Infant-and-Toddler-Health Books

My baby has a lot of fun doing the exercises with me. A great way to spend quality time with your little one.

Baby Om is a wonderful way to get back on your feet after child birth. Yoga gives my son and I an opportunity to really connect with each other while I get a chance to get my body back in shape again. I really like the fact that the asanas are actually challenging, unlike most other yoga books I have come across. I plan on buying Baby Om for all of my pregnant friends.

This books is a great complement to the yoga pregnancy books. Once you have had your baby you can get back to your practice or start a new yoga practice. The book presents 4 classes for different stages of the baby's growth or mother's ability to move. In general, it is also a good introduction to yoga with basic introductory chapters. I am an expectant mother and yoga teacher trainee. I am planning on using this material as soon as I get certified and start teaching my prenatal and postnatal classes.

This book is exactly what I was looking for... it offers a great yoga workout in each stage of postpartum recovery and getting back into shape, and it also integrates your infant. A lot of programs are either primarily focused on the infant (and, let's face it, we as new moms are the ones who need the workout and the release that comes with it), or forget the baby altogher having you leave your little one lying next to you (which is impossible once they become mobile). This book combines both and integrates yogic movements with your baby and without, depending on the move, as well as giving tips on infant stimulation throughout the practice. It also teaches different asanas to practice based on the age of your infant. It is the perfect yoga book for new moms!

I loved this book for postpartum yoga - it has a special section for cesarean moms, which was the reason I bought it. It has series of gradually increasing challenge, which I also like. However, I found it WAY too hard to incorporate my baby at first. Having a c section, it was hard enough to get in and out of the poses. Also, my newbron needs lots of attention and its hard to relax and focus on myself. Maybe this will change with time. Also, in terms of the baby interactions segments of each series, Baby Om was a little demanding of its babies - these sections included a full body massage and several exercise movements all in one sequence, and encouraged the mom to "keep trying" when baby resisted - my baby did not like this. I prefer Itsy Bitsy Yoga for baby yoga, as it gives very useful tips (such as going slow, stopping if baby is unhappy, etc) and offers different poses based on small developmental steps. A great book for moms, especially c section moms, but not the best for baby in my opinion.

This is one of the best books I read while looking to learn more about my premature son and his experience in NICU. During such a stressful time, I believe this book was a manageable resource to quickly educate myself on what to expect. I was on bedrest prior to delivery and began reading it then. I finished reading it during my son's NICU stay, but still go back to review topics/issues related to raising a premature baby (particularly the breastfeeding information). I HIGHLY recommend this book for parents and loved ones of premature babies.

I think this book does an excellent job covering a NICU stay and explains the medical information related to premature babies in terms I could follow.

I was admitted to the hospital and prepared for the birth of my little girl at 28 weeks, at that time I ordered quite a few books on premature babies. The baby waited another 5 and 1/2 weeks to arrive, but since the doctors kept me in the hospital on my side, I got plenty of time to read ALL of the books.
I found this book to be the most postive and reassuring. I was scared out of my mind, and many of the other books only gave worst case scenarios, whereas this book always gave the best possible outlook and postive ways to deal with things.
My baby is now 16 months old (14 months corrected age) and doing fine :-)and I am a BIG believer in Dr. Sears.

This book was very helpful in understanding what was happening with my baby while he was in the hospital and after I brought him home. None of my friends had preemies so they could offer advice because its a little different. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone who wants a reference guide or information on premature babies.

When my son was born 10 weeks premature this came as a gift from a friend. The writing is great and really helped me understand what was to be expected with my son. The book not only exmplains things medically, but also has a good way to comfort parents as well. Our son is doing great is close to discharge. If you or someone you know have a preemie in the NICU, this is a great course of comfort and support.

For those of you out there that believe the object of this book series is to "pressure" your children into becoming college professors you obviously are either not paying attention or never read the book. At NO time does the book suggest tying down your child to a chair and forcing him/her to learn to (read, arithmetic, etc...) In fact it clearly states the opposite to STOP immediately if the child is not having fun.

I believe instead that the main point of the book is to love and bond with your child (what more does a child want than Mommy and Daddy's attention?) And that the world is full of amazing wonderful things that he/she has the potential to do whatever he/she wants to do.

