Infant-and-Toddler-Development Books

I purchased this book in order to find out what developmental milestones a child should achieve before graduating from one daycare room to another. This book had a chapter specifically focused on transitioning from the baby room to the toddler room. I have a special needs child, but wanted to know what the standards were. This book is about preparing for the transition. It does not cover when the transition is appropriate.

Simple Transitions gives unprecedented attention to improving the effectiveness of daily transitions and offers essential information for teachers in infant and toddler childcare. Karen Miller uses her extensive knowledge of infants and toddlers to gather hundreds of practical, easy, and fun activities, tips, and techniques that help infants, toddlers, caregivers, and parents. The information in Simple Transitions guides caregivers through day-to-day routines and other transitions, such as an infant moving to a toddler classroom.

The activities help infants and toddlers handle themselves in time and space so that they know what to expect and what is expected of them. The result is more relaxed and secure children. The reader will learn how to create non-verbal signals that help young children interpret their world. Many simple rituals are suggested that give children a feeling of control. Simple songs and puppet activities offer an added sense of pleasure.

More than an activity book, Simple Transitions also explains the development of infants and toddlers, and how transitions can be adapted to fit their developmental needs. The book respects the child while maintaining an understanding of the caregiver's need to get things done. This book will help caregivers "live in the moment" and enjoy what each day has to offer.

Would highly recommend this book for a preschool, stay at home mom, etc. Gives really good ideas if you're running out of things to do or just looking for something new.

I am a stay at home mom and like to have activities books on hand for times when creativity runs low. I looked through the pam schiller books and was impressed but they are more geared towards educators and the format wasn't as easy to read and use as a planning tool as this book and jackie silberg's book.

This book has been used by families throughout the world for a number of years. It provides helpful educational activities that can be performed by parents to aid their child's development. A classic in the field.

This book comes highly recommended, and in fact provides a comprehensive curriculum for children age 0 - 24 months with DS with much helpful advice. However, the format is difficult to follow -- with a list of several unstructured activities at the beginning of each area and followed by a list of structured activities to help children reach goals, it seems like life is nothing but therapy! I recommend that if readers use this resource that they couple it with a good resource on play or activity based intervention, especially if you are a professional. Parents would probably do better with the Woodbine series (Fine, Gross, and Communication Skills for Children with Down Syndrome).

Of all the parenting books out there, this one is head and shoulders above the rest. It addresses the ever evolving nature of children, how they learn at various stages, how to cope and facilitate healthy development of your child. Dr. O'Brien offers so many positive "how t(w)o's" that I found the book to be a pleasure to read. I only hope she will continue to write this age evolving series into the teen years! Bravo!!!!!

This book seems to be more of a case study than a guide for busy parents. I am struggling with the book's layout. When I do find guidance and information, it has been excellent. However, I find the book difficult to access. While the stories do sound very similar to what I am experiencing with my own 2 year old, I do not have the time or energy to sift through the story to interpret the message. I need a book that's a little more straightforward and the guidance a little easier to find.

Dr. Brazelton has a loving, common sense approach to infant development. He offers constructive advice and reassurance to new parents. This book is extremely helpful to first time mothers.

this is the one. Dr. Brazleton difers from most self-proclaimed baby and parenting "experts" in several respects. Firstly, he not only advocates that parenting each child is unique and needs to be individualized, he encourages that this philosophy be put in practice. In contrast to, as an example, the Sears, who state that the methods they proscribe are the only good and valid methods and that anything else is tantamount to abuse or neglect, Dr. Brazleton actually encourages that parents develop a relationship with their children based on the rhythms and nature of the child. The nature of the parent is not brushed aside but, instead, is recognized as an equal part of the whole relationship with the child. Secondly, Dr. Brazleton's professional reputation and expertise are exemplary and encompass a vast amount of direct contact with children and parents, clinical and research experience. Dr. Brazleton does not fall into the Sears trap of "Research shows..." while failing to provide any sort of evidence that research DOES show, or that there is even any research. Dr. Brazleton balances practical perspective with that of clinical and research perspective and provides supporting sources for his claims. He also recognizes the limitations and conditions under which his claims hold, and those under which modifications are necessary. If you are looking for one book on parenting and children, start here. My bet is that you'll be very glad you did.

