The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition)

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by: Carol L. Emory (Chicago)
on: Sunday, 31-October-2010

I borrowed this book from a friend, and read it the December before I gave birth. I wanted to know as much about babies as I could before I birthed them.

I was disappointed. I wanted to learn about child development and to find a balanced view about what is best for babies. Instead, I found the authors ascribed to a theory I had never heard of, attachment theory, and while some of it I found interesting, I was annoyed by much of it. There was little to no evidence for his assertions about the theory. And it was always layered on with a trowel: no subtlety to be found in that manual!

The manual is huge, partially because it is so repetitive. Yes, we get it - breastfeed your babies! Dont sleep train! Carry your baby everywhere! These three concepts are throughout the entire book, even where you least suspect it will pop up. The book is also filled with quotes from one of the authors personal journals of using attachment theory in raising her child. I found her tone to be smug, and eventually I had to stop reading her entries.

A lot of reviewers have focused on the various provisions of the theory: sharing a bed, breastfeeding on demand, carrying your child everywhere, etc. It is true that the authors are proponents of these activities, and you will not find a balanced view of any of them. If you want to make up your mind as to whether you should sleep with your child or breastfeed on demand, you will need to find another volume for the pros and cons. I have no opinion myself on whether anything suggested by the authors are good or not, and I suspect that how you raise you child really depends on your family and your baby. No one should judge your parenting style, even the Searses.

However, all that said, I give the book three stars because I find the chapters on what to expect when your baby reaches, say, two months old, to be invaluable. I have also enjoyed the chapters on first aid and health issues. I also agree with the authors on the importance of getting to know your child and following his or her lead in the infancy.

My recommendation? The book is an absolute must if you want to use attachment theory in raising your child. If you want a balanced discussion on the various ways to raise your bsby, find another book, or read this one with a grain of salt.

by: Monroe (United States)
on: Thursday, 21-October-2010

I love this book!!! Ive referenced it endless times throughout my babys first year. One thing it did was give me the confidence to follow a lot of my own instincts. . .as in, you cant spoil a newborn. Duh, right? But there are so many people trying to give you all kinds of advice in the beginning (like its good for them to cry) it can be hard to know whats right and wrong. And every new mother wants to be 100 percent right. Right? Besides giving me confidence, and details about motherly instincts, the book also really helped with problem solving. It gives advice in scientific detail, which I really appreciated. I did NOT have to run to the doctors office all the time like many other new parents I know. It explains in detail several problems babies can run into and how to solve them. Ive referenced it over and over again for health concerns like eczema, spitting up, gas, diaper rash, temperatures, types of coughing, and food allergies. So, I was confident caring for my baby, and I didnt have to take her to the germ infested hospital, which I really wanted to avoid when she was small. The book also explains in detail when and if you need to take your baby in to the doctor. Loved it!

by: Anna Haustein (Pella, IA USA)
on: Tuesday, 28-September-2010

I wish I would have purchased this book before my son was born. This approach is the only thing that worked for us, and I wish I hadnt waited until he was three months old to get it.

The basic idea is that, when you know your child, you can respond to his cues appropriately. This helps your baby feel that his needs are being met, making him happy and well-adjusted. So far, it has made a world of difference with my son; he sleeps better and is a happier child now that I have switched to an attachment parenting style.

The nice thing about this book is that I never felt like it was telling me I had to be a certain way; I dont have to stay home or wear my baby in a sling or let the baby sleep in my bed. I just need to do what helps us both be the best that we can, and thats been incredibly freeing.

If you arent happy with the other baby books out there, try this one!

by: kc (United States)
on: Friday, 24-September-2010

I absolutely love this book. The fact that he is a doctor and she is a nurse is a great resume, but I think I would have bought it simply for them having 8 kids! All of the advice is insightful and considerate of both mother and baby. I applied what was comfortable for me and what worked for the baby. The concept of wearing baby in a sling really did/does work. My son is now 3 and we are so intune with each other and most importantly, he is happy and very secure. I recommend this book to every new mother.

by: Kaia (USA)
on: Sunday, 12-September-2010

This is a really great book to have on your bookshelf. Dr. Sears provides wonderful, rational, reassuring advice on practically anything that may come up in the first two years of your babys life. I highly recommend this book for any new or expecting parent.

by: Mama of three (California)
on: Monday, 30-August-2010

After three kids and probably 20 books I can honestly say this is the best single, overall parenting book on the market. It IS attachment parenting (of course, since its written by the Sears Family - and if you dont know what that is BUY this book!!!) but it truly does go even further than that into all things from preparing for birth to Smoothie recipes for finicky toddler eaters. I have purchased this book many times over as gifts for friends because Im still unwilling to let mine out of my house.

by: K. Early (Yakima, WA)
on: Saturday, 21-August-2010

This is a great book. I found myself constantly flipping through its pages time and again, especially with my first child. As a new mom, I loved all the information on basic baby care, medication information (such as dosing childrens Tylenol appropriately for an infant when you have no infant Tylenol), and the breastfeeding and sleeping info. It also has an excellent discussion on health issues, what to really worry about and take baby to hospital, vs. what are just normal childhood illnesses.

