This Christian-published book is insulting to women who cannot stay at home and who cannot breastfeed. The basic premise of bonding ("attachment parenting") is a good one but the authors take the idea far beyond what is normal or reasonable. They suggest allowing your child to sleep with you until age two or three and that you should always be available to breastfeed because it is a mother's duty! These ideas are ludicrous in today's society in which most mothers are no longer homebound 24/7. This book is a poor excuse for a childcare source, even for practicing Christian mothers such as myself.

When I saw that Dr. Sears had a part in this book, I figured it was worth a try. Luckily I checked it out at our local library first so I didn't waste any money! It is written in very general terms. I got nothing from it.

While I really like the concept for this book -- joyful and confident parenting -- this book simply doesn't deliver the goods. It's a shame because with such a stellar group of authors involved, you'd think this book would be a real winner.

Unfortunately, the book is very superficial and simplistic, and, to make matters worse, this book has very little actual information: the majority of the book consists of photos and blank spaces (either half-page "notes" or full-page "parent journal" entries) where you can note your own observations about your parenting experiences. The pages that do contain text have very little information because the text is in such a large font. I purchased six different titles in this series and I can tell you that they are all a major disappointment. Don't waste your money.

You would think that such a stellar group of authors would be capable of writing the definitive book on child discipline, but unfortunately this is not the book. This book has very little actual information: the majority of the book consists of photos and blank spaces (either half-page "notes" or full-page "parent journal" entries) where you can note your own thoughts and experiences with disciplining your child. The pages that do contain text have very little information because the text is in such a large font. I purchased six different titles in this series and I can tell you that they are all a major disappointment. Don't waste your money.

I pre-ordered this book based on the attractive cover and the names on the editorial board. I'm a big Dr. Sears fan and was very excited to see a book on positive discipline endorsed by him that focused on toddlers. Unfortunately, I was disappointed and plan to send it back. There wasn't anything I didn't agree with, but there just wasn't much substance. I typically enjoy workbook style books, but many pages were half-filled with room for notes that appeared to me to be simply filler." I just wanted more. I've since read "Redirecting Children's Behavior," by Kathryn Kvols and found it to be an excellent guide. I'm a Master's level therapist and think the book by Kathryn Kvols will be highly valuable both in my work with kids and families as well as providing me with a solid philosophy and effective techniques for parenting my son now as a young toddler through to the teenage years. Even though I found no fault with the content of this book, (and still love Dr. Sears) I would not recommend this book.

This book was a huge waste of money. It was more like a glorified magazine than a book. It is not of the quality you expect from a book that Dr. Sears was associated with.

You would think that such a stellar group of authors would be capable of writing the definitive book on infant and toddler social and emotional development, but unfortunately this is not the book. This book has very little actual information: the majority of the book consists of photos and blank spaces (either half-page "notes" or full-page "parent journal" entries) where you can note your own observations about your child's development. The pages that do contain text have very little information because the text is in such a large font. I purchased six different titles in this series and I can tell you that they are all a major disappointment. Don't waste your money.

You would think that such a distinguished group of authors would be capable of writing the definitive book on learning, but unfortunately this is not the book. While this book touches upon some important topics like how children learn, identifying learning disabilities, choosing a preschool, and so on, the book simply doesn't contain enough "meat" to be of much use to parents.

To make matters worse, this book has very little actual information: the majority of the book consists of photos and blank spaces (either half-page "notes" or full-page "parent journal" entries) where you can note your own observations about your child's development. The pages that do contain text have very little information because the text is in such a large font. I purchased six different titles in this series and I can tell you that they are all a major disappointment. Don't waste your money.

In the beginning of the book, it gives an informal quiz which I feel it has nothing to do on how you raise your child. The guiz lists factors that may put parents at risk for being too overinvolved or an overprotected parent.

Chapter 1: The "too precious" epidemic
Chapter 2: The Children Who Mean Too Much
Chapter 3: The Perils of Being Too Special
Chapter 4: From Adoration to Seperation
Chapter 5: The Vows of Love
Chapter 6: Learning to be a not too Precious Parent
Chapter 7: Adolescence: A New Beginning
Chapter 8: The Perils of Being a Too Precioous Adolescence
Chapter 9: The Too Precious Child Grows Up

This book also includes references and recommended readings

This book is full of scenarios which the authors discusses why that child is "too precious." While I did agree on some of the things they had to say, I didn't like the way the book was written. I felt the authors didn't do a good job of discussing on how we can avoid a child from being "too precious"

You would think that such a distinguished group of experts would be capable of writing the definitive book on growth and development, but unfortunately this is not the book. You would be far better off purchasing a copy of Bright Toddler by Dr. Richard C. Woolfson, Things to do With Toddlers and Twos by Karen Miller, or Your Child at Play: One to Two Years by Marilyn Segal. These books contain a lot more "meat."

I was disappointed to discover that this book has very little actual information: the majority of the book consists of photos and blank spaces (either half-page "notes" or full-page "parent journal" entries) where you can note your own observations about your child's development. The pages that do contain text have very little information because the text is in such a large font. I purchased six different titles in this series and I can tell you that they are all a major disappointment. Don't waste your money.