What to Expect the First Year, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: good reference but major flaws
Review: This is a good parenting book to have in your library but it should definitely not be the only one. All parenting books have their own bias about co-sleeping and breastfeeding and this one was definitely biased against co-sleeping at all and breastfeeding after the 9th month or so. When I first brought my baby home from the hospital, the only way she would get a decent night's sleep is to sleep with us. Otherwise she cried and fussed the entire night. After two months she was ready to sleep in a cradle but initially we had to adjust our parenting style to include co-sleeping because it was the only thing that would comfort our daughter. If this was the only parenting book I owned I probably would've felt incredibly guilty about having done this--the section of this book that addresses co-sleeping has nothing but negative things to say about it. I found "Good Nights" and "Gentle Baby Care" (perhaps because they were written by attachment parenting advocates) to be very thorough about the topic, with plenty of practical advice.

As noted by other reviewers the book also contains some misleading information about breastfeeding and seems to assume that you'll begin weaning sooner than currently recommended by the govt.

I also found this book to be very poorly organized. Because all babies develop according to their own schedule, it doesn't really make sense to have much of the information organized chronologically. I read "What to Expect When You're Expecting" when I was pregnant and they advised you in the beginning not to "read ahead" so I was doing the same with this book until I realized that it wasn't answering most of my questions! I needed a babysitter when my daughter was two months but for some reason that section was stashed in the third month section! Why? So now I have read into the 10-month section even though my daughter is only 3.5 months because I'm wondering if there are other tidbits of information hidden away in there. And I expect I'll have to reread it all again when she's actually 10 months.

Finally, there was some conflicting information. I'm thinking of the alcohol and breastfeeding references in particular. At various points in the book it says to (a) have a single drink rarely if at all and then to wait two hours before nursing if you do have a drink, (b) have a drink just before nursing to "relax", (c) consult a doctor if you find yourself unable to stop at two drinks a day (what happened to the "rare" drink?!). And finally, it referenced no actual studies about the effects of alcohol on a nursing baby. For such a serious topic, it seemed amazing to me that they could have included so much conflicting information and no scientific backup.

And finally, as someone who is using cloth diapers, I was put off by the offhand remark that (to paraphrase) "in your mother's day, diapers were cleaned and boiled and reused and now people simply throw their diapers away." There is a significant percentage of people who actually use cloth diapers but to read this section you would never know it! This was just one of many cases of the authors assuming that everyone does or should do things their way.

All that said, the book did include good information about safety issues and child development and for these reasons I'm glad to have it on hand. The authors must seriously revise this book, however, for future editions.

Rating:
Summary: you get what you expect!
Review: This is THE book you want to read if you're a first time parent and don't have much experience with babies. You're given very practical explanations on how to deal with your newborn and it helps to solve all the simple troubles you go through everyday, from treating fever and skin rashes to deciding which toy to buy.
It is very helpful up to 7/8 months of age of your child, then it becomes less accurate.

Rating:
Summary: It's Just Okay
Review: This book is sometimes helpful for referencing when you need to know a vaccination schedule or if you want to know smart your kid is when he's surpassed the "Might Even Be Doing..." section for his age. Other than that, I found it pretty UNhelpful.

I disliked the arbitrary nature of the authors' advice on crying especially. In the advice for the first month they (rightly, in my opinion)advise the hypothetical questioner that it's impossible to spoil a newborn and that she should pick the baby up when she cries. But all of a sudden, by the third or fourth month, they're telling you that the baby is "manipulating" you and you'll need to harden your heart and let her cry it out. They even are subtly insulting to parents who don't let their children do so, implying that those parents are wimps.

I also didn't like how they invalidated parents' choices that don't agree with typical Western childrearing practices. They really come down hard against co-sleeping especially, giving outdated reasons against it. I think a better approach would have been giving pros and cons, then giving safety measures to take, and trusting the parent to make his or her own choice.

Also, the advice on breastfeeding is often medically inaccurate and disagrees with the AAP's recommendations regarding that practice. A better all-around childcare manual is the Baby Book or, if you're a Christian, The Complete Book of Christian Childcare, by the Sears.

I appreciated the section on Best Odds recipes only after my son turned 1, because that was the first time when he could eat any of them!

Rating:
Summary: Bad Breastfeeding Advice
Review: It says
"By the end of the first year, however, scientists tell us that breast milk ceases to be adequate--not only is its protein content is insufficient for the older baby, but it suffers from a decline in several vital nutrients including zinc, copper, and potassium."

