Customer Reviews

Eat, Sleep, Poop: A Common Sense Guide to Your Baby's First Year

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dr. Scott Cohen has written one heck of a fantastic book. He's like the Dr. Spock for our generation. (The baby guy who wrote all those books 50 years ago; not Star Trek.) His common sense approach to pediatrics takes the hysteria and fear out of being a new parent. I found comfort, joy, humor and love in these pages. An absolutely informative, smart, well-written and easily understandable text that has helped me be a better, more well-informed and confident new parent. BIG THUMBS UP!!

First, allow me: What a great title, no?

Dr. Cohen is a pediatrician who's written what, in my humble opinion, is one of the better books on the market for new parents. He's written it with humor and common sense, but above all, with a certain gentleness that comes from not only being a doctor, but also a new father.

My son is now turning six months old. The first time my wife left me alone with him, I was petrified: what, I screamed--in my head--should I do if he suddenly erupted in a torrent of crying? How do I tell what's wrong with him? Rachael joked that if only she had a flowchart, I could follow the prompts to find out what to do in each case: diaper? Check. Hungry? Check.

Imagine my most pleasant surprise to find that the good doctor--the good man!--has done this very thing for me. That alone is worth the price! Turn to page 147 and see the wonderful "Crying at Random Times" flowchart. There are others that are invaluable to a left-brain (or is that right-brain) engineer like me.

Even reading the table of contents speaks to a calmness, a kind of lessening that parental anxiety: Chapter 1 is titled Prepare--Save the Date. Chapter 2, Welcome--Your Baby Comes Home, further distilled into `The Apgar Score' (yeah, what the heck is that anyway?), Antibiotic Eye Ointment, Cord Care. Chapter 9: Hachooo!--Common First Year Health Concerns. And so on--the chapter on vaccinations is a must-read, it certainly helped me make what I think is the proper decision to not only vaccinate my son but to do so on the suggested schedule.

Each chapter is filled with exceptional, generalized information in clear, non-medical and easily digestible prose. Every so often, there are `Common Sense Bottom Line' boxes with italicized text of information about what REALLY parents should do, from a sensible perspective with even less jargon, more straightforward information ("If your child poops ten times a day or once a week; has watery, seedy, Play-Doh or soft-serve ice cream consistency poop; has poop that smells like roses or rotten eggs; or has poop that is green or yellow or brown--it is all perfectly normal.")

The personal touches are to be found in the sections titled "Daddy vs. Doctor" in which oftentimes hilarious stories from Dr. Cohen's own experiences raising his baby daughter and dealing with new parenthood will leave you in near stitches and are definitely not to be missed.

The only section of this otherwise elevated book that I would not generally agree with is the advice on sleep--he espouses a modified Cry It Out method that I'm not 100% comfortable with however successful it's been. A bit of better advice in my opinion is The 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program by Polly Moore. In addressing colic and colicky, fussy babies, I believe an extensive coverage of the subject is provided by Harvey Karp's The Happiest Baby on the Block although Dr. Cohen does touch on the generalities of calming and soothing babies using those same techniques.
The basic and clear advice given is refreshing and above all calming. As a new dad myself, this is invaluable information but also indicative of that gentleness I wrote of before. Here's some advice I believe all new parents should take to heart, which he gives in the Afterword (but before the REALLY excellent References section):

Keep life with your baby simple. Trust your instincts and use common sense as your guide. Imagine there was no Internet. Imagine there was nobody to call in the middle of the night for advice. Imagine you lost your cable connection. Now imagine you are alone at night and your child starts to cry inconsolably. What would you do? Your natural parenting instincts would take over and you and your child would be okay. And after reading this book you have the added knowledge to handle these situations with confidence.

Well-said, doc. A definite "must-buy" recommendation from me.
By the way, if you're a new parent and own the Droid, get the ESP (Eat Sleep Poop) app--not related to this book, it just rocks!

[Update 12/16/2010: My son is now almost one year old and I continue to use Eat Sleep Poop as a ready reference. I have also changed my mind about sleep training and now agree with Dr. Cohen. Further reading of Polly Moore's book showed she also espouses a modified sleep training scheduling including a Cry It Out methodology. This book continues to be wonderful and even now recommend higher than ever!]

For first-time parents, raising their new child can be a frightening experience, as is evidenced by the shelves groaning with how-to books on the subject. Scott Cohen's book is not just the latest addition, it is also one of the better ones thanks to his dual credentials: not only is he a pediatrician, but he also is the father of a baby daughter, which affords him with the opportunity to test longstanding medical advice against the realities of child-rearing. Aiding him in this process is a refreshing degree of humility; Cohen has no qualms about admitting that being a dad is very different from being a doctor, and that even with his training and experience he found it hard to take his own advice.

Cohen channels this knowledge and experience into eleven chapters that offer practical advice for the range of issues parents will face with their newborns. From preparing for the blessed day to dealing with the inevitable illnesses, Cohen explains to his readers what new parents can expect and how best to deal with it. To that end, he synthesizes much of his advice into handy bullet points, checklists, and charts that can aid parents as a quick reference when dealing with these issues. For the most pat he adopts a relaxed approach, explaining when concern is warranted and when a parent's worries can be overblown. All of this is conveyed in a friendly tone aided by a light touch of humor, usually offered at his expense. Such jokes convey what is perhaps the best point Cohen has to offer - that even the best-prepared of us can expect to make mistakes, yet babies are perfectly capable of surviving our occasional mistakes to grow into happy children. It is a lesson I expect I will be reminding myself of as I embark upon fatherhood, and which alone made this book worth reading.

