Infant-and-Newborn-Care Books

I have bought this book in English for my granddaughter and previous editions for my daughter and daughters-in-law and all are excellent. The Spanish version was for a grandniece who said it also was an excellent reference for the mother-to-be.

An excellent resource for new parents. I have hunted high and low, and have not found a better guide for the first year and a half of a child's development.

Would make a wonderful shower gift.

Pluses:
*Invaluable explanation of how baby sleep cycles work. Specifically, a baby starts out in a very light form of sleep and is easily awoken. After 20 minutes s/he cycles into a deeper sleep mode and remains that way for about 40 minutes before starting the cycle all over again. What this means for parents: If you're holding or wearing a sleeping baby, you need to wait 20 minutes after s/he falls asleep before placing him/her in a crib - otherwise s/he'll probably wake up.
*An acknowledgment that many "sleep solutions" won't work for babies under 4 months. Honestly, when it comes to sleep in the first insane 3+ months, it's whatever works works. I liked the fact that Pantley listed a number of different activities to try in getting a newborn to sleep. I appreciated not being chided for failing to get my 2 week old asleep by putting him in his crib while still awake (the holy grail of all sleep advice!).
*The safety guidelines for co-sleeping are thorough and excellent.

Minus:
*The writing style is a little...amateurish. The friend who gave me this book said, "You'll discover some useful info in here, but you'll probably find yourself disliking the author." She was right. Pantley is obviously very proud of her parenting skills and as a result, sometimes comes off as rather smug. A lot of the "research" from this book is pasted together from other sources. And on the whole, this book could have benefited from another round of editing (someone needed to tell the author not to share that she's used the bathroom wearing a child!)

I was hopeful that this approach was going to work for our little one. She had colic for the first 3.5 months and cried a lot. Therefore i was looking for a sleep approach that didn't require additional crying. We didn't start any real sleep "training" until 4 months. And bottomline... we have come to the conclusion, some crying must occur. I know that ALL babies are different, but this approach was not the one for us.

For anyone who is looking for someone to tell them "DO THIS! IT WILL WORK IMMEDIATELY!" This book is not for you!

Pantley reminds you several times in her text that her ideas are gentle and are "designed" to work over time, not overnight. Although she does admit that if you stick with it and are as disciplined in your administration of her ideas as you wish your child to be when it comes to bedtime that you can see results faster. Pantley presents TONS of ideas and helpful hints on how to help your child get a better nights sleep with out traumatizing them or you! She presents her ideas in a well organized easy to read and understand manner. Her sleep logs are very helpful for turning a possibly chaotic problem into an extremely manageable one. This book is for everyone, from the parent looking to help their good sleeper sleep better AAAALL the way to the parent who hasn't had a single good nights sleep since day one. Her section on how babies sleep & their "normal" sleeping pattern was very informative and is key to helping you understand the hows, whens and whys of a child's sleep. This book is a wise purchase!

I was almost crazy when by chance or destiny I found this book on Amazon. I knew in my heart I could not let my baby cry-it-out. Yet, I was finding no alternatives and was really frustrated not being able to sleep at all. This book showed me the way to greatly improve my child's sleep while making her feel safe and loved. I am very thankful to Elizabeth Pantley for taking the time to share this so important knowledge. If you don't beleive in letting your baby cry - this book is essential for you.

