Guide to Your Child's Symptoms by the American Academy of Pediatrics:: The Official, Complete Home Reference, Birth Through Adolescence [Hardcover]

Donald Schiff M.D. F.A. (Author)

Book Description

Series: Guide to Your Child's Symptoms | Publication Date: September 8, 1997

When an infant or small child is ill, it is often very difficult for a parent to understand or diagnose the nature of the problem. Since babies can't articulate what ails them, in most cases all a parent has to go on is the symptom that the child exhibits.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Symptoms has been prepared by a team of the country's best pediatricians to enable a parent to quickly identify a symptom, learn its possible cause, and determine how best to proceed, whether it's taking action at home or calling the pediatrician immediately. The symptoms are listed alphabetically, and the text and illustrations that accompany each one are arranged in easy-to-follow charts. Unlike most child-care and parenting books, which are dense and text-heavy, this book lets a parent quickly assess the problem and decide what needs to be done for the child. The first of the book covers the 100 or so most common symptoms in A-Z format. The second part is an illustrated first-aid manual.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is the most respected authority on child health in America, and the Guide to Your Child's Symptoms is an essential family reference that belongs in every household.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It would be nice to have pediatricians at your beck and call for every cough and wheeze, but the era of house visits is past. When the weather's raw and your child's in pain, start with your reference shelf. Donald Schiff and Steven Shelov have arranged the contents of the Guide to Your Child's Symptoms by the child's age: you'll find symptom guides from baby's colic, diarrhea, and spitting up to your adolescent's anxiety, depression, and skin problems. For each symptom, there's a description of usual causes, a chart of questions to consider, and what action to take. There's also an illustrated "First-Aid Manual." Guide to Your Child's Symptoms is a first-rate resource that explains when bed rest will do and when to get on the phone to your pediatrician.

From Library Journal

With a planned 100,000-copy first printing, this will help many parents find the answer to "What's ailing Junior?"
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 266 pages
• Publisher: Villard; 1st edition (September 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375500324
• ISBN-13: 978-0375500329
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #946,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Anyone with a Child!, December 27, 1999

By 

C. Sneed (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guide to Your Child's Symptoms by the American Academy of Pediatrics:: The Official, Complete Home Reference, Birth Through Adolescence (Hardcover)

This book has been a lifesaver for me! My son is now 10 months old, and I refer to this book at least once a week. The book is divided by the child's age group, and within that age group the symptoms are listed alphabetically. For example, if your child is an infant with a fever, you would refer to the index in the very front of the book under the first section, Infants. Then, you would find the sympton listed that you are looking for, in this case "Fever". When you turn to the correct page, it also references what other symptons may accompany the fever and the different causes, treatments, what to do next, and what to watch out for. In the cases where I have double-checked with my pediatrician on what the book has suggested, the pediatrician has always said the SAME thing! Believe me, you will not be sorry you bought this!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for its purpose, May 18, 2005

By 

Morgan's Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guide to Your Child's Symptoms by the American Academy of Pediatrics:: The Official, Complete Home Reference, Birth Through Adolescence (Hardcover)

Let me start by stating clearly that this is not a book of home remedies for children's illnesses. If that's what you're looking for, you will be disappointed with this book. If, however, you are looking for a book to tell you whether a certain set of symptoms requires no treatment, a morning call to the doctor or a midnight trip to the hospital, you won't be disappointed. This basic format of the book is simple. For each condition (say, spitting up), there is a page or so of general information. Then, there's a chart of possible symptoms (ie, Does your child spit up excessively when played with after nursing?), what the cause could be (ie, If yes, the cause could be overstimulation) and what kind of action should be taken (ie, let the baby rest quietly after nursing). Basically, I think of this as my "Should I worry?" book. When I'm not sure whether I need to call the doctor or not, I pull out this reference and find out. A definite "must" for the bookshelf of any parent. Incidentally, this book comes in both hardcover and softcover. Based on some reviews that complained about the small typeface in the softcover, I bought a used hardcover in perfect condition for less than what was being charged for the softcover version - there seem to be a lot of hardcovers for sale in good condition pretty cheaply through Amazon, so I'd check that out before buying a softcover.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book!, November 17, 2005

By 

J. Williams (Sammamish, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to Your Child's Symptoms by the American Academy of Pediatrics:: The Official, Complete Home Reference, Birth Through Adolescence (Hardcover)

This book is easy to use and addresses topics easily and concisely. It's a great resource to refer to when you don't have a true emergency and don't want to call your doctor's office for every issue that arises with your child.