Rating: 
Summary: Some excellent advice all parents should heed.
Review: When we first brought our son home from the hospital we thought he was a colicky child because he cried all the time. He is our first and my husband and I did not know what the heck we were doing with him (Hospitals/Parenting classes can only teach you so much, after that, you are on your own). So, I immediately ordered "The Baby Book" by the Sears to give us some well needed advice/knowledge. When I read it I immediately thought, "Wow, this Attached Parenting theory contradicts everything my sisters (who all have children) told me to do"...but you know what, it made perfect sense. The Sears explain Attached Parenting in great detail. They claim that you cannot spoil a baby, only things that are left alone spoil... and a baby that is held a lot is less fussy. So anyway, I decided to give this Attached Parenting a try and see if there would be any change in our poor little fussy son. You know what happened almost immediately? A complete change. Not only did he stop crying but our son is the most well behaved 6-month-old you will ever meet. I can take him ANYWHERE and know he will be a little gentleman. My sisters swear he was adopted and not from our family because their kids are complete terrors! I'm glad we chose the Sears advice over theirs. The Sears preach love, understanding, patience and kindness in their book... everything we should be expressing to our children and future generations. I am not going to lie to you and say that it is easy to do; practicing Attached Parenting is sometimes a challenge. However, once you get it down and make a commitment it becomes easier and it's so well worth it! The rewards are endless! My husband and I swear by it. Please follow the Sears advice, you will never regret it. If you find it difficult, remember, it's only temporary. Your baby will not be a baby forever, however what you do now and how it affects your child WILL last forever. Good luck.
Rating:
Summary: A smart, common sense approach to loving and caring for baby
Review: Dr. Sears covers all the bases, from what to expect during and after the delivery to potty training the toddler. He endorses attachment parenting and listening to baby's cues. He promotes breastfeeding but doesn't leave a bottle feeding mother to feel poorly for bottle feeding. Sound advice on baby wearing and dealing with a fussy baby. Excellent medical advice; he's given me peace of mind several times when my kids have been sick. I give this book as a gift to every mom-to-be I know. My copy is well worn and dog eared from constant reference and reading.
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Summary: DON'T LISTEN TO THE SKEPTICS...THIS IS THE WAY TO GO!
Review: If anyone tells you that your child benefits from "CRYING IT OUT" and rigid feeding schedules, please read this before you try it. Basically, Sears says that IF SOMETHING YOU'RE TOLD TO DO DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT, DON'T DO IT! I don't carry my child 24/7, nor do I have him sleep with me every night...but the WHOLE POINT is that I do what works best for my family AND my baby. I followed his advice, and my baby slept with me for the first 3 months...now at four months he is beginning to fall asleep comfortably in his crib all by himself. He never wakes up crying, just talks to himself until I come get him because I used ATTACHMENT parenting and he is TRUSTING and CONFIDENT in me that I will take care of his needs. That is the basis for this style of parenting. I am scared of the dark to this day, because my foster parent would put me to bed as a month old infant and let me cry myself to sleep in the dark. ATTACHMENT PARENTING IS NOT AN EXTREME. It is a way to take what works and is healthy for your whole family and use it to raise healthy, confident, caring and INDEPENTANT children!!!
Rating:
Summary: Easily the Best
Review: This is always the gift that we give to friends who are having a first baby. We always get comments months later complimenting us on our selection and thanking us for the gift. The authors do a wonderful job of explaining how to care for a baby in a way that provides for the best physical and emotional health possible. Although some of their ideas will be controversial for some people, the book is written in such a way that parents are not made to feel guilty if they do not agree with the suggestions of the authors. This book should be required reading for anyone that cares for an infant! Please let me know if this review was helpful. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: sound advice
Review: while I would also like to see more documentation from relevant reasearch in this book, from a psychological standpoint Sears gives sound advice. I'm always dissappointed when people do more research before forming their opinion and try to make their child more "independent". Experts in developmental psychology have demonstrated many times the importance of secure attachments(see Minnesota parent-child project), which are the result of attentive, responsive caregiving, This type of caregiving is exactly what Sears is trying to teach in his book.
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Summary: Works for us!
Review: I see lots of readers using their review to criticize or debate attachment parenting, and I guess it's a difficult topic to escape when discussing Dr. Sears. I absolutely love this book and the attachment approach to parenting is working for us. I work fulltime and my son is in a family daycare, yet he adjusts perfectly well to not being worn and to sleeping without having me next to him during the day -- in fact I think it's the security we built together in his early weeks that helps him do this. Apart from the babywearing and family bed sections (which you are free to disregard if these practices don't work for you), it's a terrific book. Great medical information (including the infant Tylenol dosages that the manufacturer won't put on the package!) and I like the developmental information too. It's supplanted the venerable Dr. Spock as the book we reach for when we have a question.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I learned from this book that it is okay to follow your instincts! My mother still gives the advice to "let that baby cry" "I used to let you cry". Well you know what? I have had emotional dependency issues my entire life... is this perhaps the cause? I will never know. But leaving a defenseless human being to fend for herself and cry alone in a dark room is perhaps the most inhumane thing we can do. Sure, there are times when we have no choice. But don't do it if it doens't feel right for you! I am so glad I gave this book a chance! Before I knew what attachment parenting really was, I just thought it was some crazy way of never putting your baby down, and that you had to follow these rules of co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, etc. But I learned that in fact, just listening to your baby's cues is the ultimate way to raise a happy child.
What a loving concept!
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Summary: This is the one you need!
Review: Shopping around for a general reference book for yourself or a pregnant friend? Stop looking, you've found it. Dr. Sears teaches his theory of Attachment Parenting, which should really be called "makes sense parenting," because once you read about it, you will see that you knew it all along. My seven-month old son is all smiles due to the advice in this book. Don't listen to people who tell you to let your baby "cry it out." This book explains how babies really learn to be independent and it may surprise you. Buy this book and your whole family will be happier and healthier.
Rating:
Summary: I'd give it 10 stars if I could!
Review: My little boy is about to turn 3, and I'm in the process of selling this beloved book. The pages are well worn, whether from delightful reading or from searching for specific answers. I highly recommend this book to every new mom. It has lots of invaluable information about natural birth, breastfeeding, attachment parenting (even though the sling didn't work for me - did a real number on my lower back!), how to handle certain situations, ways to play with baby at different growth stages, information about baby illnesses, when to worry and when to not. It's a huge thing too, very thick!!
Rating:
Summary: The best baby book!
Review: This is absolutely the best baby care/parenting book I have ever read. If I could thank Martha & Dr.Sears in person I would. When I first read some of the book I was 7 months pregnant with my first child and thought "attachment parenting" looked too involved and time consuming. After my daughter was born "attachment parenting" was the natural way for me to parent. I went back to the book store and purchased the book. It has been my reference manual for everything for both of my children.
Attachment parenting is very time consuming but my children's happiness was worth it to me. They are so happy and confident and I constantly get compliments on their behavior. I recommend this book and the "discipline book" to all parents.
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