God bless you all for whom this book helped but it just didn't do the trick for us. I must admit that there is some great general advice in there but when I got this book I was desperate and needed help immediately, not a month to 3 months down the road. Ms. Pantley's advice is definitely gentle but very, very time consuming. She even says that it may take 30-120 days to work. Well, how much of that is the techniques or is the child just more developmentally ready to sleep better? If you have lots of time and are not at the end of your rope then give this a try but if you are desperate like I was then I don't think you should waste your time with this.
A little background: I am a stay-at-home mom and spent most days home alone with my baby. I ended up holding my child for every nap and co-slept with her as well. In addition, I nursed her to sleep every time. At this point my child never slept more than 3 hours at a time and usually only 1-2 hours........ for 5 months!!! The moment I put her down she'd scream so I just continued to hold her. I was so sleep deprived that I was going nutty. I knew I had to do something and I got this book b/c the thought of letting my baby "cry it out" absolutely broke my heart.
Well, I tried Ms. Pantley's advice for 2 weeks and I was seeing very, very little progress. I then decided that I just needed to bite the bullet and get the other popular books that were a little more "strong armed" and see if any of them seemed more practical. I gravitated toward those that were written by experts (and MD and PhD who actually work in the area of child sleep disorders), those being Dr. Ferber and Mindell. After reading both, I realized that the "cry it out" method isn't as cruel as it sounds and it was what I had to try. (In fact, I think Ferber's term "progressive waiting" more aptly describes the technique.) Well, I'm here to tell you that it worked just like they say- by day 3 it was drastically better! The most she ever cried was 45 minutes and that was not the screaming banshee I was afraid she'd be. After 2 nights she was pretty consistenly sleeping 8-9 hours straight.
I think that those of you who are at the end of your rope like I was really need to bypass this book and give the "progressive waiting" aka "cry it out" method a try. If it gets too bad, then stop, but give it a try at least. It was the best thing I did for my baby and me.

Dr. Karp's techniques are incredible. That being said, the DVD is actually slightly more useful than the book, because it demonstrates exactly how to calm your baby. We have been using his techniques for the past 3 weeks with a newborn and they truly are amazing. I would highly recommend the DVD unless you really want to read another book.

The program Dr. Karp presents in this book was a lifesaver during the first three months of my daughter's life. We didn't follow his plan down to the letter (and Dr. Karp says it is adaptable for each baby's needs) because my daughter hated having her arms swaddled in, so we swaddled her arms-out and it worked like a charm. She started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks, and the four "S's" worked incredibly well when she needed help calming down. I really appreciated the fact that this plan helped us help her adjust to the world during her "fourth trimester" in a loving and comfortable way. People now tell me that they have never seen a happier, more content child than my little girl!

This book has been great so far. Just brought our daughter home and have already started to put things into practice. Thanks for the practical advice!

This book is excellent. Dr Karp not only teaches you the techniques to help your infant cry less and be happier, but he also explains the theory & why it works. In addition, he goes into other theories of colic, and explanations about them. As a pediatrician, I found this fascinating and very useful. I highly recomend this book to toher parents and especially other health professionals. My mother, a pediatric rheumatologist, has worked with Dr Karp since he was a resident, and has seen his theories work for years in many children.

The second half of this book has really practical, proven-by-experience advice (five basic strategies for keeping a baby peaceful) for anyone with a newborn baby. The first half, on the other hand, is almost laughable. My recommendation to my daughter was to soak up part two of the book and ignore the first half in the interest of saving time.

If you haven't read any of Caroline Leavitt's books before, this is a great place to start. If you have read other books and are looking for the next great one, look no further! The story of a young family enduring one of the hardest battles anyone could face, this is a novel that could have become melodramatic in the hands of a lesser writer. Luckily, Leavitt is a master -- so, instead, we have this beautiful book comprised of characters you'll love like your own family by the end of book (in Suzanne's case, flaws and all). Not the least bit predictable, it'll make you cry for reasons you don't expect. Definitely put it on your to-read list if you're looking for a raw, yet touching and lovely, family story by a skilled writer.

This was an intriguing story of family. The challenges we face. The baggage we carry. The grace we must have to survive. I was drawn in from page one.

I was drawn to this book partly because of the blurb by Katharine Weber that appears on the cover of this book stating that "Readers who wait impatiently for the next Jane Hamilton or Sue Miller will find another favorite in Caroline Leavitt." I do not agree. While this was a fast-moving book, there were some flaws in this book that keeps Caroline Leavitt from being in the same playing field as Hamilton and Miller. As another reviewer noted, she introduces characters and situations and then fails to follow up with them. It's as if she had a ton of ideas but the process of following through with all of them just became too tedious for her. Then there are errors that I'm surprised an editor didn't pick up on such as Gary blowing up blue balloons on page 76 ("gulping, blowing long deep puffs") and tying them to the porch railings ("Soft washed blue, they floated and bobbed"). On page 85, after Molly goes into her "coma," Gary returns home to these same balloons and "jerked them free. He opened his hands and let them sweep across the sky." How? They weren't filled with helium? The other bothersome thing was that at times the baby seemed to be 6 months old and then a few pages later was suddenly a newborn again. The reader never really knows how much time has gone by in the story.

