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Summary: The Cult of Sears
Review: I thought this book would be a useful reference manual after having my first child. I was wrong. If you don't breastfeed, carry your baby in a sling all day, become a stay-at-home mom or co-sleep with your baby, this book is not for you. Fathers play a minor secondary role in child rearing, aside from being a wallet. It's all on you, mom, regardless of whether you have a significant other who adores that baby as much as you do.
I really can't see why so many people love his books. Do they realize he has 8 children and he doesn't practice what he preaches? That's right - Martha does ALL of the work. It's so easy for him to take the time and write books because it was her responsibility to raise those 8 children. Maybe the "Sears Philosophy" developed because he didn't take an active role in parenting and put the burden on her.
Parenthood comes with enough guilt. Don't get this book unless you're looking for more, along with some anecdotal 1950's advice. Use common sense, intuition and lots of love to raise your child.
Rating: 
Summary: A MUST READ BOOK!!!!
Review: I LOVE this book. I've read many different books starting about 2 weeks after my baby was born and found that I was actually doing most of the things Dr Sears recommends, just by instinct. If you can't trust your own intuition on what to do with your baby than what can you trust? All the cry it out theories or opponents of co sleeping, etc I don't agree with at all, it just doens't feel right. Also you can get a lot out of this book if you go back to work. I get enough sleep each night, no our 10 week old doesn't sleep through the night every single night, but neither do adults. For a little baby she's great, I don't plan to sleep with her forever, but I LOVE being close to her and she's a very happy baby. This book in a nutshell just tells you that it's ok to attend to your baby's needs, to do what you feel is right, to be attached. You don't have to carry your baby around in a sling all day to be attached, nor stay at home forever, just do what you feel is right. This book has great ideas and much more insight than I've found in other books. I buy this for all my pregnant friends now, it's the best book I've read and I still refer to it everyday!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great resource
Review: While I don't agree with all of the Sears' ideas, especially regarding attachment parenting, I highly recommend this book. It's a fantastic resource and a good companion to "What To Expect the First Year" by Eisenberg, Murkoff, and Hathaway. Between the two books, I always get the information I need.
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Summary: AWESOME!
Review: Very comprehensive, acetaminophen dosage chart is GREAT, answers all your possible questions and has great suggestions on how to keep track of signs & symptom of illnes to communicate more effectively with your MD & not have to call him in the middle of the night. Extremely helpful - more than any of he 4 other books I currently own - now I only need this one! A Must Have!
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Summary: Great advice for parents to interact a lot with child
Review: This book is particularly useful for mothers who are nursing (and their families). There's lots of advice about carrying your baby in a sling or other type of baby carrier. This book is recommendable for everyone, with lots of good general and medical advice. If you're not inclined to nurse or carry your baby, then some chapters will be irrelevant to you -- but if you are, it will be perfect. He is also an advocate of sleeping with your baby, which I am neither for nor against, although ours does sleep with us every night because his crib isn't great. One reviewer here complained about the limited role the father would play in the Sears' world; I this complaint is somewhat valid, but I think Sears is basically correct IF your child is breast-fed. A breast-fed baby will be with mom most of the time, particularly in the first 6 months. The role of father is limited to helping around the house, playing, taking baby for walks, and (this is a big one) helping put baby to sleep. The Sears were basically right -- and I felt very busy and very involved the whole time! Yes, not very glamorous stuff, and not a lot of need for specific instruction (thus not much said about it in the book) but important and exhausting on its own.
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Summary: Everything you pretty much need to know is here.
Review: While we have a very healthy and happy baby, this book has been invaluable in calming our concerns and giving specifics whether it be on breast feeding or stages of development.The medical information is sound and easily found. It has detailed dosing guidelines for such things such as tylenol as well how to treat rashes, blocked tear ducts and commom medical treatment. When we're at home and notice something possibly amiss with our daughter 99% of the time we can find the answer in the book. I was quite worried about breast feeding and going back to work and found the book to be quite helpful on how to get ready for the transition. The updates in this book are terrific. I wanted more information on SIDS and colic which this book provides. There's also a concise section on fussy babies and how to determine a true medical problem versus just being tired or other explainations. On the negative side, it does leave out the father too much and seems too mom focused which I find odd for a 2003 edition. The illustrations could use updating too to be more inclusive of both the father and mother in the care giving.
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Summary: Wonderful guide!
Review: I recently purchased this book and wish I had bought it earlier. The Baby Book is a well written guide to health, nutrition, discipline....every issue that comes up when you're a new parent! I especially like the chart which lists milestones for every month up to 12 months and then for every 6 months after that. While a book shouldn't be your only parenting resource, The Baby Book is helping me cultivate my own style - attached, loving, confident! As a new parent, I've had my moments of doubts and tears, but whenever I have questions about my son's healthy and well-being, I can consult The Baby Book and find answers.My only minor complaint is the cheesy way that Dr. Sears refers to himself as "Dr. Bill" in the book. I honestly don't know any doctors who prefer to be called by their first name in a professional setting and I roll my eyes whenever I see these particular sidenotes.
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Summary: The Attachment Parent's Baby Care Bible
Review: This is a great reference book for an advocate of natural or attachment parenting. It contains answers and good advice on just about everything you could want to know about caring for your baby or toddler. Most importlantly, it supports a parent's confidence in his or her own abilities and instincts. The online course, "Baby Care: Newborn to One Year," at Suite University (suite101.com/suiteu) uses this book as its text and bases many of its lessons on Dr. Sears's attachment parenting approach.
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Summary: My favorite baby book!
Review: I didn't buy this book until my daughter was almost 9 months old, and I regret waiting that long. I had read other books before it, including the highly recommended "What to Expect the First Year." Every other book left me frustrated, as did several members of my family who kept telling me I was spoiling my daughter. After many references to the book at La Leche League meetings, I finally purchased it, and have been so happy to have a book written by professionals who validated the parenting style I had instinctively chosen. I never planned to co-sleep, but when it happened, it was nice to know that a pediatrician actually recommends it.
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Summary: Authors who value parents' instincts
Review: The authors have taken the time to really look at the world from a newborn's perspective, and they spend a lot of time validating a parent's instincts to really meet the needs of a newborn. Unlike many parenting books, which seem to have a hidden agenda, the authors are quite up-front about their dedication to (or bias twoard) attachment parenting. They give a thorough explanation of what a newborn needs and wants right at the beginning. After giving a very helpful overview of general newborn milestones in the first section of the book, they then break down the sections into the smaller details of raising a baby. I have to say I was very pleased to find authors who thought that parents know their individual baby better than experts (including themselves) and didn't automatically try to fit every baby into the same mold. They don't treat babies as little animals needing to be trained but as immature humans needing to be parented. I found their advice helpful, the milestones reachable, and the details about specific infants' problems (like thumb-sucking, cradle cap, diaper rash, etc) to be very helpful. Recommended for any parent who might be uncomfortable with "cry it out" and "you'll spoil her" advice.
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