If you are not swaddling a baby with their arms down, you are NOT following  
Dr. Karp's method.  I have no issue with swaddling in general.  It is  the 
specific method of arms down I disagree with.  And the idea that you  are to be 
louder than the baby doesn't sit well with me either.
 
I think the bottom line is I fundamentally disagree with Dr. Karp's  
interpretation of a baby's needs and methods of communicating those needs. I  think 
the web site statement about baby's crying explains why my disagreement  with 
him is so basic.  We do not even agree about why a baby cries.
 
_http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/book_excerpts.htm_ 
(http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/book_excerpts.htm)     has this excerpt from the book:   
 
"Your baby's shrill cry is powerful enough to yank you out of bed  or hoist 
you off the toilet with your pants down. (Not bad for a ten-pound  weakling!) 
However, it is a mistake to think your baby is crying because he's  trying to 
call you for help. During the first few months, trying to get your  attention 
is the furthest thing from your crying baby's mind. In fact, the  amazing truth 
is your baby has absolutely no idea he's even sending you a  message. 
When you hear your two-week-old scream, you're not getting a  communication 
from him; rather you're accidentally eavesdropping on his  conversation…with 
himself." 
He may be right and my children cried because it was a reflex and  it meant 
nothing and they did not really mean to communicate anything to  me.  Wonder 
why I felt so compelled to listen if they were not even trying  to tell me 
anything.  I personally prefer to believe that babies cry to  tell us something,  
We may not know what it is, but it is not communicating  with themselves, it is 
not a reflex they need us to help control, but a method  of communication 
that is the only voice they have.  It stands to reason if  I see the cry of a 
child so differently from his view, I likely see the way to  comfort the child 
differently also. 
For those of you saying "but I used it and I like it"  it's  okay that we 
disagree.  For those who are swaddling but allow the babies to  have their hands 
near their face, please, that is not Dr. Karp's method.   He says over and 
over in many interviews that the key is the baby's hands down  to the side and 
very tight.  I am not talking about any other swaddling  method that provides 
comfort of containment but freedom at the same time.   Also, the comment that he 
supports breastfeeding may be true, but his website  has a baby with a 
pacifier in the mouth and a baby sucking the tip of someone's  finger...no breasts 
anywhere.  For that matter, the only people holding the  baby are the fathers. 
Not that I don't love daddies that love their babies, but  where is the 
nursing mother?  I have read many of his interviews and they  are all very clear.  
The method he is uses is exact and perfect and must be  done just so and it 
will always work if you do it right.  
I don't think it is good for babies to cry.  I think it is  very important 
for babies to feel right in their world so they can be about the  business of 
breastfeeding properly and learning about their world.  I think  there are many 
ways of accomplishing this that do not require a baby to have  arms tight at 
their side.  I do think bringing hands to face is a feeding  cue and preventing 
a feeding cue in the breastfeeding baby is not okay.   Encouraging longer 
sleep stretches in the breastfed baby is not okay if it means  less feeding and 
less milk and slower weight gain.  The difference between  breastfed and bottle 
fed is who can control the feeding.  If the baby is  encouraged to delay 
feeding and it is a bottle, fine, mom can pour in  more.  But, for a breastfeeding 
mom it means a lowered milk supply from the  constant delaying of nursing 
meaning full breasts signaling too much milk.   Breasts need frequent emptying to 
produce a full supply of milk.   Stretching feedings is not an ideal way to 
encourage an optimum milk supply for  most women. Making a baby wait to eat 
does not mean a comfortable and relaxed  feeding for most newborns.   
Like any other 'tool' parents are given the possibility exists for  it to be 
misused.  In my experience parents are using this method to  encourage longer 
sleep stretches and fewer feedings.  The baby is extremely  hungry and 
agitated before getting fed and then mom feels overwhelmed with the  crying baby 
trying to latch. I repeat that I can see that Dr. Karp has the best  of intentions 
and hopes to help families calm their babies without abuse.   I only wish he 
had a clearer understanding of breastfeeding cue feeding and the  use of a 
baby's hands.  But, I hear the masses saying "but it works so  well". 
I have a friend who is a clinical child psychologist and  professor. Her 
suggestion is to watch the video without the sound and see if you  still think you 
are seeing a calming reflex. We had discussed this when the  book and video 
first came out.  I emailed her to ask if there was any  research articles that 
supported her ideas that this was not  a bio-neurologically sound practice. 
She has research articles to  share, but she is out of her office until Monday, 
so expect me to send them to  the list when she provides them.  

I am aware that this method has  gained great favor with many and by 
dissenting I am likely making people  defensive.  I did the same when Dr. Ferber 
decided sleeping through the  night was best taught with a cry it out method.  
Unfortunately, I first  tried it until my infant vomited from prolonged crying.  
Everyone thought  he hung the moon too...after all it works.  Here we are how 
many years  later and finding that perhaps cry it out is not so great after all 
and even Dr.  Ferber himself is back pedaling on some of his theories.  So, 
from my own  life experience I have learned that even it looks great and 
everyone loves and  it works so well there is always the chance that it is wrong.  I 
stand by  my belief that swaddling hands to the side, jiggling a baby's head, 
shhhshing  louder than the baby's cry right into the ear, etc. are not 
necessarily  good even if they are what works. 
Take care, 
Pam MazzellaDiBosco, IBCLC, RLC  



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