Customer Reviews

Baby Steps, Second Edition: A Guide to Your Child's Social, Physical, Mental and Emotional Development in the First Two Years (Owl Book)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book covers child development from birth to 24 months, with a chapter corresponding to a month of the childs life. Each chapter covers Motor Control, Perception, Vocalizations, Cognition, Social Development and one or two other topics such as crying, physical development milestones, socializing etc.
I've found it fascinating to watch our twin boys develop and read about their developmental progress in this book. It's very easy to read, gives a lot of information without delving too much into actual physiological reasons for behaviours/abilities like a lot of other Developmental guides.
My only complaint is that the print quality of the book is very poor, and my copy also had sections of text actually missing due to printing errors. Hopefully these problems will be rectified, as it really is an excellent read and I'd highly recommend it for new parents!

I purchased this book because I want to make sure that I keep a keen eye on my child's development the first year. This includes, knowing when something is wrong, knowing when he is behind in developing and normal activities that my child enjoys each month as they progress. This book provides all of that in a concise month to month format. Each chapter is broken down into the following sections: Overview, Images in Development (includes, to name a few: Motor Control, Perception, hearing, cognition, vocalization), Developmental Close-up (includes, to name a few: sleep/wakefullness, motor reflexes,crying, colic).
I don't have a lot of time to read about these things and don't want a book that talks over my head and this book is perfect for this requirements. For example, one of the things my infant does is to bend his arm at the elbow and place his palm nex to his head while the other arm is straight at his side. I thought this was just a cute thing he did but upon reading the book realized this a reflex called "tonic neck reflex" and should disappear by month six. If it has not then my child needs to be tested for a neurological disorder.
As a parent, it is imperative to know what to look for as your child develops. A pediatrician can only diagnose what he sees or what you tell him about. I would not have known to look for this reflex and its continued existence past 6 months without this book. This is just one example of how this book has helped me.
I recommed this book over the Dr Spock books anytime. If you want a book on how to calm your baby in the first three months of life you HAVE to get the book and DVD called" The happies baby on the block".
Happy hunting for the perfect book!

I think this book is a helpful guide. It is a quick, easy read when you are using it by the month. "Baby Steps" gives an accurate overview of where your child is at physically and emotionally--just as the title says. I feel like it sheds light on the mystery and subtlety of a new baby for a first time parent.

This book is full of good information, organized by 1 month per chapter. I only wish there was more information in each chapter, because I'm only reading the month my son is old, and its a quick read. Then I wait another month to read the next chapter. My biggest complaint, and I saw someone else said this also in a review when I ordered the book, is the print quality is awful. The printed text is blurred or smudged or missing in some places. Not sure I would order this again.

This was one of my favorite books through my daughter's first 2 years. I liked that it was organized as a chapter for each month of development. I found the info to be very thorough. Development happens at a different pace for each child and there were months where I had slight panic that my daughter was behind. I learned though to apply a 3 month rule and I would find in a month or two she hit those development milestones. The author provides information periodically about critical developmental milestones your child should have reached. One other note, it is not a quick reference guide - it is a book you need to dedicate 15 minutes to read a chapter. I found it to be informative and the book I read consistently as my child grew in the first 2 years.

While I have enjoyed reading the chapter that corresponds with my son's age, the information really isn't what I expected. The book is more "scientific" than I had originally thought or hoped for -- but it's easy to understand and gives a good frame of reference - it's a good way to look ahead to see what's next for your baby's development.

I just purchased several baby books. I also ordered Your Baby's First Year by the AAP and Your Baby's First Year Week by Week by Glade Curtis and liked both books much better than the Baby Steps book. I felt like the book was not organized in an easy to read format. I like to see nice headers for the paragraphs to make it easy to find things. I did not find the book easy to read and have barely used it. I felt like I was reading a college text book.

This book is an easy read and is nice and clear on what to expect with your little one. I found it very useful to give my mother-in-law because she some how she forgot normal development and had way too many expectations for our daughter for her social/emotional development. Good luck and I will be passing it along to family and friends.