Gentle Baby Care

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View books by Elizabeth Pantley.

written for an American market - Rated
I had great expections for this book and was disappointed with the contents. There are a few useful snippets gleaned from speed-reading, which is all that is required to complete the text and, in my opinion, better books for less cost are readily available.

There is a total bias towards an American reader, which I had not catered for and surprised me (the Sears' are Californian but happily neutralise their texts and accomodate different terms - in fact the newest edition of the Baby Book contains purely uk references which is invaluable).

On a positive note, it is written in an amicable style but that's about the appeal. It ts fairly basic knowledge that can be obtained from searching the web. Perhaps useful to complement a selection of baby books but I wouldn't bother if on a budget.

A baby encyclopedia - Rated
Gentle Baby Care gives information on hundreds of topics. Each topic begins with a question, this is followed by general information in a “Learn About It” section, which is generally brief and concise. This is followed with more specific solutions, checklists, charts and such. And finishes with a list of websites and books as additional resources.

An example is the entry on “Colic”. It begins, “My baby is very fussy and cries a lot, mostly at the end of the day. Does she have colic?” The Learn About It area defines colic and describes the known causes.

This is followed by “Can Colic Be Prevented?” which explains health issues that can cause crying, and also tells what is known about colic prevention.

The next part “Things That May Help Your Baby” gives a long bullet list of many ideas that may help your baby feel better and stop crying.

As is typical in the book, there is yet another section called, “Tips for Coping” which gives tips on how YOU can handle this difficult time.

Next comes, “When Should I Call the Doctor?” with a bullet list to guide you on when you should be concerned.

The last section, “For More Information” guides you to several books on the subject, if you want to get into more detail.

The layout of this book allows for a quick yet thorough examination on topics that may arise during the first two years such as Bathing, Burping, Car Seat Crying, Constipation, Diaper changing (tips, choosing diapers, and what to do when your baby doesn’t want to be changed), Fever, Food allergies, Grandparents (both overzealous and reluctant), Immunizations, Massage, Milestones, Sleep (fabulous sections on this topic!), Travel, Visiting, Weaning. These are just a few examples.

I highly recommend this book as one to keep handy for the first two years.

Great Read from A to Z! - Rated
This wonderful reference book is easy to read. I have to say that when I am reading baby care books, I get bored, and tend to push the books at the back of my bookshelf. Not this book though! I kept reading! Even though I don’t have to worry about my daughter in a “Circumcision Decision”, I still read it that section because I found the book interesting and full of information.

I highly recommend this book to any parent-to-be. It’s best to get this as one of your pregnancy books just to see what’s ahead and be prepared from when things do happen.

I also found that if you don’t know your baby is suffering from Separation Anxiety, you’d look at the back of the book in the index under crying, which is a big part of separation anxiety, you’ll find that the crying index points to separation anxiety as well as other reasons for your baby to cry. (Just thought I’d point that out.)

I have to say Elizabeth Pantley has done it again! Having a mother write a book let’s you know that she knows what she’s talking about because she’s been there, done that. Thanks for the great read Elizabeth!