My recommendation is to skip this book.

I loved this book! The absolute devotion of Gary, along with the brain-numbing futility of going to visit his wife day after day with no visible improvement, caring for his baby alone, and then his growing dependence on Suzanne is something I could identify with, having had a similar situation in our own family. I read this book in 2 days, then gave it to my daughter who read it in less than a week. We both cried and laughed.

My book group chose this for a recent read and we couldnt' stop talking about the characterizations and the clear, brilliant writing. I just went and ordered Leavitt's other book. What I loved was there was the ebb and flow of story, like life, rather than ends being neatly tied up. Can't wait to read her next novel.

The book is really informative, but the whole "baby as a product" gimmick, giving instructions about the baby as if it were a power mower or something, wears thin by the end of the first chapter. It's just too clever for its own good. I like the art and style, but if I had found a different book that didn't rely so heavily on a gimmick, I would have gotten that instead.

Between this handbook and the 'Be Prepared' handbook for Dads, my husband really enjoyed reading this book to my belly every evening. It was funny yet useful at the same time. We also loved the different charts and pictures used.

If you like new age, emotional, heart touching baby books that tell you about how you should raise your kid to solve all the worlds problems this isn't the book for you. If you need straight forward, to the point answers when your kid is barfing all over you at 1 am and sleep deprivation is making you function like a deer staring into headlights and don't know what to do, get this book. It's set up like an owners manual for your car, TV, etc.; a basic engineering manual and easy to follow. I got tired of the baby books telling me that if I didn't hold my kid in the proper position while soothing during teething it could lead to a lack of brain development. No guilt tripping or wild opinions here; just needed info when you need it and easy to find. Some reviews say it's boring, but it's not set up for you to read through. It's reference material you quickly look up when you need it. Just like any owners manual, who reads the thing when you get it? You look up what you need when you need it. I get this book for every guy I know who is going to have kids.

A must for all guys. Reads like a car owner's manual - no typical flowery baby stuff.

We received this book as a gift. It is great! It combines sarcasm with useful advice for childcare. It reads a bit like an operation manual for an electronic product. I won't say it has all the information you ever needed for caring properly for your infant. What book does? However, this book is very thorough while keeping from being a bore to read. It also provides some very useful charts for feeding, sleep, bowel and bladder function.
-Kiki

I was a little nervous about breastfeeding. My mother never breastfed me and I do not begrudge her that. I finally made the decision because I did not want to have to spend time mixing formula all the time, breastfeeding seemed easier. I got this book and a bunch of others. The others ended up dusty in a box somewhere and never read. This one ended up dog eared and treated almost as reverently as one would treat a Bible.

This book helped me through problem after problem. I absorbed this book and used it to help my son and I find a good latch. Then I read it and used it again for my daughter and a third time it was brought out when I got pregnant with my third child. It was comforting and helpful and made me feel great about my choice. When others tried to make me feel helpless and all was lost, this book seemed to have the answers. I have recommended it to any new mother I have the chance to talk to, and all of them have benefited by it.

This book is a lifesaver if you are serious about breastfeeding. I have never regretted my purchase of this book for a moment.

Dr Newman and Teresa Pittman have covered topics and breastfeeding problems that other books do not even touch. After two good breastfeeding experiences, I expereinced problems with my 3rd child. If only I would have had this book and his other book (the latch and other keys to breastfeeding sucsess) maybe I could have breastfed more instead of pumped so much. I am pregnant now, and hoping, God Willing to have a better experience this time.

I was told about this book from a BF Group I am a member of. I was intrigued by some of the Author's views because some of them are very different than other BF books I have read. After reading his book I feel empowered and liberated from the typical sterotypes placed on BF moms. The Author takes his many experiances from around the world and puts what should be a natural event in a woman's life into perspective. BF is a difficult journey for many women and this book will help you with BF, starting solids, multiples, and tandum nursing. He also talks in detail about formula and formula companies, Details that I had no idea about formula. You won't be sorry you got this book!

