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

~ Donald Schiff M.D. F.A. (Author), Steven P. Shelov M.D. (Author) "Thanks to good prenatal care, serious illnesses are quite rare in the first months of life..." (more)
Key Phrases: call your pediatrician, consult your pediatrician, condition requiring diagnosis, Emergency Medical Service, Warning Don't, Warning Never (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It would be nice to have pediatricians at your beck and call for every cough and wheeze, but the era of house visits is past. When the weather's raw and your child's in pain, start with your reference shelf. Donald Schiff and Steven Shelov have arranged the contents of the Guide to Your Child's Symptoms by the child's age: you'll find symptom guides from baby's colic, diarrhea, and spitting up to your adolescent's anxiety, depression, and skin problems. For each symptom, there's a description of usual causes, a chart of questions to consider, and what action to take. There's also an illustrated "First-Aid Manual." Guide to Your Child's Symptoms is a first-rate resource that explains when bed rest will do and when to get on the phone to your pediatrician. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

With a planned 100,000-copy first printing, this will help many parents find the answer to "What's ailing Junior?"
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: 272 pages
• Publisher: Villard; 1 edition (December 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375752579
• ISBN-13: 978-0375752575
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #500,476 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Credible, sound, helpful, June 13, 2002

By	Yorgaki "g-a-k" (Rome, Italy) - See all my reviews

Don't let some of the negative reviews that appear here put you off -- this is an excellent resource. Essentially the book lets you diagnose what your child might have and then lets you know whether you a) need to take your child in to the doc or b) you should relax. Anybody who expects more out of a book like this is dreaming. As for organization -- I recommend using the index in the back of the book. Helps you find things fast. My wife and I swear by this book; it is something we give any friends or families who have children for the first time. Highly recommended.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Reference!, October 30, 2002

By	Sheryl A. Lemma (Sterling, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I can't tell you how many times I have referenced this book in the middle of the night. It has been a tremendous source of comfort. I like the reference format with the grid of symptoms. The only thing that could make this better would be pictures of what rashes (like the trademark bullseye of a Lyme's disease-infected tick bite or a chicken pox mark) look like.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for its purpose, May 18, 2005

By	Morgan's Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guide to Your Child's Symptoms by the American Academy of Pediatrics:: The Official, Complete Home Reference, Birth Through Adolescence (Hardcover)

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.