A review The Blossom Method

The Blossom Method™ - The Revolutionary Way to Communicate With Your Baby from Birth

By Vivien Sabel

ISBN: 9780091947538

Published on June 7 2012 by: Vermillion               RRP: £7.99

Vivien Sabel is a registered Psychotherapist. Her first book The Blossom Method™ - The Revolutionary Way To Communicate With Your Baby From Birth describes the communication method she has developed. For more information about The Blossom Method™ go to www.viviensabel.com

Review by Sharon Trotter (Midwife and founder of TIPS Ltd)

The Blossom Method™ will become an international bestseller!

I have never made such a prediction about any book before but then this is no ordinary book. Its message is simple enough: observe, mirror and respond to your baby's non-verbal clues and you can learn to better understand their language.

Vivien Sabel was the third and last child of a non-signing deaf mother (an inspiration in her own right). This taught Vivien to recognise the subtleties of non-verbal communication instinctively. Vivien used these skills to communicate with her baby daughter Blossom who was born in 2004. Vivien went on to research this very topic for many years, observing many newborns' ways of communicating: tongue-talking, body-talk, eye gaze and simple signing.  When Vivien tried to discuss her findings with other new parents she was surprised to find out that they were not already using this simple system of communication to ‘talk’ to their babies. So she decided to share her tips with us all in a book. Professionals and parents were quick to praise Vivien’s book and after dozens of enthusiastic reviews from many parenting experts around the world a publishing deal soon followed (you can follow Vivien’s inspirational journey to publication in our latest ‘My Story’ feature).

Named after her daughter, The Blossom Method™ will help everyone to better understand baby language. Once you understand a baby, you can quickly learn to speak back and respond to their needs before they become distressed. What Vivien describes is so simple and so obvious that you may wonder why we have not heard about this before. In fact, this is nothing new. Babies have been ‘talking’ to us since time began but maybe we have lost the ability to fully tune into their language, especially in the fast-paced world we live in. The Blossom Method™ will help us all re-learn our babies' non-verbal signs. This is sure to greatly reduce stress for all parents!

A few years ago I was asked to review the Dunstan Baby Language DVD (www.dunstanbaby.com ). The concept is similar to The Blossom Method™ but the Dunstan Baby Language lists five common baby sounds as the basis of a communication system. The Blossom Method™ identifies many more communication clues for parents, including baby talk, leg kicking and even the smell of baby’s breath. Understanding and responding to these clues can greatly increase the bond with your baby who in turn will feel more secure and self-confident.

The Blossom Method™ clearly explains how to observe, mirror and respond to your baby. It also provides various testimonials from parents who have used The Blossom Method™ to deal with a number of parenting issues like constipation, early signs of illness and early potty training.

Where this book proves to be a real gem is in its relaxed tone and non-judgemental advice. Anyone who reads this book can become a better parent or carer – you can’t say fairer than that!

I am so impressed with The Blossom Method™ that I have decided to award it a TIPS Must-have

The Blossom Method™ - A Review by Roxana Rudzik-Shaw

Book Review: "The Blossom MethodTM. Vivien Sabel writes from the heart in her baby-centred book, The Blossom Method™. Typically parents-to-be or new parents, as well as primary caregivers, devote much of their time attending to babies and young children, providing them with various experiences facilitating the development of their babies' senses, teaching them about the world and how to acquire new skills to aid their personal development, including personalities or identities.

However, whilst babies are not born with linguistic communication capabilities or coherent paralinguistic and non-verbal mediums of communication that would be recognised by the majority of adults, we may at times overlook babies' eagerness to communicate with us in their own way. The question we as adults need to consider is whether we are able to communicate effectively with babies? And if so, are we ready to accept that we need to learn about the new born individual from their unique perspective?
We are aware of the two-way process of communication whereby 'the message' is sent to an intended recipient and if it is heard and understood, the recipient strives to convey their understanding of this message back to the sender. This not only applies to young people and adults, but to newborns also. Babies are keen to be 'heard' and understood, otherwise they may begin to feel distressed and frustrated as may be the case for the majority adults.

