The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance (Owner's and Instruction Manual) [Paperback]

Louis Borgenicht (Author), Joe Borgenicht (Author), Paul Kepple (Illustrator), Jude Buffum (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: February 1, 2003 | Series: Owner's and Instruction Manual

It s the answer to every new parent s first question: Doesn t this thing come with an owner s manual? At long last, yes!
Through step-by-step instructions and helpful schematic diagrams, The Baby Owner s Manual explores the common concerns of every first-time parent: What s the best way to swaddle a baby? How can I make my newborn sleep through the night? When should I bring the baby to a doctor for servicing? Whatever your question, you ll find the answer here courtesy of celebrated pediatrician Dr. Louis Borgenicht and his son, Joe Borgenicht. Together, they provide plenty of useful advice for anyone who wants to learn the basics of childcare.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The title, Baby Owner’s Manual, suggests the promise and the problem of this cheeky and comprehensive guide written by a pediatrician and his son. First-time parents who are not offended by the observation that "babies, unlike other appliances, lack instruction manuals," will find a rich resource of facts and advice. The book is divided into seven categories of "operating instructions" including home installation, feeding and power supply, sleep mode, maintenance, development, and safety. Complete with witty schematic drawings and charts, the authors answer hundreds of questions about breastfeeding, bed, bath, and beyond. While most manuals focus on tender loving care, the authors chose to focus on baby as technology. The result is a highly useful--almost too cool--reference book. Because every parent knows that babies are messier and more rewarding than this approach imagines. --Barbara Mackoff

About the Author

Joe Borgenicht has co-authored The Action Hero's Handbook , The Action Heroine's Handbook , The Baby Owner's Manual , and Undercover Golf . He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Louis Borgenicht, M.D. is a board-certified pediatrician with the American Academy of Pediatrics and has worked for the last 16 years at his private practice in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was named best pediatrician in Utah by Ladies Home Journal in 2001.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books; 1ST edition (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931686238
• ISBN-13: 978-1931686235
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 0.8 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Louis Borgenicht, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician with the American Academy of Pediatrics and has worked for more than 16 years at his private practice in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was named "best pediatrician in Utah" by Ladies' Home Journal in 2001.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Educational and humorous and entertaining reading May 19, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The book is written as if your baby is a product (therefore the need for this 'manual'). I skimmed through it in the bookstore and found it to be hilariously entertaining. I laughed at the verbage used and the 50s or 60s style pictures and diagrams. I bought it immediately and have enjoyed it very much. Example on writing: they ask you to "inspect" your model for all parts. Example of drawings: A circle with an adult holding a baby by the top of the head while the baby dangles with a line through the circle (as if to say 'Do not hold a baby by the top of the head). Obvious, but funny. I found it to by quite humorous.

I've laughed out loud reading it. But I must say that this book has very good information on how to raise your 'model' (baby). If you are a new parent or know someone who is a new or soon-to-be parent who has a sense of humor, they will appreciate this book. Louis Borgenicht, M.D., and his son Joe Borgenicht, D.A.D. (more humor) have written a master piece in my opinion. I would enjoy reading this book if my kid was 25 or didn't have any. It's just plain entertaining (but, again, very well organized useful information is found within).

65 of 73 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read for the Expecting Father April 26, 2003

By Joe A

Format:Paperback

I stumbled upon this book in the bookstore a couple of weeks ago on accident, and was intrigued by the cover of a baby drawn in the style of functional diagram. What fascinated me further were the off the wall diagrams combined with the technical manual-esque style found inside, which made me think "Worst Case Scenario Handbook" for the parenting world.

But moving beyond the cover I discovered many such useful facts which have undoubtedly helped me prepare for fatherhood. As a slightly jittery, somewhat confused, but overall excited expecting father, this book has become a Godsend.

I read "What to Expect In The First Year", and for the typical male this doesn't work. The dialogue is so blatantly pitted toward women that my brain can't register it. The context juggles concepts of shopping, breastfeeding, and cutsie warm blankets in a convoluted, non-linear fashion which spawned a tangent-of-a-tangent style change of topics reminiscent of listening to my wife talk on the phone to her sister.

This book combines humor with an effective style for logically-wired males like myself, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to cut to the chase and really prepare for what to expect in fatherhood, and avoid the "what to wear to the baby shower" and other non-essential rhetoric.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Information, Gets a Little Tiresome March 8, 2005

By David

Format:Paperback

My wife gave me the Baby Owner's Manual for our baby shower. I like the male-oriented tips in it, some of them are fairly useful. I don't care for the way it stereotypes men as people who won't read a book unless it is in the format of an instruction manual. In my case, I find manuals to be a bit dry, boring and repetitive. My sister gave me another new-dad gift book, "Keeping the Baby Alive till Your Wife Gets Home". It's pretty wacky, but funnier than "Owner's Manual", and a lot more human. As far as serious baby guides go, I read sections of my wife's books--that seems to balance things out for me.