Customer Reviews

Caring for Your Baby and Young Children (The American Academy of Pediatrics)

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This is a pretty standard western medicine for dealing with your child's illnesses and development. It has a helpful index and illustrations.

Personally, I owe an awful lot to the book. My son when he was 3 weeks old developed an intermittent fever starting at 6pm. Having two older children, I know how children could develop fevers so I wasn't too concerned. I called the advise nurse at our clinic and they both said to bring them in to be seen as he was a newborn.

I didn't realize the significance of fevers in newborns. In the middle of the night the fever spiked to 102 but was gone in the morning. I read this book and it said that calling the doctor was an absolute necessity.

By the time I actually saw the doctor at 4pm, his urinary infection had already spread to his blood stream and he was admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics.

Infections in newborns spread like wildfires. Their systems are not mature enough to contain an infection. If I had waited longer, the infection could have easy spread to become meningitis and become potentially life-threatening.

Luckily for me and my son, I heeded the book's advise and sought medical attention. BTW my baby was not fussy and was amazingly quiet the day he developed a fever. He really didn't seem that sick to my untrained eyes despite have two other children.

So make sure you have some medical/care book when you have a baby. This one sure fit the bill for me.Caring for Your Baby and Young Children (The American Academy of Pediatrics)

When my daughter was born I tried to find the follow-up book for "What to Expect When You're Expecting" but could not find it since I was living in Egypt at the time. But, while looking I happened upon this treasure trove of information and decided to buy it.

I have been very glad I made that choice. This was especially true when my daughter's first doctor tried to convince me that my daughter wasn't getting enough milk. Because I had read the first chapter carefully, I KNEW that my daughter was eating well and re-gaining weight at a normal rate for a one week old baby. If I had not read this book in advance, I might have been tempted to put my daughter on a bottle. Thank goodness this book was so thorough in explaining the development of young children!

This book is JAMMED with vital information and advice about childrens overall development and specific health concerns. Granted, it was a bit unsettling to read all of the descriptions of symptoms of various serious medical conditions - but parenting is a case where what you don't know CAN kill you or your loved one!

Of course, no book can replace a living, breathing doctor, but given the book's endorsement by the AAP certainly makes me feel better about relying on it and recommending it to my friends. This book is a must have for your parenting library!

I used this book frequently while raising my daughters, now four and five, and it saved me a fortune in unnecessary pediatrician trips and bills for various minor illnesses and injuries that can terrify a new parent. When in doubt, go to the doctor... but if you just need a guide - GET THIS BOOK! Now, I buy this book for every new parent as a baby shower gift... the thanks usually come long after the baby shower!!!