On reading The Blossom Method™, it is very clear from Vivien's personal experiences as a mother and the experiences of her research participants, that each baby wishes to communicate with us in their unique way as well as being attended to, such as having their primary needs met and feeling safe, cared for and loved. The Blossom Method™ embraces this idea, educating us about the importance of non-verbal communication with babies, whilst also offering a simplistic and practical model of Observe-Mirror-Respond in which to use as a basis of being able to communicate more effectively with your baby, understanding your baby's needs and desires through their non-verbal behaviour and to more clearly understand what your baby is trying to communicate to you.
In The Blossom Method™ Vivien offers this three step model as an invitation to try to explore with your own baby with the aim being to connect with our babies, build a great foundation for a two-way relationship to flourish. This invitation is refreshing and unlike many 'How To' books I have come across that claim to have all the answers, and unfortunately, in doing so these books seem to put a lot of pressure on parents-to-be and new parents.

By comparison, Vivien's compassion and warmth shine through in The Blossom Method™. I would most definitely recommend this book to any expectant and new parents, as well as adults in the helping professions. I would also offer The Blossom Method™ as a resource to some of the clients I encounter whom at times struggle to be ‘perfect’ as parents or caregivers. I believe The Blossom Method™ would encourage more exploration and confidence-building in striving to be the best one can be." 

Roxana Rudzik-Shaw (MSc (Dist.), BSc (dual hons), MBACP, MBPsS, ACTO, TESOL, ACTDEC) Professional Counselling, Supervision, Training, Research and Support Services
Tel: 07754233093 Tw: @RRS_counselling
FB: www.facebook.com/RRScounselling
Web: www.rrs.counselling.co.uk
RRS Counselling Services © 2010 - 2012. All Rights Reserved.

Saying Goodbye UK

Hello I am a former 'terp', British Sign Language interpreter(Deaf Studies & Sign language Interpreting University of Bristol, UK 1996) amongst other things I am a volunteer Media Advocate for @SayingGoodbyeUK an organisation working nationally to mark infant losses of UK parents.

 We at Saying Goodbye are running non-denominational services in memory of our ‘lost/angel’ babies. These services are going to allow parents to remember their lost babies. Their infants lost through miscarriage, stillbirth and early infant death.

 In support of the good work I am trying to find volunteer interpreters in order to include the deaf community in these services. As a mother who has suffered many infant losses and as deaf person I would love to see interpreter access being offered. Saying Goodbye are relying on many of us to volunteer and I am hopeful some of you may be able to offer your time voluntarily. 2012 locations & dates.



There are seven confirmed services in 2012 and we hope to have a minimum of fifteen services in 2013 Cardiff - 03/11/12 - 3pm South - TBC London SP - 24/11/12 - 5pm Bristol - 08/12/12 - 3.30pm Exeter - 15/09/12 - 3pm Edinburgh - 22/09/12 - 3pm York - 29/09/12 - 1.30pm Birmingham - 28/10/12 - 3.30pm If you think you have some spare time to offer to interpret at any of these services for this organisation please email me on viviensabel@btinternet.com My website address is http://www.viviensabel.com A huge thank you to all of you who have taken the time to consider this. For further information about Saying Goodbye please see their site http://www.sayinggoodbye.org/index.html#.T_Kh245uHzI

#silentsunday

Happy Father's Day

Dad I wish you were here to share today. We miss you in so many ways. Even though you're not with us now. I talk to you up in the clouds. With love today and always your ever-loving daughter Vivi

Review of The Blossom Method™

Book Review by Chris Bonsmann The best time to read 'The Blossom Method™' is before you have your baby. The techniques described will give you the insight and confidence to become a parent and to enjoy getting to know and love your baby. If your baby is already here, then you can still benefit from this book and appreciate the accessible way in which it is written. Becoming a parent can be a demanding and confusing experience. To be taking care of a small person and not understanding what to do or why your baby is crying is not only stressful but can make you feel not good enough. Vivien Sabel's book will help you to be so much more than 'good enough'. It will help you to be a great parent and to realise that parenting is about love and being open to the experience of finding out what your baby needs and how best to meet those needs. As a Psychological Therapist, every day I meet adults who never had their needs met. Don't let your baby grow up with such a poverty of experience. Christine Bonsmann MBACP (Accred), MBPsS, MSc, MBA, PG Dip.

Here's what someone had to say about The Blossom Method™

Vivien, just about to begin chapter two and already I am amazed. I feel almost embarrassed that I didn't think of it--I mean it's so simple, so natural, so obvious (now) that it's as if humanity has been living in a cave all this time. How could we have NOT recognized this before? One day, parents will look back on your book and say to themselves, "Really? There was a time when people didn't already know this? How could this be?" Congratulations on being the one to figure it out. Makes me wish I had a baby so I could use the Blossom Method right now. :D Hugs!