Your Baby and Child [Paperback]

Penelope Leach (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 19, 2010

This newest edition of Penelope Leach’s much-loved, trusted, and comprehensive classic—an international best seller for twenty-five years, with nearly two million copies sold in America alone—encompasses the latest research and thinking on child development and learning, and reflects the realities of today’s changing lifestyles.

In her authoritative and practical style, Leach responds fully to parents’ every concern about the psychological, emotional, and physical well-being of their children. She describes, in easy-to-follow stages from birth through starting school, how children develop: what they are doing, experiencing, and feeling. And she tackles both the questions parents often ask—What does a new baby’s wakefulness or a toddler’s tantrum mean?—and those that are more difficult: How should new parents time their return to work, choose day care, tell a child about a new baby or an impending divorce?

Whatever the concern or question, Your Baby and Child supplies the information, encouragement, and reassurance every parent-to-be or new parent needs.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penelope Leach's Your Baby & Child has been a beloved favorite for years. With this new, revised edition, Leach has updated her information and approach to reflect new findings in the field of child development, and to respond to the changing needs of today's families. Leach has utter respect for children and their parents; she explains development, child care, and parenting concerns clearly and without condescension.

Each developmental stage--newborn, settled baby, older baby, toddler, and young child--is discussed in terms of feeding, teeth and teething, growing, excreting, crying, sleeping, playing, and everyday care. For each stage, an additional set of appropriate topics is discussed, including muscle power, speech, child care, and appropriate toys. Colorful and expressive photos display infant, childhood, and toddler behavior. With her common-sense, child-positive approach, Leach carefully dispels negative parenting attitudes, and teaches readers how to stop, listen, and learn from their children. --Ericka Lutz --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This updated version of the child-rearing standard by renowned British psychologist Leach is touted by the publisher as the "essential guide fully revised for today's family." Although the five chapter subdivisions based on the child's age remain the same, and some of the opening essays on each age are lifted almost verbatim from the 1989 edition (Knopf), critical updates in some areas of concern, such as SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), make this an essential purchase. In addition to physical growth and progress, Leach addresses the psychosocial needs of children. She also includes parent concerns and responses similar to those found in Workman's "What To Expect" series. Public and academic libraries would do well to stock the new version of this primer on children and their development for circulation as well as for the reference shelf.?Lisa Williams, Moline Southeast Lib., Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; Rev Upd edition (October 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375712038
• ISBN-13: 978-0375712036
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for parents of young children July 30, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I wish I'd had this book when when my daughter was born - I would have been a better and more confident parent. Penelope Leach writes a straightforward, easy-to-understand book that no parent should be without. She helps us understand why the child does the things he does, and once we understand why he's doing it, it's much easier to handle. Whether you're coping with a baby who won't eat or a toddler who throws tantrums, Leach gives you simple, easy solutions to try. Hers is a kinder, gentler form of parenting, in which we try to understand the child rather than simply trying to force him into some mold. I recommend this book highly.

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book all around December 27, 2002

By Lori Freeman

Format:Paperback

Of the several books on parenting/childcare I've read in preparation for becoming a first-time parent, this is my favorite, the one I come back to time and time again.

The content is amazing. Some have described it as "wordy," but I can only say that if you want bullet points, you should look elsewhere. This is well-written, thoughtful communication. Most of the advice is quite balanced and thorough, including large, non-judgmental sections on bottle feeding even though Leach, like all conscientious professionals, is clearly pro-breastfeeding. On some issues she shows a clearer bias, for example circumcision (she disagrees with performing circumcision for other than religious reasons); however, on these issues after further research I have not found her information to be inaccurate.

The book is organized into sections based on time periods in the baby's/child's life, and further by various topics of concern within each time period, for example dental care, excretion/toilet training, social development, etc. This is not, however, a book for comprehensive lists of developmental milestones.