That is NOT true. After the first year the nutritional value of breastmilk doubles what it was the first year. Thats a proven fact. I have no idea what scientists she talked to, but they gave her wrong info.

It says
" it does seem that prolonged breastfeeding, like prolonged bottlefeeding, can lead to dental decay."
Again, bad info. There has no been one study ever done that says breastfeeding for any reason leads to dental decay.
Lots of people assume that the night feedings cause cavities because the milk will sometimes just sit in the childs mouth, but the fact is that it does NOT cause decay. The breastmilk has antibodies that prevent anything like that from happening.

I also don;t like hoe this book advocates allowing a baby to cry for an extended amount of time. Thats wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Well organzied, but biased.
Review: I like the way this book is organized into easy to digest, month by month chapters, with separate sections for special issues. However, I have found the book limited in the child-rearing approaches the authors put forth. Issues such as when to wean from the breast, when to introduce solids, and co-sleeping are all dealt with in a pretty limited fashion. Instead of introducing a general overview of the different parenting philosphies (Attachment parenting, Ferberizing, etc) the authors present one method for dealing with such issues and move on. Obviously the book can't cover everything, but there's no reason why it can't be a springboard for further research and discussion. Instead there is little to no recognition given to other approaches. In that respect I have been disappointed with the book.

Rating:
Summary: Insulting and not useful
Review: I would not recommend this book or the What to Expect series to anyone. It is written in a condescending tone, as if their methodology is surpreme. Any deviation from their model puts your child at risk of not learning to survive in the world.

In fact, much of what they have written is not based on research but on what they feel. As a breastfeeding mom, for example, I have learned from experience (and reliable info from La Leche League) that it is normal for my baby to go through phases of waking at night to nurse frequently. She needs the nutrition for growth spurts. If my husband and I were not the "softhearted and week-nerved" parents that the authors have called us, we'd have a baby who cries all night and feels abandoned. Instead, I do respond to her needs, 24 hours a day. We have a friendly and happy baby that is easy to take places and enjoys life (even going to the opera).

For as many pages as the book encompasses, it just doesn't tell you very much (as other reviewers have noted)! For a truly helpful and informative book, refer to the Mayo Clinic's Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Baby's First Year. (My ob/gyn recommened it to me.)

Rating:
Summary: It's Okay...not great
Review: This is a good basic common sense kind of book. Most of it you should know and I think that some of the milestones are wrong. One month my child is a genius and the next challenged. I just wasn't that impressed with it. I expected more because of What to Expect When You Are Expcecting was great. But this is just my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Great resource for new moms (and dads)
Review: This is a great resource for new parents. I find myself going to this book often when I have questions about my baby. I have not sat down to read the book through beginning to end, but rather use it as a reference book when I have a question about something. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: take my copy... please
Review: This book was a waste of money. Although you might think you're buying a guide to baby care, the bulk of this book is devoted to infant development broken down month by month, just like the format of "What to Expect When You're Expecting."

That month by month format makes sense for a pregnancy book when things happen at fairly predictable intervals (i.e. the heart starts beating, the lungs mature, etc.) but is next to useless for a baby's first year of life, when growth and development of all kinds occur on a much looser schedule.

Each month the book tells you what your baby "should be able to" do, will "probably," be able to do, "may even be able to" do and "may possibly be able to" do. The first ("should") category might be worth knowing--although there is usually a footnote telling you that if you're baby can't do such and such, it's still probably ok, just call your doctor-- but what is the difference between what your baby "may even" or "may possibly" be able to do?

I get the strong impression these categories for baby "skills" were simply created to make the book look more like the pregnancy best seller because they seem completely nonsensical. A certain achievement, say "understands no," will sometimes appear in the same category for two or more consecutive months.

Clearly, baby development doesn't happen in neat 4-week intervals. If you want a baby care book, almost anything on the market will be better than this. If you want an intelligent book on infant/child development (based on science instead of book marketing schemes!) try "What's Going On In There" by Lise Eliot.





Rating:
Summary: ok book, not the best by far
Review: This book is just ok. It gives factual information in a bland way, but does not take a stand on any issue. The feel I got from this book was that it read like - It is ok if you want to breastfeed, and its ok if you want to bottle feed, whatever you want. It seemed to me really not to say anything at all, it did not take a stand on what was right to do. Every subject seemed to end with "its probably ok, but maybe it isnt so you better call the doctor". Too wishey-washey to be of any real use.