My father (using his own techniques - the daily newspaper) taught me to read at 2 years old and I remember (yes I remember clearly) that it was so much fun to read to Daddy about the upcoming union worker strike.

I don't care what career my child chooses.. I just want him to be happy and have the same appreciation for the world of knowledge that surrounds us.

The main issue of this book is that mental and physical development of a baby are tightly coupled. Physically perfect body gives more blood, oxygen and energy to the brain which reinforces the development of the body, which is most obvious for ages up to 36 months.

The author splits the development of the brain and the body to seven stages depending on age, and gives methods and joyful exercises for a baby to be physically superb.

When we were once told man can fly, and go to space. Ignorant and negative humans laughed at the idea. When true love was able to be found on the internet, people laugh and mock the idea too. And so thank heavens not all humans are so negative and narrow minded, otherwise how would we see the human race be where they are today? My son, is now 26 months old, and by following what was suggested in the book, he is sure enough strong enough to support his own weight and brachiate the "monkey bar" on his own. He is also very proficient in running. I invite those with curious minds to come see the growing population of "Doman" families across the globe, quietly and surely participating in the "Gentle Revolution", with or without the help of the Institutes. We are a non profit, pro bono support group. Be very amazed at http://www.childbrain.org

Of all the books I have seen, heard, and read I have to say the only one I like and have picked up numerously for reference is "Caring for your baby and young child" Everything else I thought was silly to even bother with. Because this book gives you advice from everything about what to feed your baby to how to tell if your child might have the flu. If your a parent get this book and never pick up another one. Dont read about how to physically improve your child or make your child have the highest IQ they are children let them be just that. They dont need expectations they dont need to be able to read when they are 3. Yes encourage them to want to explore, read to them, count with them buy a kid yoga tape but whatever you do with your children let them have fun and dont pressure them. We have enough pressure when we are older lets not make the kid prep for college in the womb. Dont "spoil" your children, punish them when it's needed; but have fun and enjoy them dont drive yourself crazy on how to have the best child in the world and be the best parent in the world, just go with the flow and be the least stressed parent in the world. Thats really how you get the best children in the world!

I have read nearly all of the books in the Gentle Revolution Series and all of them are very pleasant and encouraging. These books are really only for those parents who want to make a tremendous effort on behalf of their children and who believe that their children are one of the highest priorities in life. These programs involve much time and enthusiasm on the part of the parent. I am using these programs with my son. At several days old he was holding up his head, 2 1/2 weeks he was rolling over from tummy to back, 5 weeks old he made his first scootching movement, at 2 1/2 months he was rolling from back to tummy, by the end of four months old he was creeping on hands and knees and beginning to pull himself up onto things. This is an amazing program and I plan to use the methods for any children I have in the future. I also did not follow the book 100% so I can only imagine that if I had I may have acheived even better results with my baby.

Thought this book was great in conjunction with the stroller strides classes that I was taking. I had no idea that this was a national brand, but after reading the book I searched on the web and found that there are classes all over the US. Great way to reach your goals with the support of moms who are in the same place in life as you are.

love that it understand me as a parent . gives helpful ideas to eat healthy and wonderful exercises to do with your stroller.

This was an excellent book for moms trying to lose the baby weight. Ms. Druxman offers not just excellent exercise and nutrition advice, but also inspiring health advice as well. Lots of great tools and ideas on how to get on track with exercise and nutrition and for living a healthy lifestyle as well. As a fitness professional specializing in prental and postpartum exercise I was impressed with both the practicality and knowledge. I would definitely recommend to my clients and any other mom striving to live a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their families!

This book is so helpful in giving realist, step by step guidance for mommy's to be their healthiest self. I so enjoyed this book and think it needs to be on the nightstand of every mommy. I can't wait to try her Stroller Strides program.

I bought this book because I thought it would be full of cool exercises and ideas of how to work out with my baby and his stroller. I was looking for unique information and advice specific to the experience of being a mom trying to loose weight. Some of that is true with this book. Unfortunately it really is full of mostly the same old diet/nutrition information that most people know, with a small part with the actual exercises. I kind of feel like I wasted my money buying the book since the health and diet info is stuff I already have access to. I've page marked the exercises and will incorporate those into my workout, but I can't help feeling that I could have done a Google search and found the same information online.

