My cousin Quinci is expecting her first baby this year, and naturally she’s hungry for useful and accurate information. As I was looking through the many books on pregnancy and babies that she bought, I happened to notice one in particular that was rather helpful. It’s called “Your Baby’s First Year Week by Week” and was written by Glade B. Curtis, (M.D) and Judith Schuler (M.S).
One of the things I appreciated most about this particular book was that the information was actually accurate. Very often I have found myself reading self- help or informational books that are nothing more than the opinions of the author. When it comes to information about one’s child though, it is imperative that the information one receives is accurate. This book covers everything from developmental milestones, to increasing your child’s cognitive and motor skills, all of which can be trusted and implemented into your own parenting. The information I found particularly useful in this book was the ways in which to handle emergencies or illnesses. The book is broken down week by week and in each section is listed several illnesses or episodes a baby might have at this age. The authors tell you whether the experience is serious or not, and give advice on what to do in that particular situation. I think this will be useful to parents because they can know what to expect ahead of time and know what to do when a situation arises.
I was also very impressed with this book because it answers every possible question a parent might ask as well as a number of things many parents wouldn’t even think to ask at all. I found the content very applicable, and the book is filled with a number of useful tips and tricks for new parents. One section for example, talks about what babies probably will not like during their third and fourth months. Overstimulation and irregular sounds or movements are listed as things that can be unsettling and disruptive to a child and this is completely right. While stimulation can help a child’s growth, too much will overwhelm your baby and do little more than to frustrate and confuse them (Sloan 2010). The back of the book also has a glossary and contact information for other resources such as the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.
The writing is sophisticated, yet easily understandable and the book is broken down week by week up until the child’s 1st birthday. Each section is filled with random tips, feeding and sleeping habits, developmental milestones, and health problems that might arise. The book is easy to navigate and the writing itself is straightforward and applicable.
Overall I thought this was a great read and I definitely learned a lot from this book. Knowledge is power and it never hurts to know what to expect from your little one when they arrive. If you have any questions at all, I’m sure this book will be a great start in answering them for you.
-Sophie
Sloan, S, Stewart, M, Dunne, L, (2010) The effect of breastfeeding and stimulation in the home on cognitive development in infants. Child Care in Practice. Vol. 16 no 2.
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