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Summary: Great theoretically-based approach to practical parenting!
Review: As a developmental psychologist who understands (and has read first-hand) the extensive body of empirical research showing the long-term importance of forming secure attachments, I was thrilled to pick up this book! (...and equally disappointed to read some of the earlier reviews.) Research consistently indicates that children who form secure relationships with their primary caregivers (through the provision of consistent, appropriately responsive caregiving) show better outcomes in academic acheivement as well as peer and romantic relationships through childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood (research is still looking at later ages).
Knowing the importance of these relationships, I wanted a parenting book that I could refer to that would help me build this sort of relationship with my daughter. Since graduate school teaches all about outcomes, but little about the actual practice of fostering development, this book has been absolutely invaluable for all the questions I've had as a new mom. My little girl is growing up to be a happy, secure little individual who can draw from the relationship she has with her father and me to go out and explore all the world has to offer.
If I had to pick two books to help me through the first year of parenting, it would be Dr. & Mrs. Sears's book and "Your Baby, Week by Week," a completely different and also very helpful guide.
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Summary: Love the book
Review: This book was a huge validation of what I intuitively felt was right for my baby.
New Mom from Southern California says that co-sleeping has been proven to be dangerous. Not so! It actually reduces the likelyhood of SIDS and can help increase breastmilk production. All of this information is stated in Dr. Sears book. Please read this book and don't let uninformed people scare you away from the decisions that are best for your child.
Rating: 
Summary: Some useful clinical information..
Review: This book is a good reference guide as far as health issues go (ex: congestion, diaper rash, etc.) - The authors of this book are extremely biased when it comes to feeding, I agree, breastfeeding is the best way to go, providing you are able, however, they make formula feeding sound like a horrid thing, and that if you do go that route, you are an uncaring parent. Also - the book supports co-sleeping which has been proven to be potentially dangerous to babies... 50% of the book is useful - take the other 50% with a grain of salt...
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Summary: The best baby shower gift ever
Review: I always give this book as a baby-shower gift to first time moms. All of them have thanked me later on. A few of them quit work because of it, though. Don't tell my boss :o I like this book because he gives different options to solve problems. He doesn't demand that you do it his way, but "whatever way works best for you."
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Summary: Greatest Baby Book around!
Review: As a first time mom, I was checking out every baby book I could get my hands on, and this was by far the BEST. William & Martha Sears have a very balanced perspective thanks to not only their years of professional experience with kids and babies but also their personal experience (having raised 8 kids). Even my homebirth instructor still refers to her copy of this classic so often that it's now tattered and taped together after years of reference. (I also really enjoyed their Breastfeeding Book.) This book is a must-have if you are interested in attachment parenting. (And even if you're not.)
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Summary: very nice and good advice
Review: I have never heard of AP before and my son is 14 month old now. I really found it funny to read that book. We seem to be the perfect AP parents without having heard of the concept. We never let our son cry it out, he first slept in the sidecar arrengement and now in our bed, maybe he will move out soon, who knows? We carried him a lot and still do. I breastfed until 9 month, then I stopped, I did not want it any longer and my son accepted that. I do not understand some of the negativ reviews. Sears does say that bottlefeeding is okay, if mother and child feel better with that option. Breastfeeding is the first choice, is that not obvious? AND he stresses that you should not listen too much to other peoples advice, listen to yourself thats what you shoud do. I liked his advice on bonding for mothers with dificult birth. I had a traumatic birth experience and it is very true that it took me more effort and a longer time to bond than it took my friends with their babies. We did what he says instinctivly, well, maybe we really didnt need that book so much. One thing I did not like was the chapter about carrying the baby. Sears describes only one type of sling and this type I think is far from ideal. You cannot carry a heavy baby over one shoulder like that for a long time. There is better slings out there and he should know that. Our baby grew very heavy very quickly and we carry him even now, but our sling is basically a long piece of cloth. It might be more difficult to use at first, but it can be used in different ways, front, back and side. It is a pitty that Sears book is not mentioning these options. The chapter about food I found a bit confusing, he does not mention vegetarian food for babies directly, I think that is sad too. One more thing I liked. Sears main advice is to listen to yourself and to your baby, not to panic and to follow your instincts. It should be obvious but parents KNOW what to do with their child. A mother does not like to hear her baby cry, a father does like to hold and carry his baby. Having children is fun and just a good feeling not a struggle. Or that is what I think and what Sears tries to tell. I would give this book to first parents as a present. For myself I still like the development charts, it is good to know what to expect next.
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Summary: My number one reference
Review: This is the first book I go to when I have a question. I have read a bunch of books on raising babies, and I find I take a bit from each one, but this one seems to offer more than most. While I don't think it's likely that any one book can offer everything you need to know about raising your child or that you'll ever find you agree with everything in a particular book, this one has come the closest for me. It promotes attachment parenting, which a lot of us (including myself) cannot do to the degree that it is recommended. Even so, I find the reasons behind it valuable and consider them good guidance in my own decision making.
This is the book I buy for my pregnant friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Trust your instincts not a book
Review: I was about 8 mos pregnant when I began reading this book. At the end of it I felt like my son will be sleeping in bed with us, I will be breastfeeding, and I will have my son by my side at all times. By the 2nd month and still at some points I was feeling so quilty that I was banned from ever reading the book again. I had an emergency c-section so breastfeeding was nonexistent (no milk here) so our doctor after our son was not gaining weight was put on formula and breastfeeding was a supplement. But because we knew from this book (and their breastfeeding book) that this was the best, my husband and I spent 3 months at each others throats. He wanted me breastfeeding and I was unable too but we were trying.
Now to the attachment parenting. We decided that we would have our son sleep in bed with us. Now at 18 mos old he is taking up most of our bed and no matter what we try to do we cannot get him to sleep in his own bed. We are trying to put his bed right next to ours in our room instead of his, and it still isnt working. He wont even take a nap in there. He takes up most of the bed tossing and turning and we just end up on the floor or in weird sleeping positions, not too mention the fact that we cannot be close to each other at night. I believe that our son did benefit from the closeness to us but now we are struggling to change this.
In the end I was spending my free time reading this book and all it did for me was make me feel inadequate and quilty. I know that it is an ideal and just a reference but in the end I was better off without it. And now I am because my husband threw it out, he was tired of hearing me complain about it.
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Summary: The best book about babies
Review: This is the best all in one reference out there.
I was given this book before I had my son. I began reading it immediately. He is now 14 months old and I still refer to it. The book has a lot of great info about the needs and development of babies and toddlers. It does give a lot of advice about the best parenting methods for building a healthy attachment with your baby, but it always states that in the end the methods that work best for the whole family are the ones that should be followed.
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Summary: Am I a Bad Mother?
Review: I bought this book on the suggestion of a friend who has two children. I should have read the negative reviews more closely. According to Dr. Sears I would be a bad mother (or at least not as good a parent as he is). Dr. Sears advocates breastfeeding to the EXTREME. I tried desperately to breastfeed. I had an emergency C-section, my baby had jaundice (which required him to have formula in the hospital), and my milk never came in. I tried everything--went to the lactation consultants, took pills, etc. but my body just wasn't made for breastfeeding. Reading his book made me feel SO incredibly guilty. Despite the breastfeeding, most of the material I disagreed with. (His attachment parenting was also too extreme for me.) It may be too early to tell, but I think my baby is turning out just fine -- without following Dr. Sears' advice.
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