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Babywatching
Trained as a zoologist, Desmond Morris now turns his attention to the first twelve months of human life, bringing a new approach to a number of intriguing and frequently asked questions. In straightforward, easy-to-understand language, Morris debunks ancient superstitions and adult-centered biases and helps us see the world from the baby's point of view. Illustrations.
214 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
9 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Desmond Morris
237 books571 followersDesmond John Morris (born 24 January 1928) is an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology. He is known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape, and for his television programmes such as Zoo Time.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 18 reviews
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November 23, 2017Trying to avoid all the 'how to' and 'what to expect' books. I had a read of this one and if there was one book I am glad I read it is this one. It doesn't try to push a particular method or routine etc but just goes right back to basics of how and why we do things as we have evolved.
I read this aloud with my husband, usually in the car and we both found it a great alternative to everyone's well-meaning advice. Only a few weeks left til the arrival of our twins but I will be recommending this book to anyone who is pregnant (and asks for advice! :D )
I read this aloud with my husband, usually in the car and we both found it a great alternative to everyone's well-meaning advice. Only a few weeks left til the arrival of our twins but I will be recommending this book to anyone who is pregnant (and asks for advice! :D )
September 18, 2025
A lot of the book is a load of crap without sources.
April 14, 2008
Desmond Morris is my favorite guy. At least, as far as zoologists go, he is my favorite one I've ever met. Actually, I've never met him. But he's still my favorite zoologist. I'm pretty sure I've never met another one, either.
So anyways, all of his books are awesome, both about animals and people. This one is all about BABIES. What could be better (except maybe babies and cats in the SAME book)? He studies human beings like they are animals. Like, have you ever pondered questions such as "Do babies dream?" (I think the answer was yes, but really, how do you prove that to me??), "Do men and women react differently to the sight of a baby?" (Yes, men's pupils shrink down, and women's get bigger, UNTIL the guy has a baby and then his pupils start to get big just like the woman's) and, "Why do mothers cradle their babies in their left arms?" (it was something about holding the baby where it can hear your heartbeat, irregardless of whether she is right or left handed).
My only question left about my child after this book is the following: How come, at almost 17 months, won't the little dude say any words other than "mama" and "dada", when the book says that kids whose parents are talkative learn to talk a lot sooner than others? I talk ALL THE TIME. Seriously! We met some 15 month old show off baby girl yesterday who was talking like a parrot and reading books, and said "Amen" at the end of a prayer. She sure thought she was amazing. (Actually, so did I.) So anyways, I wish my baby would start talking. I also think we should challenge the little girl to a basketball dunking contest because my kid could win that!!!
So anyways, all of his books are awesome, both about animals and people. This one is all about BABIES. What could be better (except maybe babies and cats in the SAME book)? He studies human beings like they are animals. Like, have you ever pondered questions such as "Do babies dream?" (I think the answer was yes, but really, how do you prove that to me??), "Do men and women react differently to the sight of a baby?" (Yes, men's pupils shrink down, and women's get bigger, UNTIL the guy has a baby and then his pupils start to get big just like the woman's) and, "Why do mothers cradle their babies in their left arms?" (it was something about holding the baby where it can hear your heartbeat, irregardless of whether she is right or left handed).
My only question left about my child after this book is the following: How come, at almost 17 months, won't the little dude say any words other than "mama" and "dada", when the book says that kids whose parents are talkative learn to talk a lot sooner than others? I talk ALL THE TIME. Seriously! We met some 15 month old show off baby girl yesterday who was talking like a parrot and reading books, and said "Amen" at the end of a prayer. She sure thought she was amazing. (Actually, so did I.) So anyways, I wish my baby would start talking. I also think we should challenge the little girl to a basketball dunking contest because my kid could win that!!!
February 7, 2021
This is the best book to gift an expectant parent, or anyone who seeks a greater understanding of children, society, and humans as a species. Beautifully written, some really deep and complex subject matter written in a reader-friendly layman english that reads as smooth as satin. An unforgettable, vital part of any library, a timeless classic, a brilliant author. I highly recommend his books. My favorites include this title, The Human Zoo, and especially Intimate Behavior.
March 12, 2021
This book was so highly recommended that it was a bit of a letdown. I realise now I approached it incorrectly: I thought I'd be reading a "how to" baby book, something to prepare me for the first months of impending baby-hood.
But this book, instead, is more akin to "The Naked Ape" by the same author than to any baby books in the market. That might be a good thing! If you, for whatever reason, are interested in how do babies work this is most definitely the book for you. It's easy to read, educational, and covers all sort of topics on things you'd have never thought of: how well can babies see? Can they swim? How good is their sense of smell?