After reading through several other breast feeding books, not to mention many online searches, this is the one that became the breastfeeding bible for me. Highly recommended for any pregnant or new moms. I had problems nursing my baby for 6 weeks but eventually we got the hang of it, thanks to this book and a local La Leche League leader (ladies if you are in pain call your local LLL - especially if you are close to quittting!!!). AND you can email Newman at his website as well for advice! One of the best things about this book for me was the confidence it gave me that I could feed my baby and that I didn't have to follow a litany of rules or be perfect in order to do that. He reminds you that women are and have been breastfeeding their babies for millenia...and helps open your mind to a way of mothering that is more natural and instinctive as opposed to the more 'traditional' way that basically involves trying to control your baby through scheduling.

I thought this book was wonderful! I'm not trying to offend anyone with my title for this review, but I found this book to be very logical, precise, and to the point. I tried reading "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding", but found it wasn't for me. I needed someone to break it down for me and I feel like Dr. Newman and Teresa Pitman do that very well in this book.

This book was very reaffirming for me. It caused me to really think about what doctors and friends were telling me. I got a lot of wrong information about breastfeeding and this book really opened my eyes and caused me to really think about what these people were saying.

I completely disagree with the negative reviews about this book being too harsh, preachy, and biased. Of Course it's biased and pro breastfeeding! It's a book about BREASTFEEDING! Also, some of these reviews make it sound like he has a hidden agenda. Guess what ladies, he makes his agenda known throughout the book so it can't be hidden. He is pro-breastfeeding and not afraid to say it throughout the book. I found it very refreshing.

I read a lot of pregnancy books, and this was the best of the bunch. Penny goes over coping mechanisms for unmedicated labor, medication options, possible complications and interventions, all in incredible detail. Also highly recommended is her companion book aimed at labor partners/coaches, "The Birth Partner".

(written by Charles' wife)I just had my 4th baby. Before each birth, I prepared myself by reviewing the birth and post-partum chapters. This is essential reading for those who hope to have a natural birth yet want to be informed about about possible interventions. The book doesn't have much on pregnancy, but that part takes care of itself. Prepare yourself for the challege and reward of a drug-free labor with this book.

Penny Simkin has the talent to share her passion for supporting mothers with research based information in a very clear language.
Every pregnant couple needs this book.
Ana Paula Markel

...from the day you get that positive test until the weeks after bringing your perfect little bundle home.

I had the most wonderful opportunity to take my childbirth education classes from Penny Simkin herself. She gave us this book, as well as "The Birth Partner," as reading materials for her class. I don't know where I would be without this. All through my pregnancy, labor, and the weeks following, I had this book by my side. It answered any possible question I could think of, and when it came down to a c-section, I was able to try to calm myself by thinking back to what I read in this book. I can't believe they were able to fit so much into so few of pages!

Great pictures and illustrations, wonderful information, and a must have for any newly pregnant mom. I would have been lost without it!

After starting "what to expect" and being told that it was horrible I was given this book by my midwives. It is THE book every pregnant woman should read. It does cover pregancy but not all the scare tactics that you read in the other books that make you paranoid about breathing. I found it very helpful in creating a birthing plan and knowing all the options I had. I didn't have the pregnancy I thought I would have as my sons were born prematurely and didn't survive, when it happened I knew exactly what was going on. On the other hand in "what to expect" the chart that says abdominal discomfort, you may have gas or you may be going into pre-term labor. Give me a break! So again...pregnant, thinking of being pregnant, know someone who is pregnant, this is the book!

I bought this book after I was well into my subsequent pregnancy. I only wish I would have purchased it sooner, like before I became pregnant again. This book confirmed the feelings that I had were valid, and I wasn't "crazy", and I don't have to feel guilty for feeling the way I do. The author lets you know it's ok to have certain feelings and that I'm not the only one who has felt this way. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is that I am 100% pro-life. Although the author seems to have a strong faith in God, it seems like she makes it "okay" to have an abortion if the baby has a birth defect. Enough said about that. But overall, this book has helped me so much! Especially dealing with people who think that you're "okay" now that you're pregnant again and you should be over your grief now that you have another baby on the way. To anyone who has ever lost a child and wants to become or is pregnant again, get this book!