The first time I picked up this book, I skimmed through it and then put it down. The format was so distracting--with headings, subheadings, sidebars, tables, and "features"--that I just didn't have the patience for it at the time. The next time I picked it up, I was able to read it cover to cover and was pleased with what I found.

"Your One-Year-Old" is the first book in the As They Grow series written by the editors of Parents Magazine. It is well organized and is fast and easy to read. It has a friendly tone and is filled with mainstream advice. The reader is encouraged to "respect your child's uniqueness...support her development, be patient...and savor this exciting journey." It is meant as a guide to the ups and downs of raising a one-year-old--not only why they occur, but also how parents can respond.

The book is divided into 9 chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of development (mobility, language, personality, sense of self, thinking and learning, feelings, fears, behavior, and relationships). Each chapter is divided into four sections (what you can expect at each milestone, changes in behavior that result from each milestone, how each stage affects you as a parent, and strategies and activities to enhance development). Each chapter also includes features such as How It Feels to Be Me, Do Say/Don't Say, and Safety First.

Some pros: It covers only one-year-olds, instead of the more broad toddler phase. It does a good job of covering a wide range of topics in a fun, introductory manner. It gives good insight into a one-year-old's world-view and development. It offers many examples and specific suggestions. It offers lists of activities, toys, books, and games to enhance development. Although I have read many books that are quite similar to this one, I nevertheless learned several new ways of looking at and responding to my daughter's behaviors. In many cases, there are examples/advice geared toward different temperment types, instead of assuming that all one-year-olds are essentially the same.

Some cons: There is no index. There are sometimes references to other chapters by number, but the chapters aren't numbered so you have to count on the table of contents to figure out which chapter to go to. There is no resource list for further, more in-depth reading.

I sent my husband out to buy ANY book on babycare when we returned home from hospital after I gave birth to my son. He returned with this book, and it is still a valuable resource to me today 10 months later, especially with regard to illnesses and remedies.

This book is a great guide for new parents, or anyone who is a caretaker for infants and young children.

Bright Toddler is a wonderful resource for any parent wanting information on how a child grows and develops. I love it because of its simplicity. This book is divided into sections, and each section is subdivided into ages. So, for example, there is a section on Language Development, and then you can refer to a specific age (15-18 mo., 18-22 mo, 22-24 mo... all of the way to three years old). Other sections would be Learning, Social Emotional, Fine Motor, and Gross Motor.

This book is vivid, colorful and a quick read. There are charts that are big and easy to navigate, and then chapters for more explicit information.It really reads like a magazine. This book has suggestions for activities to do to facilitate toddler development and a great list of toys that are beneficial to the age. I used it whenever I wanted to see what my daughter was doing and as an idea book for games or activities to play with her.

I bought this book because it compares childcare advice over three centuries, and I wanted to see what issues previous generations found pressing. The most helpful thing about this book is that you realize that EVERY generation has noisy advocates of one style of parenting or another, and you see the swing from discipline to leniency and back again. As Hardyment points out, a thorough study of centuries of childcare advice shows that whatever advice is given has "science" to back it up, and will almost certainly be overturned by new "scientific" research. So, do what the "experts" do - read the research, then come to your own decision based on what makes sense to you and works with your circumstances. There is no "one right way" to parent, and the vast majority of children turn out just fine, despite the many different ways they are raised. Ultimately, YOU are responsible for your parenting decisions, and this book is designed to reassure you that you will do just fine using your own intellect and intuition, regardless of what "experts" may try to make you believe.

A drawback to this book is that the author tends to jump back and forth in her quotes of authors, which I sometimes found confusing because I felt the authors hadn't been identified sufficiently in the beginning. And sometimes she skips briefly over topics I would be interested in knowing more about. But a little flipping back and forth is worth it for the message, and she does give a good general overview of changes in parenting trends and scientific advice. I'd recommend this book for any new mother, because it certainly helped me.