How Toddlers Thrive

What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success

By: Tovah P. Klein PhD

Narrated by: Tovah P. Klein PhD, Sarah Jessica Parker - foreword

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

Dr. Tovah Klein, called "the toddler whisperer" on Good Morning America, has penned "a parenting milestone" (Dr. Harvey Rotbart, No Regrets Parenting) with How Toddlers Thrive, which shows parents of children ages two to five how to harness the singular power of the toddler mind during what might be the most crucial time of a child's brain development, to plant the seeds of lifelong success.

Why do some children thrive and others struggle? The answers may surprise you. New research indicates that the seeds for adult success are actually planted in the toddler years. Dr. Tovah Klein's research and firsthand work with thousands of toddlers explains why the toddler brain is best suited to laying the foundation for success. Dr. Klein reveals the new science behind drivers such as resilience, self-reliance, self-regulation, and empathy that are more critical to success than simple intelligence. She explains what you can do today to instill these key qualities in your toddler during this crucial time, so they are on track and ready to learn when they enter school at age five.

How Toddlers Thrive explains why the toddler years are different than any other period during childhood. She shows what is happening in children's brains and bodies at this age that makes their behavior so turbulent and why your reaction to their behavior - the way you speak to, speak about, and act toward your toddler - holds the key to a successful tomorrow and a happier today. This provocative book will inspire you to be a better parent and give you the tools to help you nurture your child's full potential. A smart and useful guide, this book cracks the preschooler code, revealing what you can do to help your toddler grow into a fulfilled child and adult - while helping you and your toddler live more happily together now and every day.

©2014 Tovah Klein (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Redundant

I wanted very much to like this book as I needed a book to provide guidance on the developmental stages of my toddler. Unfortunately, I found this book to be a waste of time. It was redundant and most of what was discussed was common sense. It would have been more helpful to provide more examples and concrete recommendations of how to help your toddler, then spending most of the book telling you why it's important to see it from your child's perspective, which you already know, which is why you are reading the book in the first place.

Great content, hard to listen to

This book is full of thoughtful and useful concepts, though it might be a better one to read rather than listen to. I found the narrators voice and cadence distracting.

Redundant

If a parent has a lot of self doubts and needs encouragement then this might be a good book. If you are parent that Finds yourself screaming.. this may help... I find it lacking in any real information, or guidance when it comes to creative parenting tools to assist or try that goes beyond ones common sense or natural instincts.

Exactly perfect for where I am

This is a great guideline for raising and handling my toddler. We were struggling with my 2 year old getting up and down at bedtime, and this book helped me feel better about to how to handle it without yelling and get success for my son staying in bed. I gave the performance 4 stars because she talks very slowly. I listened to the book at 1.25 speed and that was a normal speed. It did help me get through it faster, so that was a bonus.

A wonderful approach to parenting and teaching!

If you could sum up How Toddlers Thrive in three words, what would they be?

Introspective, Methodical, Approachable!

What was one of the most memorable moments of How Toddlers Thrive?

I especially liked the numerous examples provided by this author. In particular, I liked this author's emphasis on routine and how she highlighted this idea through real world experience. In this example, Klein tells us of a student who came to class in tears because he had not hit the button- an action that become part of his daily routine. Klein asks the mother to take her son to the elevator to fulfill the student's routine so that he can move onto class time. The boy quiets, completes his task, and happily goes to class!

What about Tovah P. Klein PhD and Sarah Jessica Parker - foreword ’s performance did you like?

I do not like Sarah Jessica Parker's voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no.

Any additional comments?

Great book, but the voices were very raspy.

Helpful foundation

This book is a good foundation for understanding your toddler. I don’t feel like it helped me with practical every day things as much as other books.

Good book but could use a better narrator for audio

The author's voice sounds sick and is very difficult to listen to. Would be great to get a different audio. Overall , the book is interesting enough, has some good points

Couldn’t get myself to finish it...

As a mom time is limited. Not wasting this on my alone time. This book is not worth it. Dragggggs on. Super disappointed. Wish I could return on Audible.

Repetitive, over generalizing, better books out there

The author seems to feel the need to repeat a concept so thoroughly it seems to turn into condescending dribble at the ends of chapters. She over generalizes the needs of all children as being x y or z when in reality all children have different personalities and have different needs - especially in regards to routine. Some children THRIVE in routine some need more freedom and looser schedules. A child doesn’t need their desire always met first as she often describes but needs empathy and the ability of the parent to calmly help the child navigate their emotional responses and outbursts and then develop the skills to communicate them.

There are definitely some nuggets of wisdom in here, but probably one of my least favorite books about toddlers and literally could have been 25 pages long and equally as effective. Also - any sort of insights there ARE in this book are found in EVERY other book about toddlerhood. It’s not earth shattering to any parent that a child’s developing mind works differently than an adults and that validating their emotions is crucial - nothing new in this book.

Helpful, clear advice for raising toddlers

I appreciated the clear suggestions and explanation regarding toddler behavior and I've started implementing some of Dr. Klein's strategies. I'm not sure she should narrate any more audio books as her voice sometimes grated on my ears, but her advice seems sound.