Parents Book for Your Baby's First Year

Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful addition to any first-time parent's library.
Review: A wonderful mix of information and common sense advice! Find out what to expect when you first bring your baby home, how to care for her, and how to set up routines that will be comfortable for the whole family. Chapters cover from Birth to Six Weeks, Six Weeks to Three Months, Three Months to Six Months, Six to Eight Months, Eight Months to One Year and Health. Throughout, Maja Bernath captures just the right reassuring tone. On Parent's Rights, Six to Eight Months she writes "..night-waking soothings can be as important to you as to your baby -part of the largess of parenthood. You needn't be deprived of babying your baby, no matter who says it's time to stop." Such a relief when most parents are counselled to 'Ferberize their baby as soon as possible!' One note of warning: the issue this reviewer read was a Third Printing, published in 1984 and the advice on baby's sleeping position is dated. For example, "Tummy down is the position most newborns favour and it's the safest after a feeding." The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends 'back to sleep' as the safest sleep position as tummy sleeping has been linked to a slight increase in the risk for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). That being said, this book is the perfect compliment to other popular parent books like: What to Expect The First Year, and even The Girlfriend's Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood. In fact, it was the first 'baby-book' this first-time mom, and reviewer could read cover to cover BEFORE the baby was born. It was then a favorite to check back to as my baby entered each phase. There is also a thoughtful epilogue looking ahead to the second year.