Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids

I want to thank this author for this book! The advice is really helpful in an age of parenting being so complex and convoluted to make corporations more money. This book is a great reminder of how simple parenting and life in general can be.

As a clinical psychologist, and mother to an 18-month old, I cannot say enough wonderful things about this book. Since becoming pregnant, I have felt this certain 'pressure' to do do do for my child. Intuitively, I felt that it was too much, both for me and my child.This book helped me see how it was too much. My favorite part of course, as with everyone else, is the chapter on toys. I got rid of (put away) all toys that did not sustain my daughter's attention or were just plain annoying! I am trying to minimize the amount of toys, keep an open space, and buy only toys that stimulate her imagination. What I am finding is that I am a lot more interested in her world because of this (what adult can really stand Elmo for too long). I have backed off from feeling that I need to play with her, and as a result, am more calm and aware of her. We also started integrating a day of the week (sundays) where my husband and I do not use the internet or tv. We found ourselves feeling calmer and feeling more bonded as a family. There are probably a million more things that I could say about this book, but the bottom line: do not hyperparent (or your child will end up in my office with anxiety or related concern), keep things calm, get rid of ugly or loud plastic toys, and get out into nature! Read this book:-)

Fantastic book. So much food for thought for the parenting journey. Admittedly, we tend toward much of what he suggests already, but it solidified some practices and gave some reasoning to our "gut" feelings. It's a great blend of big-picture ideas/concepts/theories/behavioral science and practical, here's-what-to-do actions. And while some elements of this book seemed natural and obvious, there were a few ideas (primarily in the last chapter) that were truly revolutionary to me, were backed up with sound reasoning, and will likely significantly alter my parenting. Regarding the negative reviews that it's too long or could be a short essay... I think to present this information in that way would be inconsistent with the heart and nature of it. The length of the book and usage of stories is, I think, an act in itself in slowing down and letting an idea soak in. Don't read it in a hurry or try to power through it - it's not that kind of book. It's better read as a slow guide that redirects the heart, not tactical field instructions. Only two slight criticisms of the book: First (and less significant) are some of the metaphors used throughout. Some of them just made no sense to me. They were short and interjected without redirecting the book, so they didn't derail anything, but they tended to upset the relaxed reading as I had to re-read and wonder if I missed a page. Don't get hung up on these. The second item that could make the book slightly more helpful and practical would be more age-specific information. As a parent of a 2 year old and a newborn, I realize that some of the things might not yet apply. But I'm not entirely confident of that. For instance, I love his stance on the value of boredom and how it leads to creative, unstructured play. But the running question as I read it was if it was appropriate for a 2 year old, or if that's something to ease into later? Maybe a short chapter or even a chart of child development along side these ideas would be all it would take. In the end, A+.

I loved this book and know I will come back to it when I feel overwhelmed from the pressures of other modern day parents to do do do and buy buy buy. This book contains some of the most positively influential, invaluable pieces of wisdom for any parent who wants to give their child(ren) more by giving them less. As I was reading I realized I could possibly be on the road to hoarding issues in the future but this book immediately put a halt on my tendencies to constantly want "more" and made me instantly see the light. My husband has been trying so hard to have me see the light for years so it was a bittersweet moment when I told him I was finally ready to get rid of stuff and free myself of being attached to things. The motivation? I want to be the best mother I can be and having more stuff is clearly going to hinder my experience raising children. I was so excited about the ideals in this book that I gathered and donated so much clutter before even finishing the book. It was so liberating. I have an entirely new outlook on "stuff" and have been able to truly focus on my 10 month old son instead of cleaning or organizing all of the useless stuff I used to have. I still have more stuff to go through in the basement and attic but our main living areas are simple and basically clutter free. I have already put many of the ideals into practice and I am happier and have much less anxiety than I used to just two months ago. If too much stuff causes me to have anxiety (as well as the pressures from social media to do do do and share every minuscule milestone or event) then what does too much stuff do to a child? My son has a small library on his bedroom wall as well as one bin of toys and one small basket of toys downstairs. He is not deprived. He gets excited over reading the same books together and playing with the same familiar toys. He responds magically to our simple yet powerful daily rythyms at home. He is a very happy and "good" baby and I credit Dr Kim John Payne as well as my "crunchy", attachment parenting style. I can't say enough good about this book. Buy this book if you want to be the best parent you can be.

Der erste "Erziehungsratgeber" bei dem ich mich verstanden fühle und das Gefühl habe, dass der Autor die Kinder versteht. In ihren Nöten, Sorgen und Bedürfnissen. Kein Belehren, kein erhobener Zeigefinder. Das Buch hält was es verspricht: vereinfache dein Leben und das deiner Kinder. Keine Hexerei, aber anders als es der Mainstream zur Zeit vorgibt. Ich konnte mir für die Alltagsgestaltung mit meinem Sohn, der sehr empfindlich auf Überreizung reagiert, viel mitnehmen. Kein blabla, sondern viele Alltagstipps, Fallbeispiele, Erklärungen,... Das was mich am meisten beeindruckt hat, war die Wertschätzung des Autors gegenüber Eltern und ihren Kindern die in jedem einzelnem Satz zu spüren ist. Einfach wunderschön zu lesen! Eine Hommage an die Kindheit. Ich habe das Buch auf englisch gelesen und kann nur hoffen dass dies in der deutschen Übersetzung nicht verloren ging.

Ticked all the boxes. This book is a must read for all parents living this fast paced over stimulating life. Great book and delivery was exceptional

Essential book for parenting in a calmer and more peaceful way. The author lays out a three fold strategy to simplify our children’s lives ( and ours too in the process) to reduce the overwhelm of todays’s fast Paced and choice laden world. By simplifying the environment, setting a regular rythm and well balanced schedules, the child can attain a higher sense of inner security, calm and freedom. The writing alternates between the theory/logic and the real life example, with a step by step structured approach, which makes it easy to refer to again later on. I would suggest this book for parents with children of any age ( the earlier the better I guess).

Very nice book

This was exactly the type of book I was looking for when I started my search. it was written in plain english (no big doctor words or studies to try and understand) has plenty of examples of how and why this works. Teaches us how to start simplifying a cluttered house in steps so that we, as parents, can better assist our children by providing them with quality over quantity and a heavy does of our own time and respect. I would put it in my basket of books that every parent should read!