Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year [Paperback]

Denise Fields (Author), Ari Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

Babies need some serious handholding, but parents do, too — especially first-timers. Baby 411 addresses the need for guidance on pediatric medical issues with reliable and reassuring information. Ari Brown draws on her work as a full-time pediatrician and mother, and Denise Fields brings her practical experience as the mother of two boys to this thorough guide to baby’s crucial first year. The authors cover a wealth of topics, including what to ask at a prenatal visit, accurate vaccine information and antibiotic resistance, the latest American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, circumcision, secrets of sleep, autism, and more. It helps modern parents make educated decisions on breastfeeding, supplemental newborn screening, and new vaccines. The book empowers parents with the medical information they need to become not only good parents but good partners in their child's health.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Denise Fields and Alan Fields write a monthly column for Baby Talk magazine. They have written several best-selling books, including Baby Bargains and Bridal Bargains. They live in Boulder, CO.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Windsor Peak Press (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889392154
• ISBN-13: 978-1889392158
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars from a pediatric nurse, February 24, 2004

By 

Sandra (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Paperback)

I picked up a copy of Baby 411 after one of our patients told me about it. I always try to read what our families are reading so I know what information is out there-which often leads to more phonecalls.
This is one of the funniest, most accurate sources of information on the first year of life that I have read. It also lets the reader walk in the shoes of their health care professional. The section on "why your doctor is always late" was hilarious and so true. I also found the sections on good times to book an appointment and information to have on hand when you call the afterhours line just priceless- No one ever tells you this type of stuff when you have a baby and make frequent trips and phonecalls to the pediatrician.
But that is just the beginning. The book manages to cover virtually all of the medical topics that parents encounter in the first year of life. It takes fairly difficult concepts and makes them easy to understand.
I have no doubt that families who buy this book will have fewer phonecalls and trips to the doctor's office. For instance, parents almost always call in about their newborn's acne that crops up at about 4 weeks of age. Baby 411 prepares parents for this so they don't have to worry when it occurs. It also has great pictures on their website like newborn acne, diaper rashes, roseola, etc. I always hoped a book would come with color pictures.
I also found the breastfeeding section very informative. It includes a day to day guide for the first week with a newborn with many practical tips.
I will definitely recommend this book to parents in our practice.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All in one book, February 23, 2004

By 

Kristi (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Paperback)

Okay, I need to write a review of this book because I want everyone else out there to know there IS a baby book that covers everything parents want to know about. As a new parent, I have bought books about health, sleep, development, nutrition, etc because I could not find a book that covered these topics in any significant way, with the detailed info I was looking for. The books that I bought that were supposed to 'cover it all' like What to Expect didn't give enough info on any one topic. I also found it hard to find what I was looking for because of the way the book is arranged.

I loved Baby 411. It really covered all the bases. The chapters are organized by topics and they cover the biggies: sleep, nutrition, development, vaccines, common illnesses, infections (and when it's okay for my child to go back to daycare). And each topic is really thorough and takes you through the entire first year-explaining how your baby adapts and changes-and how parents need to adapt with their baby. I particularly liked the nutrition section which was divided by liquid nutrition, solid nutrition, and general issues. No other book gave me the details like how much volume of formula/breast milk a baby takes in (it's based on weight). It also gave me the info I was looking for regarding introduction of solid food-how much, how often, when to offer the more risky allergy foods.

I thought this book was terrific and will recommend it to all my friends.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great reference book., September 17, 2003

By 

Sidney B. Seidman, M.D. (Annapolis, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year (Paperback)

During my 35 years of Pediatric practice, I have not read a more practical and user friendly reference. The format enables the parent of young children to quickly find answers to the questions that they might be too embarrassed to ask their pediatrician. It will be the book you will go to first when questions arise.