I read this book a few weeks after I lost my newborn son, due to severe pre-eclampsia. Before this happened to me, I didn't even know what pre-e was. It struck fast and I had to have an emergency c-section at 23 weeks into my pregnancy. My son, Tyler Michael, weighed only 11 oz., but he lived for 5 days.
This book helped me to deal with my grief in some ways, but for the most part I shoved it all deep down inside, and I just focused on getting pregnant again ASAP. My son died in March of 04 and I was pregnant again by September of the same year. This book got me through the some of the most difficult months in my life. I couldn't bond with my unborn child because I wouldn't allow myself to think about the future. It was truly a day by day ordeal for us. I let me family do the nursey 3 weeks before my scheduled c-section, but no clothes or anything like that. The heartbreak I endured watching Tyler's things being carried out of my home scarred my too deep for that. I read this book constantly. The personal stories from women who had been where I was and got through it was sometimes the only way I could keep under control.
My only complaint about this book is that I wish she would have included more info on parenting after a loss. The few things that were included struck a deep cord with me. I held my daughter practically the entire 6 days I was at the hospital, and she slept in a swing in our room until she outgrew it at 9 months. I also am over protective, probably more than I'll admit to. I shoved my grief for Tyler down futher, and it came to a head this past September. "They" say that if you don't grieve, not to worry, it'll wait for you. Indeed it did. The loss of Tyler made it hard to give myself completely to my daughter, so i felt guilt on that on top of everything else. I had major clinical depression and had to be hospitalized for a few days, and was in an intensive outpatient program for 5 weeks after I got released. It changed my life, and I'm feeling more like myself than I have since I got pregant with Tyler. Great doctors, the right medication, and ways to deal with my loss have all improved my life. I'd love it if she worte a book on parenting after a loss, it's harder than people think.
I donanated a copy of this to my obgyn, my family doctor, my maternal fetal med doc, and my psychiatrist. I hope that it can help some more of the women who desperatly need it.

I feel badly for women who have had miscarriages -- they missed out on so much bonding that happens later in pregnancy, the joy of feeling their babies move, etc. But I can personally attest to the terrible, unfathomable trauma that comes with delivering a perfect, but dead baby, after a completely uneventful pregnancy. What to do with the shower presents all over the house, the pile of thank-you notes that were about to be stamped; the breasts, so close to our broken hearts, filling to feed a baby who is not there. It is horrific, and yet, transformative, if we're able to focus on the love we have for our lost babies. Stillbirth is far more common than I ever would have thought, but far less common than miscarriage. I suppose the author/publisher could have reworded the subtitle of the book to make it clear it was directed at parents who experienced late-term/full-term losses. There are fewer options available to women who experienced stillbirth or infant death; and the support groups are populated primarily by women who had miscarriages simply because it's far more common. Please don't give something a bad review just because it didn't apply to your circumstances. Best wishes to all of you on your journey.

I am so sorry if you are reading this review. You are either walking in my same shoes or know someone who is.
After the loss of our first son at 36 weeks (because of a blood clot in his umbilical cord). I started reading this book about a month after his death. We wanted to try to have another baby, but needed to deal with grief, fear and everything else that comes with the loss of a child. I was able to get pregnant 8 weeks after his death. This book helped my husband and I cope with the next pregnancy and actually have hope that our next child would make it here alive. The book is detailed, comforting, hopeful and reminds you that your feelings are totally normal. It addresses fear, jealousy, dealing with others who don't know how to handle you and your subsequent pregnancy. It also addresses what it's like to actually have another child. Once you are home with a live baby you go through a whole new set of emotions. I bought this book for family and friends so they could try to understand what we were going through.
I am so pleased to say that 8 months of reading this book...we had a beautiful baby girl. The book really helped me through a very high risk and scary pregnancy. I still refer to it when I am having a bad day missing my little boy so much, but loving my little girl so much.
Good luck to you in starting the journey of a subsequent pregnancy after a devastating loss.