In addition to the content, the book is very attractive, with full-color photographs, some of them stunningly beautiful, throughout - not the tiny, crude illustrations or fuzzy black-and-white photographs offered in other books.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Reliable Reference for Parents February 7, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Even though Penelope Leach lives in England, her ideas and information feel comfortable to me in a small town in Kansas. Leach has a great understanding and respect for both young children and their parents; she explains many situations from the child's point of view which is extremely helpful. She includes detailed information regarding development, child care, and parenting concerns without talking down to her readers. My only criticism is that a number of topics are a bit too long and dry, but nevertheless interesting, worthwhile information. Leach clearly explains the developmental stages of the first 5 years...newborn, settled baby, older baby, toddler, and young child. I enjoy the photos of real children through out the book. Penelope's positive, common-sense philosophy is very compatible with another one of my favorite parenting guidebooks called "The Pocket Parent." This little book is a quick-read A-Z compendium of sanity saving suggestions to the most challenging behaviors of preschoolers...2's, 3's, 4', and 5's. "Pocket Parent" is loaded with hundreds of practical tips, compassion and humor that serves as an upbeat, easy to read reference book along with the more clinical book, "Your Baby and Child."

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Foundation for First Time Parents January 11, 2000

By Kent Barnett

Format:Hardcover

This is a very well written book that should be required reading for all first time parents. It not only helps parents understand what they will likely encounter when raising a child, but also why. By helping us understand a child's mind and body, we can become better parents. I've recommended this book to many of my friends and none of them have been disappointed.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wordy but still good June 10, 1999

By Kam Cheung

Format:Paperback

Though the work is too wordy, I have to thanks the writer for her research and caring advice. When reading the book, I had the feeling that I had my grandmum standing by my side and showing me how to take care of her little granddaugher. The book has an unique human touch which is absent in other works on baby care. My wife told me that when she was reading the chapter on breastfeeding she felt that she got a friend who truly understood the real-life difficulty in breastfeeding. The weakness of this book is that it is too wordy. With no disrespect to the writer I do think that the length of the book can be reduced by at least one third with no damage done to its contents. Comparing this book with the popular book by the American Academcy of Pediatrics (Caring for Your Bany and Young Child - Birth to Age 5), surprsingly I found the latter work by doctors more reader-friendly and easier to understand. This I believe highlight the major drawback in Penelope Leach's work - too wordy and not straight -to-the-point enough.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars beautifully written and very reassuring November 16, 1999

By Christine Little

Format:Paperback

Every parent needs to take the time to read this book. The practical advice and reassuring descriptions of child development have made my parenting job easier. The book comes off the shelf with every new phase and each unusual situation. When my newborn was waking up five times a night to nurse, I got better advice from this book than from my pediatrician. And the beautifully-written introductions to the different stages of development gave me a real sense of who my baby was and who my child is. I still cry when I read them.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to be grateful for May 27, 2000

By ltp1

Format:Paperback

This works like a bible. You can leave it on your shelf or by your bed, and pick it up from time to time, open it to somewhere, and find solace and wisdom. No matter where you start reading, you'll find you've read half a chapter before you know it, even when you only meant to look up one specific little thing. This woman writes like a charm.

I think it's a bonus if you've heard her speak, because you can hear her speaking what's written here, and her delivery is just wonderful. Quite erudite and thoroughly knowledgeable but not even a molecule of pretense. Reading this book gives you the utmost respect for its author, and makes you want to invite her over for lunch as well.

You'll pick it up and read, and then you'll go away from it and go about your busy life. You'll get lost again in diapers or laundry or the ins and outs of your baby's psyche. You'll get worn, or angry. At some point if you remember to dip into the book again, Penelope will remind you where the ground is and where your center is, and you will go be a good parent some more.

Penelope Leach is a Ph.D. psychologist -- she knows her child development. Throughout, she discusses WHY we should do X or Y as parents, and she explains the capacities and limitations of children at each age -- and their experiences, as well as can be known. This is a book absolutely grounded in the best of research. It's really an education in child development.

There are very few better, clearer, writers than Penelope Leach, either.

I imagine there are a lot of parents out there who are at least a little better than they would have been, as parents, for reading this book.

If you have the slightest chance, get it and read it.... If you are even considering this as a gift to new parents, it'd be a terrific one. Read more ›