New First Three Years of Life: Completely Revised and Updated [Paperback]

Burton L. White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

THE MOST IMPORTANT GUIDE TO EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT EVER WRITTEN

First published in 1975, The First Three Years of Life became an instant classic. Based on Burton White's thirty-seven years of observation and research, this detailed guide to the month-by-month mental, physical, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers has supported and guided hundreds of thousands of parents. Now completely revised and updated, it contains the most accurate information and advice available on raising and nurturing the very young child. White gives parents real-world-tested advice on:

* Creating a stimulating environment for your infant and toddler

* Using effective, age-appropriate discipline techniques

* How to handle sleep problems

* What toys you should (and should not) buy

* How to encourage healthy social development

* How and when to toilet-train

No parent who cares about a child's well-being can afford to be without this book.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The major aims of this book are to survey the child development field and to look at many of the major issues in the life of a youngster from birth through age three, but such will probably be overlooked by many who focus on the controversial points. First, White focuses on the overindulged child and actually promises that there will be "no more tantrums" if his suggestions are followed. Second, White has been besieged (after the publication of an interview in 1979) over his anti^-substitute child care position. He clarifies the issue to an extent, but his viewpoint remains that full-time substitute care is not in the "best interest of babies." Possibly White's best advice is that new parents should read all manuals very critically and take their advice "with a large grain of salt." Denise Perry Donavin

Review

The Detroit Free Press The most valuable guide to a child's development on the market.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684804190
• ISBN-13: 978-0684804194
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Home Repair

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful practical advice for parents!, August 3, 2002

By 

AMC "scifiali" (Atlanta, Ga) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New First Three Years of Life: Completely Revised and Updated (Paperback)

Dr. White promises that following his common sense techniques in the early years will result in happier children and parents for years to come and he backs up his claims with specific studies throughout the book. The charts and data make this book a little cumbersome to read. For that reason, the advice offered in "The New First Three Years" seems better packaged for parents in "Raising a Happy, Unspoiled Child" by the same author. Both books offer the same valuable advice on how to handle each stage of early childhood development. I think any parent will benefit from reading Dr. White's approach to handling temper tantrums, selecting age appropriate toys, setting limits and most other developmental issues. Definately make time to read about his techinque in one book or the other.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!, August 28, 2003

By 

Katherine Maddox "katebeth" (Littleton, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New First Three Years of Life: Completely Revised and Updated (Paperback)

This book has been wonderfully interesting to my husband and I as we have become parents. White divides the first three years into seven phases. For each phase, he describes:

- The developments to be expected (in detail)
- The child's interests and how to support them (for example, a newborn is primarily interested in simple comfort, being handled, sucking, etc.)
- The learning developments that should take place
- Recommended child-rearing practices
- Child-rearing practices NOT recommended
- Recommended toys
- The behaviors that signal the onset of the next phase.

We have used this book to select toys for our son, and I think it has saved us some money on toys that wouldn't be interesting to him (as first-time parents, we didn't know a whole lot about babies). We love to read about the developments he is going through, as well as what is coming next. There is also a great Recommended Reading section in the back for more info on many of the topics.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for first time parents!, September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: New First Three Years of Life: Completely Revised and Updated (Paperback)

The most valuable baby gift we received when our daughter was born. More worn than the "What to Expect" books. We always read one stage ahead of where our daughter was at.... and we watched with amazement as she mirrored each developmental stages. Techniques for avoiding the overdevelopment of the intentional cry to eliminating undesirable behavior worked like a charm. Buy it.