There is much to learn here, though there are also some things that I found really rather outdated. The author refers to water births, for instance, as this newfangled thing that Europeans are experimenting with – when every hospital I've heard of nowadays offers it as an option without anyone batting an eyelid. It's not even a particularly holistic new age woo thing, it's just an option among many.
And then there's the last few chapters, where there are no citations and you end up wondering about where the information came from. Thankfully they're the least important chapters, but still: why do we dress males in blue? There's probably a whole library of journal articles on this, but Morris decides to say that it's because light blue was considered "a protective colour" and that's it. What culture considered it protective? No mention of that. Similarly, to explain how the stork came to be associated with baby-delivery he vaguely says that storks used to nest in the plains of Europe, but… well, so what? As someone who has researched folklore in the past, I know that more rigorous explanations are possible.
But again, those are the least important chapters all things considered. Everything else is thoroughly researched (if a bit outdated, and that could be down to the edition I found) and interesting, just not particularly useful for me.
But this book, instead, is more akin to "The Naked Ape" by the same author than to any baby books in the market. That might be a good thing! If you, for whatever reason, are interested in how do babies work this is most definitely the book for you. It's easy to read, educational, and covers all sort of topics on things you'd have never thought of: how well can babies see? Can they swim? How good is their sense of smell?
There is much to learn here, though there are also some things that I found really rather outdated. The author refers to water births, for instance, as this newfangled thing that Europeans are experimenting with – when every hospital I've heard of nowadays offers it as an option without anyone batting an eyelid. It's not even a particularly holistic new age woo thing, it's just an option among many.
And then there's the last few chapters, where there are no citations and you end up wondering about where the information came from. Thankfully they're the least important chapters, but still: why do we dress males in blue? There's probably a whole library of journal articles on this, but Morris decides to say that it's because light blue was considered "a protective colour" and that's it. What culture considered it protective? No mention of that. Similarly, to explain how the stork came to be associated with baby-delivery he vaguely says that storks used to nest in the plains of Europe, but… well, so what? As someone who has researched folklore in the past, I know that more rigorous explanations are possible.
But again, those are the least important chapters all things considered. Everything else is thoroughly researched (if a bit outdated, and that could be down to the edition I found) and interesting, just not particularly useful for me.
January 8, 2019
Kirja muodostuu monesta muutaman sivun kappaleesta, jossa vastataan kysymyksiin kuten ”mikä vauvaa naurattaa”. Käytännössä siis vähän kuin HS:n tiedeosio, jossa lapset kysyvät yksinkertaisia heitä askarruttavia kysymyksiä. Tässä kirjassa vastaukset ovat kuitenkin pidempiä (luonnollisesti) ja kirjailija perustelee kuvailtua käyttäytymistä poikkeuksetta evolutionäärisellä kehityksellä sekä vertailemalla meitä lähisukulaisiimme - muihin kädellisiin nisäkkäisiin. Perustavanlaatuisten asioiden kyseenalaistaminen ja niiden selittäminen tekee kirjasta äärettömän mielenkiintoisen ja saa lukijan kääntämään sivuja. Nopea ja helppolukuinen. Suosittelen!
June 27, 2018
Margt athyglisvert og gagnlegt en líka þónokkuð sem ég er ósammála. Myndi ekki endilega viljað hafa lesið þessa á meðgöngunni (ekki hrifin af köflunum um fæðingu) en fljótlega eftir fæðinguna er fínt.
March 22, 2018
Pleasant and informative read on the behavior of babies, and a good handful of debunking of myths.
I would highly recommend this to new mothers, a lot of the myths addressed are still alive today.
I would highly recommend this to new mothers, a lot of the myths addressed are still alive today.
February 13, 2019
Mit sehr angenehmer, unaufgeregter Sprache beantwortet Morris ein paar Fragen, nach Gehör, Augen, Bewegung etc. Sehr hübsch.
February 13, 2012
As usual in my experience with Desmond Morris, I found this book interesting--especially with reading it on the occasion of the birth of our first grandson--and well furnished with fascinating little tidbits, some things you probably never learned in school or heard at your mother's knee. Some "stuffy" academic types might complain that he writes in a somewhat popular style, but that does make it pretty readable.
