Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 (Paperback)

~ Steven P. Shelov (Editor), Robert E. Hannemann (Editor) "Pregnancy is a time of anticipation, excitement, preparation, and, for many new parents, uncertainty..." (more)
Key Phrases: correct recline indicator, notify your pediatrician, call your pediatrician, American Academy of Pediatrics, United States, Keeping Your Child Safe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's Sunday after dark. Your baby is sick, hurt, or acting strangely, and the doctor won't be in until tomorrow. How can you find out what to do when your healthcare professionals are unreachable? You may only need to go as far as your bookshelf. The revised edition of Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 (the American Academy of Pediatrics' reference book for infancy through preschool), provides a wealth of authoritative child-care information in an easy-to-use format.

The first half of this hefty text serves as a comprehensive parenting manual, and includes a month-by-month guide to the first year, nutritional information, basic care instructions, and physical, emotional, and social developmental milestones for children up to 5 years old. While the American Academy of Pediatrics represents the mainstream child-rearing philosophies embraced by thousands of baby doctors, it does not reflect the entire gamut of child-rearing theory. (There's no discussion, for instance, of breast-feeding past the first year or co-sleeping.) The second half of the book includes a thorough, easy-to-navigate emergency first-aid section, plus detailed information about childhood illnesses, immunization schedules and side effects, and family structures, as well as a discussion of behavioral issues. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child is useful, sensible, and carefully researched, and makes a trustworthy addition to any parent's bookshelf. --Ericka Lutz --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The first in a projected trilogy of books that will lead parents from their offspring's babyhood through the teen years, this is a thorough guide to infancy and the first years of a child's life. It's the closest one can get to having a live-in pediatrician. Part One explores the bond between parent and child, then launches into a discussion of pregnancy, delivery and the care of newborn babies. Subsequent chapters cover the first year of life, addressing typical physical and mental developments, how parents can foster independence in children, and common health problems. Major milestones for ages two through five are also explored. Part Two is concerned with child safety, typical child care and how to handle such complex issues as adoption, sibling rivalry and divorce. Individual chapters devoted to eyes, heart, skin and more provide a handy reference tool for spotting potential problems and coping with existing ones. Whether a child is two months or two years old, the up-to-date information offered here will reassure.
Copyright 1991 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: 736 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Revised edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553379623
• ISBN-13: 978-0553110456
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (176 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #413,829 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

242 of 248 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A reassuring, well-written book for all parents, August 24, 2000

By	gr6120 - See all my reviews

During the months that my wife and I were eagerly anticipating our first child, I set out to find a few informative books to educate and prepare myself for fatherhood. Although the task was daunting given the huge variety of available titles, I was finally able to narrow it down to three books, including "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5."

From the start, this reassuring, warmly-written book proved an excellent choice. The tone is conversational but intelligent, and the book informs without being pushy, patronizing or condescending. The information contained is up-to-date and presented neutrally. Also contained are supplementary "Where We Stand" sections, which outline the opinions of the American Academy of Pediatrics (the organization that compiled the book) for further reader consideration. In addition, a helpful 225-page section at the back of the book deals with a variety of important topics including emergencies, behaviour, family issues, immunizations, and assorted developmental concerns.

As a new parent with endless questions and apprehensions, I welcomed the detailed month-by-month explanations of what to expect developmentally after birth (the book covers up to age five). Further, I was delighted to discover from the first chapter that the authors clearly love children and working in the pediatric field. This is quickly apparent from the way that children and parenting are discussed.

My son is now three months old, and I enjoy browsing ahead through the book for a sense of what to expect in the days and years ahead. Overall, this title is to be highly recommended for its good humour, clarity, informative content, and celebration of the very reason it was written--our children. It's amazing how many authors and publishers tend to forget this.

Conversely, "Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five" by Penelope Leach (another of the three books I selected) is to be avoided for its preachy tone and use of scare-tactics. While not a terrible book, I found Ms. Leach's style heavy-handed. The author is prone to making parents believe that if a baby or child is not attended to in a certain way (such as the one she suggests), then dreadful things will result. Despite its many high recommendations on Amazon's site, I found that Ms. Leach's book presents only her set view of parenting. Even the "Parents Have Their Say" supplements throughout seem to do little more than support the author's own opinions on such issues as circumcision. A far better supplementary choice would be the excellent and informative (although bulky) "Mayo Clinic Complete Book of Pregnancy & Baby's First Year."

89 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The index is what sets it apart, December 7, 2000

By	T. Adshead - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We have a lovely six-month old daughter, and have been using this book constantly since she was born. The other books that we liked were the "Girlfriend's guides" but this has a lot more detail, and I feel that it covers a lot more basics. My wife relies heavily on her mother, and a Russian version of Dr Spock, but we tend to leave the final decision to the American Academy.

What I really like about this book is that the index is large, and easy to use. So if I look up "rash" there are cross-references to all the various sorts of rash that might appear. Someone has put in a lot of time to make sure that a panicked parent can go straight to this index, and find the key part of the text.

The content is very much aimed at the "average" child. This is good in a way, as it does not worry you with rare ailments, and tells you to go see a doctor if there is anything out of the ordinary. So you get advice on dealing with the more common, middle of the road stuff by yourself, but if, God forbid, something more rare comes up, they send you to the doctor. Fair enough - no one wants a lawsuit for giving advice on a patient that they haven't seen, and every child is unique.

The other thing that is surprising is that the milestones seem to be late - our daughter seems very early compared to the guidelines in this book, as do other children her age. So it may be that they consciously say that you should expect your child to do something later than they actually do, to avoid people panicking if their child develops some skill later in life. This looks like it would be unavoidable in a book that is trying to be applicable to a group that is as diverse as small children.

Anyway, this book has been very helpful to me as the father of a young child, and I hope that your mileage is the same as mine.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Such a useful book from such a stodgy source! :), December 16, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is just full of useful information and it's presented in a clear and helpful way. First, a month by month guide to infant development and psychology. Then some helpful sections on child proofing your home and finally a large and valuable section on health issues and emergency care. I didn't expect the AAP to write such a handy and easy to read volume.