Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
Review: This book covers absolutely, positively everything you'll deal with the in first year or two of raising your baby. Every topic is covered clearly and quickly without a lot of extra filler. The alphabetical arrangement makes it quick and easy to find what your looking for, and the index is very complete. The author deals with all the topics with an underlying message of love and connection. Fabulous!
Rating:
Summary: A unique and wonderful baby book
Review: This book covers all the standard topics in most baby books, (standard milestones and health issues) and it also adds information on more hard to find but important topics like:
-how to deal with a mother-in-law or friend who criticises you or gives you too much unwanted advice
-how to stop your baby from crying in the car seat
-how to handle an overnight visit when you take your baby
-how to introduce the family pet to the new baby
-how to enjoy a restaurant meal with your baby there-how to pick the right car seat, stroller and swing
-how to figure out what your baby's rash is - there's a chart
-how to raise a vegetarian baby
These are just some of the things that are covered. There's so much in this big, fat book I can't believe they sell it for such a low price.
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful, reliable resource
Review: This helpful resource has a lot of heart and a friendly tone. Though hefty, the book's appealing format, well-organized material, supportive writing style and clarity make it inviting and accessible. Readers need only look inside to appreciate the author's positive attitude and notice how practical and thorough the information is. Each of about 125 brief chapters uses a similar pattern designed to provide quick factual direction and encouragement for its intended audience of parents of normal infants. A wide selection of topics, from health issues to overzealous grandparents, swimming, test driving strollers, developing a read-aloud family culture, and teething, is arranged alphabetically with labels that, for the most part, make sense. The table of contents and extensive index are well-conceived. Lots of white space, attractive type, and logical layout make skimming for specific advice easy. Reading the book straight through is pleasant and informative too. Comparative parenting philosophies are not covered. Pantley is forthright about concentrating on attachment parenting. She supports her preferences well and discusses many approaches in a broad context. Breastfeeding, for example, is assumed, yet she doesn't belittle readers who opt for formula. Curiously though, homeopathic medicine is suggested a few times with no further explanation about it. In general, Pantley speaks sensibly to hands-on, involved parents interested in natural ways to rear secure, strongly attached children safely. Development itself is covered here only as a minor topic with lists of normal milestones. Helping parents understand particular issues and evaluate their best options is Pantley's focus, so her sound advice includes tips with developmentally appropriate variations throughout the book. She is adept also at sharing pertinent considerations for each subject without prescribing, except for certain definite procedures or emergency requirements, what choices a family should make. Her presentation of current knowledge and research is concise and responsible. She provides additional websites and resources for further interest and respectfully leaves the outcomes up to her readers' values and decisions. Gentle Baby Care has a more developed style than Pantley's earlier Perfect Parenting. The same sensitive logic in her No-Cry Sleep Solution is in her writing here. She considers each topic thoroughly with particular awareness of safety issues, and cogently presents, with the utmost respect for parents and their babies' well-being, the practical information and thoughtful opinions they will find useful. Expectant, new and experienced parents will all find this book a handy and reliable reference.
Rating:
Summary: A great tool for parents
Review: This is a great book in an easy to use format. I am suspect of the negative comments here and the motive behind them. I will tell you why I like this book. Whatever the age of my baby, when I need information on something I can find it fast. For example - D for diaper rash, F- for fever, T - teething and even U - for unwanted advice. All the information is obviously well researched. This will be the perfect baby gift to give my friends who become new parents.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful & Easy to Read!
Review: This wonderful reference book is easy to read. I have to say that when I am reading baby care books, I get bored, and tend to push the books at the back of my bookshelf. Not this book though! I kept reading! Even though I don't have to worry about my daughter in a "Circumcision Decision", I still read it that section because I found the book interesting and full of information. I highly recommend this book to any parent-to-be. It's best to get this as one of your pregnancy books just to see what's ahead and be prepared from when things do happen. I also found that if you don't know your baby is suffering from Separation Anxiety, you'd look at the back of the book in the index under crying, which is a big part of separation anxiety, you'll find that the crying index points to separation anxiety as well as other reasons for your baby to cry. (Just thought I'd point that out.) I have to say Elizabeth Pantley has done it again! Having a mother write a book let's you know that she knows what she's talking about because she's been there, done that. Thanks for the great read Elizabeth!
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