Customer Reviews

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

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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!

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.

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.

I received this book as a gift for the birth of my 1st child in 1999. The copyright might be old...but the information is well organized, easy to read, and quick to provide answers!
Highly recommended for all parents! I am now buying it for my brother's first child to come...Price was awesome and it arrived as described.