The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less

I thoroughly enjoyed this very well written book! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison paint an amazingly accurate picture of the Dutch society and how children are raised in the Netherlands. I can attest to that, being a Dutchie myself, born and raised in The Netherlands, but living in the US since 2005. Besides that I also raised my two children partly in the Netherlands and partly in the US. I really enjoyed seeing the Dutch society, and child rearing the Dutch way, described as seen through the eyes of an American and a British young mother, and seeing it compared with the ways thing are done in their home countries. Very interesting (including the mild criticism of the Dutch and their quirks, well deserved ))! I bought this book not only for myself but also for my daughter, who is expecting, and is contemplating moving back to the Netherlands within a few years to raise her child there. I guess this book would make that decision a no brainer. Who wouldn't want to be the parent of one of the happiest kids in the world!

Loved this book. I read it in a week and could not put it down. It tells the simple ways the Dutch have learned to raise children in a way that makes children independent and happy. Raised in Holland and living in San Francisco I realize that we can all be a little Dutch and relax more so our children have time to play and learn.The book is well referenced and has a lot of great research to justify the statement that "the Dutch raise the happiest kids in the world". Unlike the Danish book claiming the same but not providing any evidence to why the Danish children could claim to be the happiest.Rina Mae spoke on her first stop in San Francisco to a small audience of mostly Dutch parents and some Americans. We shared childhood memories and asked the questions; "why don't we all raise our children to be playful and independent?". The sad answer is, our children are too busy and we are too anxious....A must read for all parents raising children of all ages.

I called this review “good enough” because one of my favorite takeaways was the idea of good enough parenting. This book was the cure for what my own neurotic, anxious, guilt ridden, sparenting in the US. The Dutch talk about “good enough” parenting and living. There isn’t s drive for perfection like there often is here.One of the criticism I keep seeing about this book is that it constantly compares Dutch parenting to that in the UK and US, but I felt the writers were upfront about that this is what this book is about.My only criticism is that I felt like sometimes Dutch parenting was painted with rose colored glasses while UK and US parenting could at times be a bit of straw man. That being said though, I still liked most of the general concepts in this book. They helped me relax and realize my kid is going to be okay. I don’t need to “do it all” for my kids as is often the American way. It helped me recognize it’s important to take care of myself and just let go of somethings.I do not agree with every piece of advice offered in this book. And some of the advice would be nearly impossible to follow outside of living in the Netherlands, but I loved the broad concepts of it.

Great book. Not a ton of advice you can actually implement if you live in the US because as the book drives home it’s a pretty big culture difference. Only so much you can do in your own home when society is different. That being said there are some really lovely and smart home based practices that are totally worth the read

It was an interesting read, but it left me feeling that Americans don't have it all wrong (which I don't think fulfilled the purpose of the book). A lot of the information is not applicable in America (or other countries). So as far as actual advice goes, there wasn't much to offer. I may have picked up a couple of tidbits. Overall, an enlightening exploration of culture, but otherwise I far prefered Bringing Up Bebe and French Kids Eat Everything for parenting lessons from another cul. If you're interested in something on a similar subject, but much more applicable, I would recommend All Joy and No Fun.

I loooooved this book so much!!! It made me want to uproot my family to the Netherlands. It was so honest, genuine, informative. You could take parts of it and really apply it to your life wherever you lived. While some parts are special to living there, I still felt a connection to the authors especially, Rina, maybe because we had a similar upbringing. I hope they write another book, maybe a sequel or a series!! I could not have read this book faster! Incredibly enjoyable in every way. Thank you for writing such an amazing book!

I read the book before I gave it to my daughter and son in law for pondering how to for their new baby. Been to Netherlands and contrast to USA as I said "civilized" it is. you need to read and think about how best to "How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less"

I kept feeling like scheduling my child into everything, pushing them to do homework, stressing over getting things perfect ... was just wrong. This book makes me realize my feelings were right. No more homework for my elementary school child. Lot's of free time to be a kid and explore the world outside our home. I am SO much more relaxed.

It has a lot of doubtable things regards breastfeeding and raising kids.There is few misconceptions about feeding a baby by breastfeeding.

I have only visited Amsterdam once but this book makes me want to go back and live there. Such a relaxed way of parenting and living.

I liked their emphasis on what to prioritize

Expected this to be a bit more comical and cheeky (ie. Bringing Up Bebe). Didn’t finish the book. Super dry read tbh