Coming into my third trimester of my first pregnancy, I have been reading everything possible on pregnancy from the changes my body are going through, but had not found anything on what to expect when the baby is born, until this book. This book is brilliant, I think out of the ten or so books I have this book has been the most useful! It addresses everything from car seats, to bringing the baby home, what you feed your baby, when baby cries, you name it, it is covered!

The author is not only a Doctor but a new father as well. I can see/read that a lot in his writing. He is not just writing from a medical point of view but also from a new father point of view. I found this very helpful! Also, the author has such a way with words, no pun intended that it keeps your interest. He also does not come across as telling you what to do but offers suggestions instead. As another reviewer noted at the end of each helpful section is a part that reads, "Common Sense Bottom Line". It recaps what was written in the previous paragraphs and literally the bottom line to it. An example, the author writes about belly buttons and whether they are inny or outy and umbilicus. After the paragraphs the quick recap states it makes no difference whether inny or outy. Gives you a peace a mind and lets you know the bottom line without getting yourself all worked up.

For a first time mom expecting later than most, I cannot say enough about this book. Most books I have read already I feel I can part with since they have informed me of what has happened or what to expect with my pregnancy. However, this book I will hold onto since it has so much helpful information not only regarding pregnancy but on my little girl when she is coming home from the hospital. This is a perfect gift for first time mothers.

Everyone thinks they know what's best for your kid, including Dr Cohen and more than a few people who have already reviewed this book.

So take every baby-book with a grain of salt. Just remember, your parents didn't read any books on how to raise you, and you turned out fine.

The point of reading baby-books is put YOU at ease. The objective is to amass as much knowledge as you can so when baby strikes, you hope you know what to do.

I won't give away any of his tips, but know this: the book is short, it's easy to read, it convinces you that you've actually got a shot at raising your baby right.


BOTTOM LINE: A calm collected parent that uses reason is a good parent. This book aims to help you do that.

Written in simple terms, "Eat Sleep Poop" is a handy reference that can be easily read even by those that do not like to read. Cohen gives practical advice in each of the chapters, which are organized in a very logical manner. As an expectant father, I found the information useful and even enjoyed Cohen's humor. As a father and pediatrician, Cohen is not ashamed to admit his foibles with his baby.

Chapters in the book include preparing for the baby, welcoming the baby home, examinations, feeding, sleep, pooping, crying, developmental milestones, illness, vaccines, and fun. I particulary enjoyed the chapter on preparing for the baby. Cohen is blunt in noting that just because it is available does not mean your baby needs it. Also of particular value is the vaccination chapter in which Cohen debunks the autism myth.

Most baby books seems to be written for the expectant mom. However, I really believe that a father can read this book and benefit from it. As an expectant father, it did cause me to ask certain questions of my doctor. Based on this, there is no better thing to say about this book than that is better prepared me for the day.

As a father of a 5 month old, I can tell you that the number of baby books lining our shelves easily spills out into the dozens. I can also tell you the number of books I have actually read, and that list fits more neatly on one hand. This book is one of them. It's a verifiable first-year-parenting compendium, filled with lots of careful and technical explanations based not only on pediatrician experience but also "been there, done that" parenting experience. I still reference it occasionally and I'm sure as new phases of our baby's development unfold, I'll be turning back for more advice. This is definitely not a read it once kind of book, but better serves as a reference guide as your baby goes through different stages. I'm sure once the teething begins I'll be back looking for answers!

My wife is preggers, so I thought this book would be a good read for her. I asked for a quick summary even though she is only about 100 pages in. She has a few books from our first child still, but said this one has some new things that she was happy to read about. She really is enjoying the aspects with sickness's that we have dealt with our 3 year old. She highly recommends this book to everyone who is expecting or has a newborn.

I have read a number of "beginner parent" books, and many of them were good. Of course, I gave them out to other parents after the birth of my son. Now that I am pregnant again, I thought it might be nice to have a refresher on some things, so I got this book. I like it because the author is a first time dad and a pediatrician. I enjoy the number of instances where he discusses the intersection of those two "titles."
This book really covers just about any question a new parent, whether a mom or dad, could have, from which medications are safe for mom during breastfeeding, to what kinds of illnesses a new parent can expect in the first year of her baby's life.
This book is extremely accessible, quite comprehensive, and unlike other books I've read in the past, it does not use "alarm tactics" that scare first time (and already nervous) parents.
I highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this book, although I have a lot of baby books at this point. In fact, I recently ordered The 24/7 Baby Doctor: A Harvard Pediatrician Answers All Your Questions from Birth to One Year, which covers similar topics in more of a Q&A format. Dr. Cohen writes in a funny, relateable way, sharing his experiences as a doctor and a father. All the basics are covered, and it would have been far more useful to me earlier this year. My son is now 10 months old and I'm pretty laidback about breastfeeding, solid food and bowel movements. However, I will give this book credit - it convinced me that it was perfectly humane to try the Ferber method of graduated extinction. Dr. Cohen talks about how he and his wife struggled with hearing their daughter cry, while also having the experience of advising so many parent-patients. We picked up Dr. Ferber's book, Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems: New, Revised, and Expanded Edition,on Dr. Cohen's recommendation this week. What makes this book different from other baby books with similar information is its sense of humor.