Overview and Goals

Dr. Harvey Karp, renowned pediatrician and child developmentalist, explains how calming even the fussiest infants is easy once you can see the world from their point of view.

The Happiest Baby solves a 3,000-year-old medical mystery, “What is colic?” And, more importantly it reveals Dr. Karp’s discovery of the “calming reflex“…a virtual “off-switch” for crying all babies are born with.

In the womb, babies are continually fed, shushed, jiggled and cuddled. Yet, after birth they are too often left alone, in almost total stillness, for many hours a day. This abrupt change is like sensory deprivation to a new baby and can trigger waves of crying that erode a parent’s confidence and lead to many serious and even fatal consequences (including, exhaustion, breastfeeding failure, marital stress, depression, SIDS, child abuse, excessive doctor visits/treatments). No wonder so many parents and babies have trouble adjusting during those first three months.

The Happiest Baby teaches parents that newborn babies are not fully ready for the world. They need a “4th trimester” of rhythmic calming (extra holding, rocking, white noise and suckling). If done incorrectly, this approach often fails…or can even make a baby cry more. But, when done correctly, these techniques turn on the “calming reflex” which can soothe most fussy babies in minutes – or less – and boosts sleep by 1-3 hours/ night!

THB is translated into 24 languages and recommended in the American Academy of Pediatrics parenting book, Heading Home With Your Newborn. Millions of grateful parents have made Dr. Karp America’s most read pediatrician.

As a Certified Happiest Baby Educator (CHBE), you will master Dr. Karp’s surprisingly effective approach to infant calming and sleep promotion and learn how to teach this innovative method to new parents and caregivers…step-by step.

The steps include:

The Missing 4th Trimester
The Calming Reflex
The 5 S’s – Swaddle, Side/Stomach, Shush, Swing, Suck
The Cuddle Cure – Perfectly combining several S’s

There are four strong reasons to become a CHBE before you attempt to teach parents these techniques:

Teach Methodology Correctly – These methods are simple, but only work when done correctly. Parents who do the steps incorrectly may fail and get further frustrated with their baby.
Provide Parents With Additional Tools – Once certified, you may purchase the Parent Kits (Happiest Baby DVD + white noise CD) to give to every parent you teach at a discounted rate. These additional tools are critically important to reinforce your key teaching points and allows family members and friends to learn the correct techniques. (Parents usually watch the DVD 2-4 times to master the approach and use the CD all night to encourage baby sleep.)
Education Support – CHBE receive email updates and quarterly newsletters (discussing ongoing research, etc.). They are also invited to participate in our educator’s message board. All CHBE’s are given marketing suggestions and sample tools. They are also listed on The Happiest Baby Education Association website to help interested parents find Educators in their area.
Specialty Certification Is More Than a Title. – Many consider certification a significant indicator of the knowledge and experience a professional offers. It ensures a high level of familiarity and competence with the methodologies. It increases public awareness of the value of quality certification which protects consumers and establishes and maintains standards for professionals.
Reduce Liability – Parents often forget what they have learned in class and do the 5 S’s incorrectly. This may cause frustration…or even parent error (e.g. overheating or laying a baby to sleep in the side/stomach position). To reduce liability and parent frustration consider: a) Certification, b) Teaching THB techniques correctly c) Providing Parent Kits to all parents to refresh and reinforce their learning.

Certification Program Components:

Facility or Home Study Program
Educator’s Training DVD
Sample Class Curriculum & Handouts on CD ROM for review by facility/educator
Certification Exam
Certificate of Completion
Certified Educator Referral listing on The Happiest Baby Education Association website
Education Kit (includes: The Happiest Baby on the Block Paperback/DVD, Demo DVD and “Super-Soothing” Sleep Sounds CD and Perfect Swaddling Blanket)

The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD contains both English and Spanish tracks

Cost of Program – $225.00

Institution Discount – Institutions certifying four (4) educators will automatically receive a free certification program for a fifth participant. The Education Department from The Happiest Baby Education Association, will contact a representative from the institution for the names of all participants.

Parent Kits – CHBE agree to provide each parent or couple that attends a class a Parent Kit. Families usually watch the DVD 2-4 times at home to refresh and reinforce their learning from class. The Parent Kit also allows parents to share the correct techniques with family and caregivers.

The Parent Kit includes The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD and the “Super-Soothing” Sleep Sounds CD. (VHS is available in Spanish upon request.)

The CD has uniquely designed white noise that speeds calming and promotes sleep. The DVD refreshes and reinforces a parent’s memory of what they learned in class. The DVD also allows parents to share the correct techniques with family, friends and caregivers.

Course – The Happiest Baby (THB) Class Curriculum is usually presented as a two (2) hour course, but may be combined with other infant care classes.

Educators – The process of certification ensures a high level of familiarity and competence with the methodologies. Certification kits may not be shared, resold or transferred to anyone other than the person registered for the course at the time of purchase, unless specifically approved by the Happiest Baby Director of Education.

GOALS

The Happiest baby approach is not based on scheduling or abrupt sleep training. It is a respectful, attachment promoting method that has been endorsed by Attachment Parenting International, “The 5 S’s promote attachment and bonding and can calm even frantic babies!”

Our goals for this International Program are to:

Improve parental bonding (THB classes are taught to many high risk populations, including teens, those in poverty, etc.)
Improve father participation (THB classes are taught in many fatherhood programs and military bases)
Improve breastfeeding success rates (THB classes are taught by lactation consultants all across the country (including every WIC lactation clinic in West Virginia) This approach has been presented with rave reviews at national conference of LLLI, WIC, ILCA, DONA, ICEA, Prevent Child Abuse America etc). The 5 S’s will save many woman from nursing failure because crying babies lead to: 1) poor let down, 2) poor milk production, 3) lose of confidence and worry that the milk is not good or are put on a severe diets or stop nursing altogether, 4) maternal resentment, 5) loss of family support for nursing.)
Prevent and treat postpartum depression (hormonal changes predispose a new mother to postpartum depression, but her infant’s crying and her fatigue can push her over the edge.)
Prevent shaken baby syndrome (infant crying is the #1 precipitator of infant shaking…teaching baby calming skills has the potential of preventing some of the over 1500 SBS related hospitalizations/year in the US).

The two skills ALL new parents need to learn are nursing…and baby calming. If they are good at those two skills they feel like the greatest successes in the world!

Thank you educators for giving new parents the “tools” they need to succeed.