Our first child, our son Wyatt, was stillborn and it has been the most devastating event of our entire lives. I bought this book after a fellow angel parent recommended it and absolutely loved it. It is so "nice" to see all the thoughts and feelings you have after losing a child and trying to decide to try for another baby right there in print. It makes you realize you're not going crazy, that those thoughts and feelings are legitimate, and that you are not alone. I carried this book everywhere with me and would highlight phrases that were personal to me. It really helped me understand the loss of our son and give me strength and courage to go on with our lives by giving him a little brother/sister while still keeping his memory alive. We have since given birth to his baby sister who was born happy, healthy, kicking, and screaming a couple weeks ago! Being pregnant after losing a child is very difficult. Constant fear, guilt, and a lot of times you're still grieving very hard for the baby you lost. We got pregnant just 2 months after losing Wyatt and while we planned it that way and I wouldn't change it for the world, it was hard to still be grieving so hard for Wyatt and be able to enjoy the pregnancy with our new daughter. I'm so sorry to those of you having to look at this book, but I hope it can help you as much as it has helped me.

My wife has this book and absolutely loves it. She re-reads it often, and has it bookmarked and highlighted. Great references and goes over many different areas that affect the baby's life from fetal development to the environment around it as it plays. It contains a lot of internet links to products.

I see myself as relatively environmentally conscious. But this book really made me think more closely about this, and also provided various options for improvement. I really appreciated the suggestions for certain brands or website so I could then go and do my own further research. I am pleased to say that I believe I'm now better informed, and my buying decisions are certainly more environmentally friendly and more gentle for our baby than previously.

This book is a great resource for parents who want some ideas on how to make their children's environment more healthy. The author presents many ideas for ways to go green in your home from building to existing structures, helps parents make healthy food choices and explains why it is important to be aware of the products you are using on your child. I also must note that the author mentions homebirth as a positive choice that may be right for some families which is very open-minded for an MD. I have 3 children and am constantly trying to find more eco-friendly options and was happy that this book provided me with some new ideas as well as many excellent links!

My wife and I just finished "Raising Baby Green" and found it to be informative - but not preachy - providing practical advice to help us make decisions that will not only help raise our baby-to-be in a more healthy manner, but also help the environment itself in the process. Dr. Greene is right on with his theory that our health and the planet's are interwoven - and it's great to do things that accomplish both!

I think this is a very good to start raising a green baby. I wasn't the most eco-educated person out there, but I tried to do my part. When my wife and I started to try to have a baby, I wanted to have a healthy baby and started to do more research. What I like about this book is that it has a ton of information and resources and all laid out in a logical manner. The book was very easy to read, although I did not read every single page. I took note of a lot of tips (just bought some castile soap from Trader Joe's w/ my reusable bag) and websites. I liked the pages on the chemicals you should not purchase. I actually wrote them on back of my printout of the Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector guide. I used that chemicals list to check against sunscreen that I was looking to purchase, which I found that most sunscreens have one or more of those chemicals even the ones that say organics. I won't follow every single advice in the book just because of practicality or cost reasons, but at least I'll be a more educated parent on raising a greener baby. As with every book, you should use your own common sense when following an author's advice.

On a side note, there is so much information out there and sometimes conflicting information. It seems to me that one study will contradict another study that was done just a few months ago!! Case in point is Brenda Murray's review on when to fill-up your car. One study says it doesn't matter and another says it does matter (take a look at the comments on her review). I live in Phoenix and they actually do say you should fill your car up at night (or early morning) not because of air pollution, but because of how the regulators (I think) on the pumps work. It actually cost less to fill-up when it the temperature is cooler than when it is hot. I wish I could find the Arizona Republic article that talked more to the technical side of why this is the case and why the state is trying to change the regulators.

Lastly, in Brenda Murray's review, the author (Alan Greene) actually comments on her review. Some people might find this self-serving or being an ego maniac, but I found it very refreshing as he wanted to provide additional insight. I don't know if many authors would do this, but I found it very refreshing for the author to do this and the tone of his comment was not negative or preachy. In my opinion, he does really seem to care about the subject.