Rating: 
Summary: Fun, fresh, and as comprehensive as we need
Review: "I might argue that it's a challenge to create a larger family when your family is in your bed ..." That's what Dr. Cohen says about "family beds," and it's an example of why we just love this book. He doesn't say yes or no to family beds, but he points out the important pros and cons in a fun, fresh way.
Overall, he lists all the important issues we face as parents, and he keeps it real, human ... and entertaining. I honestly didn't think Saul, my husband, would bother to read the whole book, but we ended up reading it together every night before Joey was born. And now that our beautiful boy is with us, now that we don't always have a lot of time to look for answers, we always know just where to find them, because the book's A-Z style and to-the-point approach make it so easy. Our friends who sent us this book live in New York and their two girls are patients of Dr. Cohen's. They adore him. We only wish he made his famous house calls to Connecticut. Maybe we should carpool with the other reviewer from Connecticut!
Rating:
Summary: Fun, fresh, and as comprehensive as we need
Review: "I might argue that it's a challenge to create a larger family when your family is in your bed ..." That's what Dr. Cohen says about "family beds," and it's an example of why we just love this book. He doesn't say yes or no to family beds, but he points out the important pros and cons in a fun, fresh way.
Overall, he lists all the important issues we face as parents, and he keeps it real, human ... and entertaining. I honestly didn't think Saul, my husband, would bother to read the whole book, but we ended up reading it together every night before Joey was born. And now that our beautiful boy is with us, now that we don't always have a lot of time to look for answers, we always know just where to find them, because the book's A-Z style and to-the-point approach make it so easy. Our friends who sent us this book live in New York and their two girls are patients of Dr. Cohen's. They adore him. We only wish he made his famous house calls to Connecticut. Maybe we should carpool with the other reviewer from Connecticut!
Rating:
Summary: A must have for first time parents
Review: After reading possibly every childcare book in the market. Dr Cohen's book has finally answered all my questions in a clarity that will be appreciated by all first time (and sleep deprived ) parents. There's no talking in circles as most other books. I can't recommend this book enough. I only wish I would have found it a couple of months ago and saved my husband and I from all the confusion and stress that we experienced. Thanks Dr. Cohen.
Rating:
Summary: Common Sense that is Hip and Helpful
Review: After you've read the other medical encyclopedias, turn to Dr. Michel Cohen's book for a no-nonsense, common sense approach to childhood issues and illnesses. The book is enthusiastically written and injects the reader/parent with confidence. Dr. Cohen's explanations and advice on various ailments are refreshingly concise and non-interventionist in nature. His advice on colic is certainly worth testing. (I wish we had received this advice when our daughter was howling through the afternoons and into the night until 5 months of age.) His matter-of-fact description of the use of immunization will put many a parents' minds at ease. There are many other topics where he de-bunks the conventional wisdom/paranoia. Dr. Cohen writes from the perspective of having a genuine desire to help. He does not talk down to his audience. This is a relief in the world of children's health literature. I bought three copies so that I could give two away as gifts. Any new or expecting parents would be grateful for this addition to their library.
Rating: 
Summary: Ambivalent
Review: Although written by a doctor, too many sections of the book have virtually zero medical research or data to support their simple-minded advice. The entire enterprise is superficial, condescending, flippantly fatuous, and rather diffident to normal intelligent discussion. In fact, the book is a shocking affront to knowledge in the 21st century. A main point seems to be that parents shouldn't worry and that nature will see your baby through any difficulties in breastfeeding. Along the way, Dr. Cohen insults lactation consultants, many of whom apparently know the medical research much better than he, and he smuggles in caricatures of women as supportive but unknowing handholders. While the reader's intelligence is constantly insulted by the spare, condescending tone from cover to cover, the book also poses a potential danger to people who know very little and need help for a serious problem, particularly in breastfeeding.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK
Review: As a father of an 11 month old , I have discovered "the New Basics" that my wife had bought a few weeks ago, when our son got a stomach bug . I have to say that this is the first baby book I have enjoyed reading . I love the no no-nsense approach that Dr Cohen takes. The book which is laid out by topics , gives just the right amount of information. It is intelligent , direct , and quite funny! Thanks so much Dr. Michel!!!
Rating:
Summary: Bad breastfeeding advice, stay away
Review: As someone who used his practice for a short time, I would beg mothers who are interested in successfull breastfeeding to stay away from his advice. It was the (gasp!) lactation consultant I worked with who helped me get my daughter to nurse by explaining how to train her to suck (yes, my baby had a medical conditon which affected her suck). The advice we were given at his office? Supplement with formula. As anyone with half a brain knows, supplementing with formula would have affected my supply. What I really needed was a pump, hands on help from an expert, since no one in my family had ever nursed, and alot of follow up. I was distressed to read his chapters on breastfeeding. How unhelpful. While it may be natural to breastfeed, we need to learn how to do so. It is not instinctive in any on the women I know.
Rating:
Summary: for all new and old parents
Review: At last, a parenting book that encouraged me to trust my instincts with my baby instead of making me feel bad for not doing everything perfectly. This book is common sense, easy to use, quick to read and great for reference. He takes on some tough issues that are flashpoints for debate, too: attachment parenting, cosleeping, ADHD, solid foods, etc. I found the breastfeeding section very useful. In my personal experience, lactation consultants have been nothing more than cheerleaders and Medela saleswomen. My OB-GYN was more helpful in diagnosing/treating an infection I developed, and it was the online testimonials of other women that encouraged me to thumb my nose at an expensive electric double breast pump (pushed by every consultant I encountered) for a cheap handheld model, which proved to be just as effective as the fancy ones my friends were renting for ungodly sums. So I think Dr. Michel nailed that description on the nose. He is not afraid to go against the flow of some very popular parenting theories today (especially the Sears worldview), and he makes no apologies for his advice. His straightforward, confident style has inspired me to be decisive and confident in my own parenting. Thank you, Dr. Michel!
Rating:
Summary: Helps me trust my instincts, not doubt them
Review: At last, a parenting book that encouraged me to trust my instincts with my baby instead of making me feel bad for not doing everything perfectly. This book is common sense, easy to use, quick to read and great for reference. He takes on some tough issues that are flashpoints for debate, too: attachment parenting, cosleeping, ADHD, solid foods, etc. I found the breastfeeding section very useful. In my personal experience, lactation consultants have been nothing more than cheerleaders and Medela saleswomen. My OB-GYN was more helpful in diagnosing/treating an infection I developed, and it was the online testimonials of other women that encouraged me to thumb my nose at an expensive electric double breast pump (pushed by every consultant I encountered) for a cheap handheld model, which proved to be just as effective as the fancy ones my friends were renting for ungodly sums. So I think Dr. Michel nailed that description on the nose. He is not afraid to go against the flow of some very popular parenting theories today (especially the Sears worldview), and he makes no apologies for his advice. His straightforward, confident style has inspired me to be decisive and confident in my own parenting. Thank you, Dr. Michel!
Rating:
Summary: Relax. Trust tradition and common sense.
Review: Dr. Cohen's got something here. ...I would highly recommend this book as a complement to the rest of a typical parent's baby reading or medical collection. The text is very easy reading, not some academic jargon-laden prose written for the sole purpose to satisfy the oversized ego of the author. It is written for real parents, but is not comprehensive. But, that is not its purpose. His basic message is, relax. Worry only when there is need to do so. He's not suggesting parents ignore medical tradition, history, and diagnoses. After all, if that were the case, he'd be arguing his way out of a job.
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