Thank you everyone who entered the I Brake for Meltdowns book contest!

There were 2 entries and the winner is:

Entry #2 was Jennifer of Mami 2 Mommy!

Congratulations Jennifer!

A really really long time ago, the folks at Da Capo Press sent me a complimentary copy of the book “I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your 2- to 5-year-old” to review.

I’ve just now gotten around to actually writing my review of the book. Better late than never I always say.

After reading my review, you can enter to win the book for yourself! I figure I might as well pass along the copy since I held onto it for so long.

Review

The book begins with an overview of various types of tantrums and meltdowns and details several scenarios. It then goes over many well-known toddler behaviors, with chapters on the following:

• social behavior
• sleep-related concerns
• eating dilemmas
• potty training
• fighting
• anger issues
• manipulation
• travel
• health and hygiene
• refusals
• other stubborn and annoying behaviors

Each chapter pretty much provides different circumstances and how you can deal with them, with alternatives included. I was stuck on the potty training chapter for a bit (for obvious reasons). One of the tips given is to let your child run naked outdoors. Which makes total sense since it makes for easier cleanup, but really? What if she sits down on the grass…naked? Maybe it’s just my paranoid self, but I’m not about to have ants crawl up my daughter’s butt.

Overall the book seems like a handy resource. Especially for those just beginning to deal with some of those really frustrating situations that come with toddlers and when your kid hits the terrible twos.

You can find out more at http://www.ibrakeformeltdowns.com

Win a copy of I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your 2- to 5-Year Old

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment with the chapter you think would interest you most.
2. For a second entry, tweet a message on twitter with a link back to this post.
   Sample text to use: Win this book from @modernmami & learn how to deal with tantrums! Enter contest at http://tinyurl.com/modernmami-book
   You’ll need to leave a second comment with the link to your tweet, not your profile, so I can verify. You have to leave a separate comment so that it will count.
3. For a third entry, write a post and link back to this contest post on your blog. Again, be sure to leave a separate comment with your post link so that it will count.

Rules

You have until 11:59 pm EST on Saturday, May 9 to leave your comments. The winner will be posted on Monday, May 11 and will be chosen using Random.org.

Be sure to check back to see if you’ve won! Remember to include an email address so that I can contact you if you win.

Note: Contest open to U.S. addresses only.

It’s been a week full of literacy at Modern Mami and it wasn’t even intentional.

First, I gave you some resources for helping your kids learn to read. Then, I told you about one of our favorite books, Knuffle Bunny.

So, to wrap it up, today I’m going to share with you a few books that for one odd reason or another haven’t made it to our collection just yet. I’ve heard they’re all great books for a toddler or preschooler and are must-haves.

Where the Wild Things Are

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

If you Give a Mouse a Cookie

Now that I think about it, this week of reading-related posts comes at a good time. Next Thursday, April 30 is El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Day of the Child/Day of the Book).

What classic books are in your child’s reading collection? Or which books do you remember from your childhood?

Now that you have some resources for helping your child read, do you want to know about a good book to read to your toddler or preschooler?

This is the cutest book and your kid is going to love it. Well, only if he/she is as awesome as my baby girl. hehehe

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

We first learned about Knuffle Bunny while watching Between the Lions one day with baby girl. The story was read on the show along with the pictures from the book. And the pictures? Stunning. A mix of city photography and illustrations. You’ll have to “look inside” the book to see what I mean.

By the way, the title is pronounced Keh-nuffle; the K is NOT silent.

My favorite lines from the book are “She went boneless. She did everything she could to show how unhappy she was.” If you remember what tantrums are like (or are currently dealing with them), you’ll know exactly what those lines mean. Of course, the reason behind those lines will help you appreciate, or at the very least, understand the tantrums a little more. It gives a new perspective on things…from your kid’s point of view.

My daughter’s favorite part of the book? Pretty much all of it. She loves to look at the pictures and loves to repeat what Trixie (that’s the main character) says. She laughs at the same parts each time we read the book. In advance mind you, since she already knows what will happen next.

Apparently, there’s a sequel now to Knuffle Bunny, which I keep meaning to pick up. Looks like Trixie is now a preschooler herself.

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

And, there’s also a DVD from Scholastic with the Knuffle Bunny story on it.

Knuffle Bunny… and More Great Childhood Adventure Stories

I just added the DVD to our Netflix queue so hopefully baby girl likes it.

If you’ve never read Knuffle Bunny, then you have to buy the book. I promise…you – I mean your son/daughter – will love it.

And no, I did not get asked to review this book or write about it. I really just like the book a lot.