I describe myself as a middle-of-the road sorta parent. I took what information worked for me/my family from this book -- and it was very useful. I found it so valuable that Ive given copies of this book to numerous friends/family members when they are expecting their first baby. This is truly a new parents Baby Owners Manual.

by: Kaylee (United States)
on: Thursday, 19-August-2010

Useful reference book that lets us mom worry less as it covers a lot of topics. My only regret is that I didnt buy this book sooner.

by: KID (United States)
on: Saturday, 7-August-2010

My doctor recommended this book. Dr. Sears believes in raising children with kindness and respect. I love it and follow just about all of his advice.

by: Tiffany Lutnick (Snoqulamie, WA)
on: Thursday, 29-July-2010

I bought The Baby Book just after our son was born at the recommendation of a friend. Ive found it really helpful and love Dr. Sears style of parenting. I have a high-needs baby, so his section on that and baby wearing have been especially useful for me. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to raise their child with attachment parenting.

by: Karen B (TX)
on: Wednesday, 28-July-2010

As a third time mother, I use the book as a resource all the time. Though other parenting books have been weeded out of my library, this one stands the test of time. I especially like the charts in the book and have certain pages marked for easy reference, like the page that tells the Tylenol dosage for your babys size, the page that says what babies can eat at different ages, and the charts that track babys development and interests. The breastfeeding info was also very helpful since I experienced lots of problems in the beginning.

As the youngest in my family, I really knew nothing about babies and child rearing when we had our first, so this book was a great crash course for me. Now that Ive read more books, talked to lots of other moms, and experienced parenthood for myself, I have a broader perspective. Though I still consider myself to be mainly attachment parenting, over time I have adapted a more blended approach. I have discovered that its not the end of the world if my 9 month old cries out in the middle of the night and I dont rush in to nurse him. In fact, my main criticism of the book is that if you follow all their methods, you are likely to produce a baby that doesnt sleep very well at all and a mommy that is over-anxious, sleep-deprived, stressed out, and completely ruled by the demands of her child. At least, that was me with my first baby.

Co-sleeping sounds nice in theory, but really it only resulted in my child wanting to nurse more frequently, my constant anxiety about her smothering or falling off the bed, and increasingly worse sleep for me and my husband. The lights went on for me when my dad, in his frank manner, pointed out that there was a reason someone invented cribs. So with my next 2 children, I disciplined myself to nurse in a chair and continually put the baby back in the crib. And sure enough, both babies slept through the night early on.

I definitely recommend reading this book, but also reading other books like The No-Cry Sleep Solution (especially if you have a newborn you can stop problems before they start) and Shepherding a Childs Heart (for Christians, especially as the child gets closer to toddler age). The latter deals with discipline issues and how to handle them from a Christian perspective. Im not advocating spanking babies. But as that child gets closer to age 2 and beyond, you will wish you started disciplining in some form or fashion as soon as the defiance started.

by: Barbara Frasier (United States)
on: Friday, 16-July-2010

This book has been a terrific resource for my daughter and son-in-law. They so appreciated having something on hand that they could turn to as they embarked on their hands-on attachment parenting journey. This was a very wise purchase and I would highly recommend it especially for first time parents.

by: Swimchic325 (United States)
on: Sunday, 11-July-2010

As someone who is in the planning stages of pre-pregnancy, I thought this book would be something different. I was very turned off by a lot of the things in this book--it makes you feel like if you work full time you are going to be a terrible mother, if you do not carry your baby you are going to be a terrible mother, if you do not use cloth diapers and a diapering service your baby is going to resent you, if you do not breast feed all the time you are terrible as well. I already plan on breast feeding, but I will have to work full time as our financial status would not allow me to stay home or work part time after the birth of the baby/end of maternity leave.

Some of the advice was legitimate (as the last reviewer said): listen to the cues your infant gives you, respond accordingly.

Some of the advice makes an already hard decision harder: the working vs. not working arguement. He never particularly says he is for full time stay at home mothering, but almost every chapter in the book (except the working chapter) can only really be fully achieved if you are at home.