The book is structured as a sequence of questions and (his) answers, which makes it easier perhaps to read to your burning interest of the moment, if in this case you are so inclined to read topically rather than from page 1 to the last. The chapter readings are typically 2-3 maybe 4-5 pages long...again, I thought very easy to read. There is an index, but no bibliography. In his descriptions, he comes across as dispassionate and fair as well as enlightening--much the very mature, knowledgeable, measured, reserved and careful scientist, don't you know. He sometimes mentions one study or another in support of his conclusions, but at other times he states his understanding pretty matter of factly, as in 'and that's the way it is.' You decide whether it makes sense and correlates to your experience. In some cases, he does note in effect that 'the jury is still out,' that the full answer is still unclear. There were, I will say, a few times for me when he calmly says with such authority some things that are so new and different for me...to the point that I was inclined to reserve judgment and want for some other expert to challenge or offer a counter balance to his viewpoint. Maybe I was just born a skeptic.
The book is structured as a sequence of questions and (his) answers, which makes it easier perhaps to read to your burning interest of the moment, if in this case you are so inclined to read topically rather than from page 1 to the last. The chapter readings are typically 2-3 maybe 4-5 pages long...again, I thought very easy to read. There is an index, but no bibliography. In his descriptions, he comes across as dispassionate and fair as well as enlightening--much the very mature, knowledgeable, measured, reserved and careful scientist, don't you know. He sometimes mentions one study or another in support of his conclusions, but at other times he states his understanding pretty matter of factly, as in 'and that's the way it is.' You decide whether it makes sense and correlates to your experience. In some cases, he does note in effect that 'the jury is still out,' that the full answer is still unclear. There were, I will say, a few times for me when he calmly says with such authority some things that are so new and different for me...to the point that I was inclined to reserve judgment and want for some other expert to challenge or offer a counter balance to his viewpoint. Maybe I was just born a skeptic.
January 30, 2013
I read two copies of this book - one was the illustrated edition and the second was just a text copy.
My initial interest in this book was the multiple depictions/pictures of breastfeeding. I think there was only one or two bottle-feeding photos in the entire book. This is a big thing for me, so I was interested to read and find out if this guy was a proponent of baby-training, etc.
I was happy to find that this book is very pro-attachment parenting, from a biological perspective. It is vehemently anti-circumcision, anti cry-it-out, etc. The only part that is "wrong" is the part about breastfeeding - babies are meant to breastfeed longer than Desmond Morris explains. He seems to recommend weaning too soon. I am also confused about his stance on using slings - he does not look at in depth the best way to hold a baby in a carrier (some positions are better than others for baby & mum).
Overall, though, it was nice to read a little different opinion on babies rather than finding ways to make a baby work for you (via 'training') he tries to impart understanding of the way babies are, harkening back to ape times. Interesting!
My initial interest in this book was the multiple depictions/pictures of breastfeeding. I think there was only one or two bottle-feeding photos in the entire book. This is a big thing for me, so I was interested to read and find out if this guy was a proponent of baby-training, etc.
I was happy to find that this book is very pro-attachment parenting, from a biological perspective. It is vehemently anti-circumcision, anti cry-it-out, etc. The only part that is "wrong" is the part about breastfeeding - babies are meant to breastfeed longer than Desmond Morris explains. He seems to recommend weaning too soon. I am also confused about his stance on using slings - he does not look at in depth the best way to hold a baby in a carrier (some positions are better than others for baby & mum).
Overall, though, it was nice to read a little different opinion on babies rather than finding ways to make a baby work for you (via 'training') he tries to impart understanding of the way babies are, harkening back to ape times. Interesting!
March 27, 2014
This is a fast paced read with short sections each answering common questions about babies, like why are babies born with blue eyes, why do they smile. I feel like it was written as sort of a cross between something informative for readers of popular science and as a guide for new parents. Which, as a short book, might make it miss on both tries, but that's what further reading is for. So it has fascinating insights into the minds of babies for everyone, new parents might want to find some supplemental reading for more practical advice, and readers of popular science might want to find supplemental reading for a little more on the whys of some of the fascinating baby facts presented.
August 24, 2015
In questo libro Morris tratta in modo proverbiale l'etologia del bambino cercando di lasciare meno dubbi possibili al lettore. L'immagine di copertina sfortunatamente lo fa apparire per un libro premaman, cosa che non è, o almeno non del tutto.
Da consigliare a chi vuole vedere con occhio critico la piccola creatura che gli cresce accanto.
Da consigliare a chi vuole vedere con occhio critico la piccola creatura che gli cresce accanto.
August 8, 2011
a brill book for any newbee parents by the master voyeur that is Mr Morris. The sort of guy you want to hang out with to try and absorb some of his cleverness.
January 1, 2012
Bought it the day my daughter was born. It is delightful, and makes you feel all warm fuzzy. But look elsewhere for practical, useful info.
April 13, 2015
non solo per chi ha figli. Il bambino come animale ed il bambino nella societa' umana (come a dire: etologia pura)
September 18, 2012
This book is beautiful, insightful and so worth a read! it's one of my top 10!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 18 reviews