I gave this book to my Daughter who is expecting her first child soon, It is really nice it has areas for photos, messages from grandparents and parents. areas for guests and gifts it is worth the money and is a really nice keepsake of your baby shower

I got this for my sister's baby shower and I think it's a wonderful book. The pages are an adequate size to fit 4x6 photos. Cute illustrations, our invitation was a size that fit into the book, party guests had fun giving advice. I enjoyed making the book for my sister and she enjoyed receiving it as a great keepsake!

I was hosting a baby shower for my son and daughter-in-laws first baby and wanted a special memento of the shower . This book is so nice, not flimsy like the ones you see at party supply outlets etc. Its spiral bound, with heavy duty paper , every page marked with what should go on each page . I loved it as soon as I saw it. I filled it with photos,and writings,guest list pages,and the gifts received ,party photo pages, it even had a page for the shower menu, grandmas advice page , and so much more. But best of all when finished, my daughter-law-law (and the guests ) loved it !

We were looking for a shower keepsake book for my second shower. We had a very nice one 4 years ago from Hallmark for the shower when I was pregnant with my son. Now, Hallmark doesn't have them anymore so this seemed the closest to it that we could find. You can fit pictures, but only one on a page, which I would probably put more in a scrapbook anyways. I like all the spaces for signatures, predictions, gifts, and etc. It's not as big as my sons but it will be something still to cherish.

I really recommend this book to anyone who is looking to record the details of their baby shower! The unfortunate thing is that there aren't many out there to choose from. I wish this was a tad bit bigger. If your invitation is on the larger side, it might not fit on the page for a keepsake. But overall, I am very happy with the book. I wanted to be able to keep my own memories and have other's advice and predictions in the same place and this book does all of that and more.

I loved this system for making food for my little boy. The workbook is so helpful. It has lots of information about making baby food, but the best part is the actual cookbook section. Divided by age so you know just what fruits and vegetables to introduce at 6 months, 9 months, etc., each page lists a certain fruit or vegetable, how to know when it is ripe, exactly how many to buy, and directions for cooking it (whether you need to add water, etc.). Then you just blend the food and pour it into the freezer trays, which make convenient 1 oz portions. It took very little time and I felt like I was really doing something great for my son, who by the way loved everything I made for him, including spinach. I recommend this kit to anyone.

I love the book. It is an easy guide to feeding your baby fresh food.

All you need, all in one. It really is that easy and making things simpler at a time when everything seems hectic is greatly appreciated. I would highly recommend.

If you're like me and like to have specific instructions, even for simple tasks where you could easily figure it out, this is a great book. It outlines what to feed baby when, and gives instructions how to make everything.

The trays are nice, and though I debated about the necessity of them (ice cube trays and saran wrap are a lot cheaper), I do admit that I like the covers, they keep the trays stackable and tightly covered in my freezer.

I would suggest that you get a few extra ice cube trays, when I go to make baby food, I make a lot at a time and it's easiest to freeze it all at once.

Much of the information is common sense but it is a nice primer. We had no idea what we were doing and wanted to make sure we were going in the right direction. This book/DVD combo definitely gave us the confidence to make our own food. It really is easy!

I found this book to be very helpful. It answers a lot of simple questions and is very informative.

When I bought this book I really didn't know what to expect and how good it would be, but it's a great guide. The short readings are a must for a new mom. GREAT BOOK!!!

Great book. I'm a perspective grandmother and purchased the book for me, my son and daughter-in-law. Each of us has a copy and refer to it regularly as a jumping off point as questions occur. The answers are numerous and brief, and simple enough for anyone to understand. I love it!

I think this book is good for a shower gift to a first time mom. I bought this when my daughter was 13 months old and I had already experienced and dealt with a majority of the issues covered in the book.

Great information for everything from installing your car seat to communicating with your baby.

I love this book and buy it in bulk for all the baby showers I attend. It's a unique gift that new mothers really seem to like.

This book is nice, but for the same price you can buy a DVD on the subject. I like Aimee Ketchum's DVD because not only does she do a great job of demonstrating baby massage, but she also gives lots of information on how your baby develops. Her massage method lasts only 4-5 minutes per session. I really don't have the time to spend an hour giving my baby a massage. There is so much more information on her DVD about your baby and how simple exercises can help your baby's brain development and lots and lots of other stuff. I just don't see why you'd want to buy a book with only massage pictures in it when you can buy a DVD with not only lots of massage info, but also has tons and tons of other simple stuff you can do with your baby. It makes so much sense and you don't need to buy anything else. Plus Aimee has a nice personality and you can tell she really cares. She's very qualified and is a pediatric OT plus certified massage therapist for babies, like Gweneth Paltro hires to massage her baby.