If you are already planning to stay home, this may be a good read. To me, it is extremely biased toward one side of the story and does not actively cover other options for care except the occasional side bar comment.

by: Swimchic325 (United States)
on: Sunday, 11-July-2010

As someone who is in the planning stages of pre-pregnancy, I thought this book would be something different. I was very turned off by a lot of the things in this book--it makes you feel like if you work full time you are going to be a terrible mother, if you do not carry your baby you are going to be a terrible mother, if you do not use cloth diapers and a diapering service your baby is going to resent you, if you do not breast feed all the time you are terrible as well. I already plan on breast feeding, but I will have to work full time as our financial status would not allow me to stay home or work part time after the birth of the baby/end of maternity leave.

Some of the advice was legitimate (as the last reviewer said): listen to the cues your infant gives you, respond accordingly.

Some of the advice makes an already hard decision harder: the working vs. not working arguement. He never particularly says he is for full time stay at home mothering, but almost every chapter in the book (except the working chapter) can only really be fully achieved if you are at home.

If you are already planning to stay home, this may be a good read. To me, it is extremely biased toward one side of the story and does not actively cover other options for care except the occasional side bar comment.

by: J. Bouchaute (USA)
on: Sunday, 11-July-2010

This book is great. I bought it because I am expecting my first child. This books has a lot of great information and i know i will use it for years. I would recommend buying it before you have a baby because it makes me feel better about the babies arrival.

by: J. Bouchaute (USA)
on: Sunday, 11-July-2010

This book is great. I bought it because I am expecting my first child. This books has a lot of great information and i know i will use it for years. I would recommend buying it before you have a baby because it makes me feel better about the babies arrival.

by: RealGeeky (USA)
on: Friday, 9-July-2010

I bought this book while pregnant with my first child. As someone very familiar with the Sears products and philosophies (and having bought and read their Pregnancy and their Birth Books) I knew I had to own this one too. I had not realized just how BIG this book was. It is indeed a bible, with over 600 pages of information. I found it somewhat overwhelming at first. I thought this was something I would just read and get familiar with issues of children. But the more I read the more concerned I got about parenting--perhaps that was because I ended up ghoulishly reading up on the issues that come up with childrens health, behaviours, etc. I realized later that this is more like an encyclopaedia--you consult it, not read it. And, once I had my baby I have found it to be an excellent product. I consulted it during the first few weeks for a variety of issues and I found that they always had sensible and practical advice for the panicky parent. I highly recommend this!

by: dog-walker (Los Angeles, CA)
on: Monday, 5-July-2010

...comes with a big attitude. You might want a book like this. Its heft balances the insecurity of a new parent. But we used it about three times. You can get the information about fevers from your MD. Everything else seems unecessary to me.

by: best mom (United States)
on: Friday, 25-June-2010

Every prospective parent should have this book!! By attending to our babys natural instincts, we had the most peaceful, contented and happy baby. You cannot spoil and infant, it is impossible, I dont care what you may hear. Also, breastfeeding if at all possible is the only way to feed your baby. Your milk changes as your baby grows and different times of the day, you cannot argue the benefits. Our baby was at least 6 months before we began solid foods...our baby was chunky, healthy and beautiful.

Dr. Sears will save you trips to the pediatrician, too! He answers most every question that will come up in the wee hours of the morning, giving solid advice like bringing down a high fever at 2am.

I felt I had to give a review because people must know that holding your baby and attending to his/her needs is the wisest thing you can do. My baby is now 8 years old and I can say that she was the happiest, peaceful baby because of this. This has continued through her childhood. She is confident and a joy to be around. She respects others and has an empathy and kindness towards all people and things. We are also of the school that no means no and not maybe. Temper tantrums were not an option in our household. A child is capable of learning self control if you dont allow them to throw a fit. Most parents wait too late to start training their children, at around age 1 1/2 they can understand no if it is only a pat on their tiny hand for reaching for something dangerous. Praise them, but dont be fake, be real, express your love and joy for their lives, but also teach them rewards/consequences. Be real with them and be consistant, be attentive and dont try to act like the perfect parent and enjoy your life, too. Enjoy them and teach them how to be enjoyable to be around! They will act out in public what you allow at home. Its not right to impose your lack of parenting skills on the rest of humanity, so be firm, consistant and dont allow you child indulge in total lack of self control, teach them a better way. When they reach 1 1/2 or 2 or when you see they can understand that if I do this, this happens, you know they are able to learn that this is not acceptable behavior, but this is. Its up to you to be courageous enough to have standards and stick to them, but this does not mean letting your child cry without comfort and doing everythig you can to minimize any reasons for them to cry.

by: Mark A. Blaszczyk (Chapel Hill, NC, United States)
on: Wednesday, 16-June-2010

If you have children on the way get it. The only draw back is it is a big book, if that is really a draw back.