Product Description

When your baby is walking - and you're sprinting to keep up - count on "The Best Friends' Guide to Toddlers" to keep you one step ahead! One moment your little sweetie curls up in your lap and kisses your neck, the next he's running through the local shop screaming 'No, no, no!' Just who is this little being who was formerly your baby? Does it seem like your precious infant has been replaced by a very small maniac? Are you alternately enchanted and terrified by your toddler's independence, imagination and inability to sit still for one single minute? Don't panic - the wise, witty and always honest advice of Vicki Iovine is here to help you figure out such things as: how to say 'no' and look like you mean it; when to move your little tyke out of the cot and into a bed (and how to keep him there); which vegetables your toddler will eat - and how to disguise the others; who decides when it's time to potty-train; and, whether you can ever win an argument with a person whose vocabulary is only a hundred words. Iovine tells mothers what they need to know - straight-from-the-hip survival tips from the ones who've been there. "The Best Friends' Guides" tell it like it is and give frazzled mums a much-needed laugh.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25833 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'The first author to write a truly funny, practical guide to parenthood... wittily written and refreshingly free of political correctness' Daily Mail 'Iovine tells parents what they need to know with a sense of humour. This guide tells it like it is and gives frazzled parents a much-needed laugh as well' Baby & You Magazine

From the Publisher
When it comes to your new baby, everyone from Dr Spock to your mother-in-law has an armful of advice. But no one's delivering any tips on how you can care for yourself. Now, four-time-delivery-room veteran Vicki Ivoine answers your questions, calms your fears and cracks you up as only a friend can with straight advice and hilarious observations.

About the Author
Vicki Iovine is the mother of four children aged three to nine. A monthly advice columnist for 'Child' magazine in the US, she has regularly featured on programmes such as 'Today', 'Oprah', and 'CNN'. Her pre-mum past includes law degrees, a 'Playboy' centrefold and careers as a television producer and radio talk-show host. She is currently a memeber of the board of directors of the Special Olympics. She, her husband Jimmy and and their children live in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Humor serves as effective therapy along with useful tips
I really like Vicki's sense of humor. She lets you know for sure that you are not the only one that has problems with your toddlers. She offers a variety of sensible strategies to choose from. She is not afraid to share in her book some of her embarrassing, angry moments with her own kids; and I find that very comforting. Her book is fun to read with its friendly "girltalk" style that most mums with toddlers can relate to. It feels good to know that other kids say and do things that challenge a mum's sanity and that all of us regret what we say and do from time to time. I also recommend "The Pocket Parent" which has a similar compassionate neighborly tone, as well as personal short anecdotes from the authors... however it has far more "meat" as far as specific bullets of helpful tips arranged in 40 easy reference topics (such as bad words, bedtime, biting, hitting and hurting others, interrupting, mealtime, morning crazies, the gimmes, separation anxiety, and whining). Both books give lots of support, a good dose of humor and sensible advice without being preachy nor condescending.

Beware - humour at large!
This book should come with a warning: "Do not read in public!" unless you are prepared to embarrass yourself. The anecdotes are too real and will cause the laughter to bubble from you. If your self-diagnosis has led you to look for a book that would help and you believe that laughter is the best medicine, then I would definitely recommend it.

With a 4 year old and a 2 year old , I have found that it is easy to read, full of anecdotes and useful advice that is sure to put you in the frame of mind to deal with them.

very funny, tongue in cheek but, oh so true
Once again the author has hit the nail on the head of being a parent in the real world not the child psychologists world. With many toddler scenarios, how to deal with them and their outcome explained in detail and with true life examples. For a first time parent it's a brilliant guide and for seasoned parents a good read on what you did and what you didn't do and how to have a laugh about those terrible two's!