What to Expect the First Year, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: Buy the Sears' book instead
Review: I really didn't like the parts in this book about baby carriers, crying it out and co sleeping. Some of the medical advice conflicts what is given in other books written by doctors. I also found this with "What to Expect when You're Expecting." The Q&A format was not easy for me to follow at all. There is some good stuff in this book but after reading their comments about the above things, I wondered whether their advice was accurate or not.

Rating:
Summary: "Just let him cry until he's exhausted"?
Review: Extremely harsh Cry It Out tactics--even parents I know who have done CIO are appalled by this sction of this book. The whole book has this condescending, morally superior tone to it, and refers to parents who "can't or won't" do a cry it out approach as "softhearted or weak-nerved". And how totally unrealistic as to diets and milestones! About as useful as the WTEWYE diet. Headed for the recycle bin...

Rating:
Summary: A Great Reference Guide.. give it a chance
Review: A very good book for quick reference. It seems like every question that my husband and I have had, has been found pretty quickly in the book. A lot of the following give terrible reviews especially when it comes to breastfeeding. I certainly don't agree with them. I breastfed my first for 1 year and I'm planning on breastfeeding by 10 1/2 month old for another couple of months. Believe me, I agree whole-heartedly that breastfeeding is the absolute best for your baby, and I did not find this book opposed to it at all. Don't read this book from cover to cover while your pregnant.. it will scare you.. but read it month by month as your baby grows. Or, just get it off the shelf when a question comes up.. you're sure to find the answer. This book is not a bible, but it sure is a helpful guide. I would highly recommend it for any new mother! Have fun and welcome to the most precious honor ever to be given.. motherhood!

Rating:
Summary: It's a good book to have around
Review: This is the second "What to Expect" book I have read, and this one has proven to be helpful, especially when I need a quick reference. I don't believe we should consider this books information to be the end all and be all. It does contain information which can be considered controversial, such as suggesting to let your baby cry it out, however it does give other options. I found this book to be most useful when my son received his vaccinations, I was able to quickly look up their purpose, any reactions to expect, and when to be concerned. It allows you to review expected milestones, common illnesses, and other practical, basic information for the first year. I keep this book at an arm's reach. You too will find it to be a good choice if you use it as a guide, along with other books, and not as a bible.

Rating:
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: After using "What to Expect When You're Expecting" throughout my whole pregnency, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have written anything for me. Every chapter seems to be focused on neurotic parents who worry every time their child cries. I needed more comprehensive and specific information, preferably about specific behaviors and symptoms of illness. It seems every time I refer to the book concerning symptoms, I can't find what I am looking for. This purchase was a big disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: Wise to skip this book--- buy The Baby Book by Sears
Review: For the sake of your baby don't buy this book. It's full of inaccurate, medically unsound, cruel and cold advice. Babies need constant love, not the leave them in a dark room to cry it out approach. Your baby is not trying to manipulate -- (s)he cries for many reasons but not to manipulate you. As a new, first-time mother, I think we mothers should try to raise the next generation with more love and compassion than the last was afforded. Perhaps if babies are cuddled regularly, breastfed (or expressed milk bottlefed or formula if neccessary) and sleep near or with mother, they will learn love, trust and compassion at their Mother's Knee. Old ways in mothering, such as trusting your instincts are the best. Don't buy into the Brave New World approach of parenthood advocated my these authors. I tried to get my baby to sleep in his owm room when he was at one year -- even let him cry it out several times, thinking "everyone" including this book, was giving good advice to a seriously sleep-deprived mother. I still have guilt about doing that. But I realized my instinct was correct, so my son still sleeps in our bedroom, sometimes with us. Generally he sleeps through the night. He's 19 months and he's happy -- so we're happy Please, buy the Baby Book by Sears and enjoy raising your baby -- the most important job you'll ever hold. With your every action, you mold your little one into the person (s)he will become -- May we form them well, and if we are lucky, they will remember us well.

Rating:
Summary: Missing one key piece of advice...
Review: The one thing this book should tell you but doesn't is to throw this book away. It seems to be written by someone who doesn't have any kids but instead read a lot of books about them. Any parent who follows Attatchment Parenting (or is loving, thoughtful, and caring)will be outraged by the advice to let your baby cry it out alone in bed regardless of illness or pain. Their advice on breastfeeding and scheduling borders on Babywise and should be avoided if a mom is going to breastfeed successfully. I found this book to be very opinionated and not very informative. If you want to raise your baby without making waves in your household, bottle feed without guilt, sleep through the night when the baby is only 2 months old and generally force your child to conform to someone else's ideals this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Not helpful about real, common issues
Review: Just as "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is not for anyone who's not a hypochondriac by nature, this book is not really for anyone who's not neurotic enough to over-monitor their children. I bought it hoping to find out about teething and weaning a baby to a bottle of breastmilk (not formula)--and found very little that helped me. The long sections about what your baby should be doing every month are kind of laughable. Also, their "Best Odds" diet is very heavy on dairy and other commonly allergenic foods, and they advocate starting these foods at very young ages--they're definitely not into the breastfeeding thing; wonder why not, when it's been so thoroughly espoused by everyone from the APA on down?

Rating:
Summary: Not the end-all-be-all but helpful
Review: As a first-time parent this book has been very helpful to me when it comes to basic information. No, it doesn't contain every single piece of information a parent needs and it is biased on some topics. However, if I called my pediatrician every time I need a question answered, he would never take my phone calls. Therefore I think the purpose of a book such as this one is to provide enough information to make a decision, and that decision may be to consult other reference materials for more information. But if you want the basics, i.e. when to call the doctor, symptoms of teething, how to guage a fever, etc., this book is very helpful. If you want a lot of information on breastfeeding, co-parenting and other issues, buy books specifically dedicated to these topics.

Rating:
Summary: WTE Disappointment
Review: WTE was recommended to me by many friends when I was expecting my first child. I received WTE as a gift and avidly read every word. I was very disppointed by many of the recommendations regarding breastfeeding and introducing solids. WTE has bad information regarding both breastfeeding and weaning. WTE's recommendation to introduce solds at 4 months and to wean at 10 months contradicts the AAP's recommendation that breastmilk should be the only food for the first 6 months and babies should be breasfed to at least 1 year. The WHO also recommends breastfeeding until at least age 2. Unfortunately, WTE is an example of a popular book that is spreading misinformation. Readers beware!