This book and the onesie that comes with it are so helpful to me now that I have a 4 month old baby. I was pretty timid when it came to touching my new baby because she was premature but I learned how to use the techniques in the book . The shirt made everything so easy. I recommend this book to everyone with a baby!

My sister gave this book to me after she saw it on the "Live with Regis and Kelly" show. My baby has colic and the book taught me some ways to help soothe her. The cute onesie has all the directions on the shirt so I could just follow the arrows to give my baby a massage. It was so easy and I have to say that it worked! I highly recommend this book and baby shirt to all moms.

The intention of this book is nice. The content is just too much! The onesie is cute - for a few washings, and the print is so small - hard to read. I know the subject is important, I just think it could have been delivered in a much more concise manner. There is a newer book out there now by Suzanne P. Reese titled: Baby Massage - Soothing Strokes For Healthy Growth, and it's compact, easy-to-read and she gets right to the point without the need for so much text before you finally get to the strokes.....and Ms Reese's book has photos of real babies - not drawings. Much cuter and fun to look at!

To the poster who said that the book is not full of good info...maybe we wouldn't need a common sense book to tell us how to parent if we would all learn to listen to our instincts. So many parents have gotten so good at ignoring them because that is what all the "experts" tell them to do. If nothing else, my hope is that this common sense book reminds parents why we were given instincts when it comes to parenting and I truly hope that this book is totally unecessary very soon---it would mean that we all finally "get it" when it comes to parenting. Yes, it's common sense, but it by no means is how the majority of people parent in our current society!

In this book, Dr. Jay presents a philosophy that treats children with respect, love and nurturing. From having read many, many child rearing books, this is the best book I've come across. It's certainly not an in-depth "how to" like the Sears books, and I don't believe that was Dr. Jay's intent. I believe its fundamental value is in sharing a new way of thinking. As the title suggests, it presents the thought process behind how to approach parenting. And, while the Sears and other "how to" books are great, they're not really needed if you follow the advice in this book -- listening to and respecting your baby and following your instincts. And while this approach certainly asks a little more of us as parents, I see the benefits time and time again in my own children. If only more parents could read this book, I think we'd all have healthier and happier kids. I give a copy to every expecting mom/dad I know. It's a shame it's so hard to find new copies of the book.

LOVE this book. Very handy as an addition to Sears and Sears books because it gives additional practical advice and direction on co-sleeping and breastfeeding. I like to give it to newly pregnant couples and hope they receive it before they get Babywise by Ezzo. It is a easy read and as a third time mom I gained valuable information and affirmation.

Dr. Jay Gordon encourages parents to follow their instincts and tune in to their baby in this guide to parenting that covers the period from pregnancy through baby's first year. This book advocates a gentle approach to parenting infants and strongly supports breastfeeding -- it's clear that Dr. Gordon, unlike many authors, knows the research on infant feeding and is responsible enough to share it (unlike those doctors like my first pediatrician who give you "babies do just fine on formula" instead of providing information based on research). An Appendix titled "A-Z Conditions and Concerns" provides information on such topics as jaundice, infant acne, and teething. Dr. Gordon is so funny, down to earth, and wise, and I never feel as though he's pandering or talking down to the reader. I'm glad he wrote this book.

This is a must have book for new parents. My twins are patients of Dr. Jay and he is absolutely as wonderful as his book presents. This book easily lays out information regarding nutrition, vaccines, and basic parenting. It helps to dispell the current thinkings on letting your baby cry it out as well as building your confidence by encouraging you to trust your instincts to go to your child when he/she needs you. When your baby cries, it is his/her only means of communication at such a young age. Listen and respond. It is such a short time in their lives and my husband and I have seen first hand how his parenting preferences have resulted in absolutely wonderful toddlers.

I found this book to be very helpful from a nutritional standpoint. It is sad that most babies are exposed to McDonalds before they are even a year old. No wonder obesity is a problem in America.

If you want to buy a version of this book new, as Amazon currently only has used copies, you may obtain it from Dr. Jay's website: www.drjaygordon.com. It is $10 with $1 shipping charge.

