Customer Reviews

Babies with Down Syndrome: A New Parents' Guide (Special Needs Collection)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When my husband and I found out our beautiful daughter (first child) had been born with Down Syndrome, we were devastated. We immediately began thinking the worst. Fortunately for us, my mother had taken the time to go to the library and find books on Down Syndrome, as noone in our family had ever experienced it. She gave this book to me when she was finished reading it, and it changed our lives. It was so imformative and helpful, and did much to put our minds at ease about our new daughter's potential. She is now 3 years old, and living up to all of our expectations! This book is a great relief!

In the delivery room when my son Mikey was born, we were told he had Down syndrome. We knew very little about the condition and were confused and frightened about the future. Our son's geneticist gave us a copy of this book and it answered almost all of our questions, including some we never thought to ask. The information in this book relieved many of our fears and showed us how to be the best parents for our son. The book starts with a forward by Ann M. Forts, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Down Syndrome Congress; the New Hampshire Developmental Disabilities Council; and the President's Committee on Mental Retardation. Ms. Forts also happens to be a person with Down syndrome. Right away, we knew this book was going to be positive! The book starts with a chapter on what is Down syndrome followed by a chapter on adjusting to your new child. Chapter 3 discusses some of the medical issues that are associated with Down syndrome. This is good information to be aware of even if you never need it. The next few chapters discuss taking care of your baby, family life, how your baby will develop, early intervention, and educating the child with Down syndrome. The last chapter covers your legal rights. Every chapter has several pages of short quotes from parents. It helped to lessen the fear and stress to read that other parents are coping. This is by far the best book for the new parent of a child with Down syndrome. Before you read anything else, you will want to read this book.

I am so glad that our hospital gave us this book to take home after our son was born with down syndrome. It is a very thorough but easy and quick to read book. We learned about medical problems that can arise so were prepared early on to deal with the many doctors and therapists that we were referred to. We learned how to deal with questions from family and friends. We also learned that the fear and grief that we experienced the first couple of weeks is normal. It helped so much to be able to educate ourselves quickly and read about the experiences of other parents early on. This book is excellent and I think all hospitals should offer it to parents of newborn babies with down syndrome.

We were told, in the delivery room, that our son had down syndrome. That was not what upset us, it was the pediatric specialist telling us all the bad things that "would happen" to our son. We were desperately looking for information on D.S., but nothing was really clear that we saw on line. Our doctor at Child Development had this book so we went to Borders and got it. It is written in a way that makes it easier for someone to understand all the possibilities. Basically, a D.S. child can do anything as long as he/she has the opportunity and support. Our first hurdle was the V.S.D., he had heart surgery at 4 months as he was unable to put on weight or even keep the weight he had gained. He has gained 7 pounds and is 7 months. We play with him all the time in ways to develope his muscle tone and his P.T. says, in one month, he has done a major improvement. We cross each bridge as it comes but we make it fun. We constantly us the book for reference when we have a question or need a clarification, it is always on our kitchen table.

I received a copy of this book from my son's occupational therapist. I was ready to know more about my son's condition and to know why he would do somethings instead of others. I wanted to know how the milestones varied from "healthy" children. I felt this book covered everything that I wanted to know and even discussed what to do when writing a will and how it changes with a Down Syndrome child. Things I never would have thought would be different until reading this book. It took about 4 months before I was willing to read something about this because I wanted to start raising him just like I raised my other children. This was definitly a book that did not go the extreme in the condition which is something I wanted. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who has a child with Down Syndrome!

It is a frightening thing to find out that your new baby has Down Syndrome. This book will help new parents understand what Down Syndrome is and what they can expect from their new baby. This book discusses DS with compassion and understanding and provides a wealth of information for the new parent. This should be the first book you read

New mothers don't have time to read! But this one is a must for new parents (or anyone wanting more information) of a baby with Down syndrome. It gives clear, factual information while reassuring and answering the many questions that bombard parents after finding out the news that their baby has Down syndrome.

I am a mom of a 2 1/2 yr old daughter with DS and this book greatly helped get me through the first few months when I had so many questions. I still refer to it from time to time, and I would greatly recommend it to those seeking more information.

My son is 10 months old and I just got this book. I wish I had it earlier, it would have saved a lot of time spent searching for information. Takes you step-by-step to understanding what is Down Syndrome and how to embrace and prepare your child for his future.

While the book is very overwhelming with information, it explains how to deal with the issues. There is ALOT of information in this book, therefore, it should be one of the first books you get. As another reviewer said, the medical problems described are scary - but that's part of down syndrome. Fortunately not all down syndrome children have all the medical problems.

The best part in the book is the developmental charts and growth charts that a lot of doctors, clinics, health units don't have!! It also explains what you need to know for your infant all the way through adulthood. Life insurance, inheritance, wills, family estate financial planning is discussed. Very important issues that will surprise you!

I find the book to be a constant resource. I refer to it constantly.