hagar The Life History of a Texas Birdwatcher

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Connie Hagar The Life History of a Texas Birdwatcher
Karen Harden McCracken
Manufacturer: Texas A & M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PRRCN6

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Connie Hagar: The Life History of a Texas Birdwatcher
Karen Harden McCracken
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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