If you are looking for a more natural and organic approach to raising your child, this is a wonderful book for you.

If you are a co-sleeping parent, please also check out Dr. Jay's book called, "Good Nights". It is an absolute essential. Best of luck to you all!

I honestly didn't quite know how the reproductive system worked. It was very easy to read and gave great illustrations. I recommend this book highly because taking pills for birth control is very toxic to your body!

I think that this book has been very informative, the illustrations are hand drawn, photographs would have been better for some of the descriptions. Overall, I would recommend it.

If you're looking for a good place to start - this book is not it. While I think the author gives good descriptions of your fertility signs, I don't think this book is a good idea for people new to NFP.

My biggest beef with this book is how the 'rules' are presented.

What you need to know is that there are basically two forms of NFP: STM and OM. STM (Sympto-Thermal Method) uses your basal body temperature, cervical mucus observations and changes in your cervix to determine when you are fertile and when you are not. OM (Ovulation Method or Billings Ovulation Method) relies on cervical mucus observations to determine your fertility.

While both can be effective - they use different rules. The author presents both STM and OM - but she mixes up the rules!

The result is a mish-mash of fertility rules that I think will lead to lower effectiveness rates. If you want to use NFP effectively, you need to pick one method and follow the rules for that method.

An example of this mix up involves the rules before ovulation. The author lists one of the STM rules (page 114) as abstaining during menstrual bleeding. This is not an STM rule - this is an OM Rule. There is no reason, if you are using STM that you need to abstain during the menstrual bleeding - but you MUST abstain during any bleeding if you are using the Ovulation Method.

With STM, you use your Basal Body Temperature rise to know when you are experiencing true menstrual bleeding - and not breakthrough bleeding, which is very fertile. With the Ovulation Method - there is no way of knowing (since you don't take your temperature) if bleeding is true menstruation - so with the OM, you must abstain during any bleeding.

Then on page 117, the author discusses the Cervical Mucus Method (aka Billings Ovulation Method) and suggests that you should abstain during your menstrual bleeding - or - you can have intercourse during the first five days of your cycle. Well - which is it? With the OM - you must abstain during any bleeding. The first five days option is a rule from STM.

If you're new to Natural Family Planning or Fertility Awareness - these may not seem like big differences. But take it from someone who has studied both methods - it is important to follow the rules. You can't take a little from this method and a little from that method and hope to get an effective method of postponing pregnancy.

The author will say that there are some rules that are more conservative - and others that are less - but doesn't always clearly identify which is which. For a beginner to NFP - this is trouble.

If you're looking to learn more about Natural Family Planning, pick a better book. Try "The Art of Natural Family Planning" - while it's a bigger book - you'll get clear instruction on the rules, along with the effectiveness of each rule so you can make informed decisions.

I gave this book two stars (instead of one) because I think the author does do a good job describing fertility signs and how to observe them.

That aside - choose another book to start learning about NFP - this one mixes up too many rules to be a good beginner book. If you are serious about using NFP effectively - don't choose this book.

This book clearly and accurately describes the natural changes that a woman's body goes through during her fertility cycle. In language that is easy to understand, the author (who is a nurse) describes each phase and its corresponding symptoms in clear, plain English.

While there is a lot of information, it is a thin book that is easily read in one sitting. I refer to it often and find more things explained to me each time I read it.

I have no doubt that after reading this book, I can confidently and accurately track my fertility, and I'm sure anyone else can, too. I bought this when I went off the pill, and no other book compares. It is a must-have for any woman of child-bearing years. I wish I would have known about this book before I messed up my body by being on the pill . . . it took MONTHS to get back on track. But this book was a Godsend in helping me to understand my body, which is the most important thing.

This book was a fantastic read! Not only did it describe and show you how to chart your signs of fertility it also went into great detail on how both the female and male reproduction system works, therefore making your own fertility signs make sense to you, rather than just charting and guessing on signs. This book addressed the Natural Family Planning method as well as the Fertility Awareness Method. It was written from a strictly informational point of view and doesn't try to shove any religious motive on you for trying the NFP method. Also, they include many examples to help you learn how to use the charting system and also include a blank chart for you to copy and use. I would highly recommend this book to anyone either considering using NFP or FAM or even to just become more aware of the way their body works! Excellent, excellent book.