Customer Reviews

Bringing Baby Home: A New Owners Manual for First Time Parents

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

As soon as I picked up the book- I felt like she was speaking to me...I'm a first time mom-to-be...and I have a lot of baby anxiety. It's excellent for those who want a real down-to-earth reading about baby care. I would totally recommend it to friends and am considering buying this book as a shower gift for my friends who will be having babies.

Reading this book is like sitting at Laura Zahn's kitchen table and getting the scoop on what to expect when you bring your new bundle of joy home. It's written in a friendly, sincere, down-to-earth tone. I read it several times before my son was born and it really helped me feel emotionally prepared. It's small enough that you can read it cover to cover, and yet it also has an index so you can use it as a reference, later. I also bought Penelope Leach's book and Dr. Spock's latest edition. They are great for reference, but page for page, I got more good information from Zahn.

The author relates wonderful, realistic first-hand experiences. It was a nice companion to the more clinical, medically oriented books I had. It was like a girlfriend was telling me exactly went she through--no judgements, no child-psychology mumbo jumbo, just what it's like to bring home a new human being that is totally dependent on you.

I bought this book 5 yrs. ago when I had my son and have purchased it several times since as gifts for pregnant friends.

I feel so much better after having read this book. While much of the advice from the author I have seen in other books, many topics were covered much more thoroughly. You hear all about how you won't have any time after the baby's born, but this book helps give you a good idea why by breaking down how much time feeding, sleeping, changing and awake time actually take. Of course, every child is different, but I feel better having at least a vague idea! Also, the author's diary of the first month with her child was VERY reassuring. I will definately give this book to all my friends who are first time parents.

If you've read anything else, don't get this book. The information in here is SO general that it could be applied to just about anything. The book lists quick explanations of what will happen, but no information on how to respond to what you'll experience. Additionally, there were frightening statements in this book letting me know the author was no expert on the subject of baby rearing. I was exasperated to read her thought that babies should usually be placed in the backseat of the car. I think that everyone knows that is the ONLY place to put a baby in the car. Though, I'm afraid unknowledgeable people will read this book and think it's ok to do such things as put a baby in the front seat of the car.

If you've read ANYTHING else, you don't need this book. In fact, if you haven't read anything else, you still don't need this book. Don't waste your time or money.

The author who wrote this book did a very good job on keeping it entertaining all through-out. I read some other baby care books that it was literally hard to stay awake for, but this one kept me turning the pages. Answers most questions new mothers would have. It even has convenient shopping lists at the end of the book so you know what to get and what not to waste your money on. She even included a diary of a new mother's first 30 days with her little newborn at the end of the book so that you can get a glimpse of what your new motherhood will be like.

I can't see quite why so many people gave this such terrible reviews. It is a small book written about the first six weeks of having a newborn at home. The author bottle-fed and circumcised her baby boy so if you have made those choices you might feel more comfortable with her book (she still gives information about breastfeeding, which I found to be accurate and I was grateful for) than others. It isn't really meant to be comprehensive, just short chapters about what you really need to have ready when the baby comes home, and a diary of what it is like for the first six weeks. I found it tremendously useful in trimming down the loads of information in other books into something I could wrap my head around. I had zero experience with babies before I had my daughter, and this book was very straightforward and helpful. Because of its small size and basic information, I was even able to get my husband to read it (he thought he'd just figure it out as he went along before he read the book). Quibbles about pet euthanasia (I wouldn't have put my pets down) have nothing to do with the information she presents. I would and have recommended this book for people with little or no experience with babies. If you are familiar with newborn care and lots of people around you ready to give you advice about newborns, this book might not be necessary or seem too basic.

My husband and I wanted to research the ins and outs to having a baby before we got in over our heads. This book not only tells you what to expect, but, it helps with simple, inexpensive little hints for the "breaking even" first time parents.

In the chapter on Pets, Zahn lists "euthanizing your companion" as an option if "Fido or Kitty will not take kindly- ever- to your baby." (p103)

This struck me as rather compassionless, especially for a book about parenting. She could have mentioned the possibility that some pet owners may have to find new homes for their companions, and left it at that.

Maybe a lot of people enjoy being addressed as though they're just a little bit dumber than this 1st time Mother, but I did not. The author writes as though becoming a mother is akin to being left alone in the nuclear bomb assembly room without an employee handbook. As a first-timer I needed more specific information and less hand-holding from a fellow neophite. Keep looking if you want a book that will yield something useful when he's crying frantically at 3:00AM.