The No-Cry Discipline Solution

May 7, 2007
T
he author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution
returns with this guide to helping parents remain in control of their two-to -eight-year-olds. “A child,” Pantley points out, “is emotion in motion.” She provides a variety of techniques to help rein in out-of-control children, based on a four-part plan that corrects the current behavior, teaches a lesson, helps the child learn control and builds the relationship between the parent and child. Her techniques are not unusual, ranging from telling stories and giving timeout warnings to distractions and simply looking away (“Every once in a while, the best thing you can do for family peace is to turn around, pretend you didn't see it, take a deep breath, and move on to something else”). Where Pantley does break away from the parenting pack is explaining how parents can control themselves. Her suggestions won't be easy for parents to follow, but they make solid sense. The final part of the guide will be the most thumbed-through section: concrete advice for specific problems such as bossiness, sleep issues and sibling disagreements. Attachment parents as well as those looking for a gentle approach will appreciate the wisdom Pantley shares.

April 15, 2007
Children and parents are not perfect; discipline is about teaching and learning. These are the basic premises of best-selling parent educator Pantley ("The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers"), a mother of four who shares her experience-based knowledge of methods of discipline. Stating that all children, parents, and situations are different, she provides readers with a practical selection of tools to correct children's misbehaviors. These are not radical solutions but the oft-repeated practices of enforcing time-outs, building routines, and using praise. Chapters about anger, less common to discipline manuals, cover why parents experience it and include a practical six-step plan for learning to control it. The book concludes with a section on solutions to common behaviors like dawdling, not sharing, and refusing to brush teeth. Sprinkled throughout with quotes from other parents, the text reassures the reader that parenting requires love and effort but not perfection. This book is a practical and easy read as well as a handy reference for parents facing the day-to-day issues of child rearing. Recommended for public libraries.Janet Clapp, Athens-Clarke Cty. Lib., GA

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