Supernanny: How to Get the Best from Your Children

Meet Supernanny Jo Frost, a modern-day Mary Poppins here to rescue today's beleaguered parents by offering up her practical, road-tested methods of childrearing in an indispensable new book based on her upcoming ABC-TV series.

Jo Frost, a.k.a. Supernanny, is the answer to every stressed-out parent's dreams. In ABC's upcoming primetime TV series by the same name, Jo works miracles on problem children by dispensing hard-won wisdom and reassuring us that parents really do know best. The Supernanny method gives parents the know-how to tackle problem areas such as mealtime, bath time, bedtime, bedwetting, homework, sibling rivalry, aggressive behavior, or a child who just won't do what he or she is told to do.

Divided into action-oriented problem and solution sections, Supernanny will show parents how to restore harmony and authority in the home using the Supernanny's ten basic rules and her effective, no-nonsense approach to problem-solving. For example:

Problem: What if your child refuses to go to bed? Supernanny Solution: Develop a bedtime routine so that the child can get used to a consistent pattern that she is not going to be able to change or manipulate. A routine will set up a calming sequence of events that will be designed to help the child relax.

Problem: Toilet-training Supernanny Solution: Prepare your child by taking any hint of shame or disgust out of what is simply a natural fact of life. Keep the door open, bring her into the bathroom with you, and explain what's happening, including the use of toilet paper and the washing of hands afterward.

For despairing moms and dads everywhere, "Supernanny" Jo Frost may as well be wearing a Wonder Woman costume. Her no-nonsense rules--not tips, not advice, but rules--for consistently managing one's offspring leave no room for arguments (or wrestling matches). From her arms-akimbo stance on the book's cover, it's clear she's in charge, and ready to instruct all wishy-washy (overworked American) parents how to lay down the law in their own home. She offers her "top ten rules" for setting boundaries, managing mealtimes, even surviving toilet training, and it's mostly rock-solid, and peppered liberally with British wit. (For parents who obsess over their toddler's every meal, she warns: "It doesn't take long for them to work out the obvious: you can't make them eat.") Frost may not have a degree in child development, but she was raised in a stable, doting family, and has 15 years' experience taking care of tots, a combination which puts her way ahead of most parents. She may be firm, but by setting definite boundaries, she sets the stage for parenting to be more of a "joy" and much less of a "slog." You can raise your sippy cups to that. --Erica Jorgensen