Rating: 
Summary: A book that "gets" what it's like to be a new mom
Review: "If there were a million and one things to worry about back when you were pregnant, there are easily 10 million and one things to worry about now that your baby is here." That's just one of the many bits of wisdom that jumped out at me while I was reading this book. I really felt that the author of this book really understood what it's like to be a new mom: how scary and overwhelming and exhausting it can be at times, even if you wanted to have a baby more than anything else you've wanted in your entire life.But don't get me wrong. This isn't a touchy-feely book (even though there's a lot of mom-to-mom dialog sprinkled throughout this book). This book is actually more of a first year survival manual for moms: how to keep your baby healthy and well and take care of your own physical and emotional health at the same time. A lot of baby books that I've read seem to forget about the mom, so I really appreciated the fact that The Mother of All Baby Books explores baby's first year from both the mother and the baby's perspective. The information on physical health is particularly well written and readable. For example, I've rarely come across another pregnancy book that is as honest -- even graphic! -- about what the postpartum experience can really be like, and how long it may take to get your body and your sex life back on track after baby. This book quickly became my trusted source for baby's first year information.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent info on skin rashes
Review: A recent reviewer noted that she had trouble finding information on skin rashes in this book. I had to post a review responding to her review because this book has tons of information on skin and scalp conditions in the table on pages 404-412, which talks about everything from impetigo to eczema. The information on teething is a bit more meager. I agree that this is something that the author needs to expand upon in the next edition of this book. But I still think this is an outstanding baby book. It provides tons of information and is reassuring and contains just the right amount of humor to keep you reading at a time in your life when it's hard to find the time or energy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific parenting and pediatric health reference
Review: I am frequently asked to review parenting and pediatric health books as part of my job as a parent educator. This is one of the best baby books that has crossed my desk in years. It provides an incredibly comprehensive -- and honest -- look at the first year of parenthood from both the parent and child's perspective. I was particularly impressed by the section on planning your "babymoon" (the first week or two of parenthood). This is material that every new parent should have. And the section on not overshopping for baby is equally invaluable. Other highlights of the book include the head-to-toe "tour" of a newborn baby (the material on birthmarks and other newborn features is more comprehensive than anything I've ever seen in a book targeted at consumers rather than health care providers); the no-holds-barred description of what your postpartum body will really feel like (again, the author provides an unprecedented amount of detail); the chapter on breastfeeding (a massive chapter that addresses all of the most common concerns about breastfeeding and a useful explanation of "the science of lactation"); the chapter on common illnesses which includes a very useful section on when to call the doctor); and the highly detailed infant development chart (the chart provides a useful overview of the key social, emotional, cognitive, and communicative milestones you can expect your baby to achieve during that all-important first year -- and guidelines on what to look for if you're worried that your baby may be experiencing a delay in one area). The book is medically accurate and yet still highly readable -- a rare combination in parenting and pediatric health book circles. It's definitely a 5+ star book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference - a must for all new moms
Review: I found this book to be an excellent reference. It is comprehensive, well-researched and fun! (I loved the "fun facts" about babies provided throughout the book.) It also provides a very balanced approach to controversial topics (e.g. sleep -- unlike another leading baby book, it did not make me feel guilty about sleeping with my baby for the first few months), letting new parents know that they should make the decisions that work best for their families and their babies. It contains lots of helpful medical information as well. I don't agree with the other reviewers who think this book is just about the first 2 weeks of life - I especially liked the information on introducing solid foods and on baby proofing, all of which occur well after the first two weeks. I wish that this book had been around when I had my first child - it's been a great resource for me in dealing with my second child.
Rating:
Summary: Very helpful baby reference guide
Review: I have found this book to be a very helpful reference guide. There is a chart that summarize first year developmental milestones, a chapter that includes detailed information about the signs, symptoms, and treatments for the most common illnesses that babies tend to develop, advice on getting breastfeeding off to the best start, helpful advice on what to expect in terms of newborn behavior (sleep, crying, feeding patterns, etc.) The author's tone is friendly and reassuring. If you enjoyed the previous book in this series (The Mother of All Pregnancy Books), as I did, you will likely enjoy this book, too.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the info for babies older than 2 weeks?
Review: I have to agree with what the other poster said about this book being too focused on newborns. My baby was 7 weeks when I got this book. I thought there would be a lot about babies, not things about pregnancy and birth. There are plenty of great books devoted to that subject, and since I had already given birth, the first 2-3 chapters did me no good. Also, there are at least 2 chapters about taking care of new babies. The helpful chapters for older babies boil down to the chapter on health, but it is poorly arranged and hard to find specific illnesses, a chapter on feeding solids, a chapter on milestones, which is the best part of the book, and a chapter on going back to work. These chapters are less than half the book. There is a great chapter on breastfeeding, but once again, if your baby is older than a couple of weeks, chances are you already are on the way to breastfeeding, or have given it up. If I had known that there was so much in this book about newborns, I would have never bought it, since I was looking for information about all stages, not just newborn. I would recommend the American Academy of Pediatrics book over this one. It is much more useful and comprehensive, and deserves the title of Mother Of All Baby Books over this one.
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Summary: Baby Book Bonanza!
Review: I hit the mother load with this book! It helped me with all my baby questions... and as a mother of an eleven month old I needed all the help I could get. I really appreciated the honest, funny and fresh approach this book takes. I didn't feel so alone in this motherhood mambo... other women were going through the same things as me. It also gave me some great insight into what to expect in respect to illnesses and the nitty gritty of parenting. There is life after being up all night with a congested wee one... and Ann helps you see the light! This is certainly a book I will purchase for my girlfriend's who are having babies. They'll appreciate the advice and the sense of humour. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Very useful guide to baby's first year
Review: I purchased this book after enjoying the previous book in this series. Like the earlier title, which focused on pregnancy, this book did an excellent job of anticipating a parent's concern at a particular stage of parenting -- in this case, baby's first year. The author did a great job of anticipating the very types of worries that were on my mind a lot during the first year of my baby's life: whether she was sick enough to need to go to the doctor, whether I should be doing anything to try to "train" her to sleep through the night or just let nature take its course, whether it was time to start introducing solid foods or not, whether I was spoiling her by responding to her every cry, how to deal with dated (and sometimes dangerous) advice from the grandparents, etc. I really like the format of the books in this series. The author seems to understand that parents are too busy to wade through tons and tons of pages of material, looking for an answer to a question, so the book is thoroughly indexed and contains numerous charts, checklists, and other helpful features. I also enjoyed reading the quotes and stories from other new moms. They really helped to bring the chapters to life for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much focus on pregnancy and newborns
Review: I would say this book was a large disappointment to me. I expected a book that would be of use for a year, as it said on the cover. I was surprised that it was of very little relevance to me, a mother of a 2 month old. More than half the book is devoted to pregnancy, birth, and newborn care. I did not need information on pregnancy or birth, and the newborn care and information could have been condensed into one chapter. This book is very unbalanced towards young infancy. If you have a baby who is older than a week or two, you'll get very little out of it. However, if you are pregnant, perhaps it would be an OK book. But for a book that calls itself The Mother of all Baby Books, I expected more about babies 0-12 months, less about pregnancy and basic newborn care.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful tips and advice
Review: If you are about to have a baby (or babies, in the case of parents of twins or other multiples), this book can really help you to get off to a good start with your babies. It has a lot of helpful tips and advice.
Also, you don't have to try to guess where the information you're seeking is because the book is organized by chapters that are on that particular topic, like a chapter on sleep, a chapter on breastfeeding, and so on. The problem with some of the month-by-month baby books is that the information you need is sometimes in the wrong month.
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