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Retro Baby: Cut Back on All the Gear and Boost Your Baby's Development With More Than 100 Time-tested Activities
Baby bouncers, carriers, electronic toys, and ?educationalOCO videos are intended to make our children smarter and our lives easier, but can their overuse negatively impact infant development? Absolutely. "Retro Baby: Cut Back on Infant Gear, Media and Smart Toys, and Boost Your BabyOCOs Development with Time-Tested Activities" helps caregivers understand the potential dangers of extended equipment use and overexposure to technology.
"Retro" Baby brings 20 years of experience from an occupational therapist and mother of three into your home. Anne Zachry, Ph.D. understands that each family and baby have different needs, and she offers flexible strategies and suggestions for playtime. With ?back to the basicOCO ideas, Dr. Zachry gives you lots of opportunities to spend one-on-one time with your baby, creating that special bond that will last a lifetime."
"Retro" Baby brings 20 years of experience from an occupational therapist and mother of three into your home. Anne Zachry, Ph.D. understands that each family and baby have different needs, and she offers flexible strategies and suggestions for playtime. With ?back to the basicOCO ideas, Dr. Zachry gives you lots of opportunities to spend one-on-one time with your baby, creating that special bond that will last a lifetime."
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2013
44 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 9, 2014
Part of the problem with this book, I think, is that I am probably not the target audience. I probably SHOULD be - I am definitely of the "meh, let's keep toys and bells and whistles to some basics" persuasion. But there doesn't seem to be anything in here, activity-wise, I haven't seen elsewhere. And it's got a subtle shaming overtone, as if to say that if you're not constantly doing these activities with your baby, you are a baaaad parent, and your baby will be developmentally stunted, and OMG OMG OMG. Plus, only having your baby in something like a swing, bouncer, etc. for fifteen minutes or less per day (something the book recommends repeatedly) isn't always practical for everyone. Do I think that babies when possible should spend plenty of time not in these things? Sure. But damn, sometimes Mommy really needs a shower and hey, the bouncer is a safe place where the baby is happy for fifteen minutes, you know?
For that matter, spending every waking moment of the day playing with your child in a developmentally-minded and expert-approved way isn't practical for pretty much anyone, either. SOMETIMES MOMMY HAS TO PEE, OKAY. And while there are good activities in here, the focus on development kind of takes the joy out of them for me. I much prefer "here's fifty things to do with a 3-6 month old, pick the ones that sound fun to you". I find that if I focus every moment of the day on the baby's development, as this book seems to want me to do, I turn in to an anxious ball of wreck, and that's no good for anyone.
For that matter, spending every waking moment of the day playing with your child in a developmentally-minded and expert-approved way isn't practical for pretty much anyone, either. SOMETIMES MOMMY HAS TO PEE, OKAY. And while there are good activities in here, the focus on development kind of takes the joy out of them for me. I much prefer "here's fifty things to do with a 3-6 month old, pick the ones that sound fun to you". I find that if I focus every moment of the day on the baby's development, as this book seems to want me to do, I turn in to an anxious ball of wreck, and that's no good for anyone.
May 25, 2017
I've read some of the negative reviews for this book and the only thing I can think is that people must have skimmed this book rather than read it. This book does recommend limiting your child's time in carriers, swings, etc. And there are several items that it outright "bans" based on studies into the safety of the items (drop-sided cribs, walkers, cosleepers, etc.). But the author repeatedly states that if you need to put your child in a swing, a carrier, or what-have-you, then that's what must be done and you can always reduce their time in these devices later.
With that little defense in place, I will admit that the tone does come across as preachy at times. And the book seems written for parents who will be staying home with their children rather than anyone who will be a primary caregiver to the child. I felt more than a little twinge of guilt every time the book reminded me how much my son will love my voice or seeing my face when we have play time, considering I may have to go to work full time when he is only a few months old. Those reminders only made the potential of my son in daycare that much harder for me to ponder. There's nothing wrong with putting a child into child care when you have to work, it just wasn't initially my plan and the tone of this book made it a little harder to process.
There are some very good suggestions for games, activities, and home-made toys to encourage my son's development. These suggestions are broken down by age range starting at birth and going up to a little over two years old. I found these suggestions and how-to's helpful enough that I intend to buy a copy of the book, preachy tone aside.
Despite the book's flaws, I would strongly recommend it to any first-time parent. It takes a lot of pressure off the financial side of having a child when you realize how little you need some of the big-ticket items everyone seems to think a baby "needs". And it does alleviate some guilt in the form of how many toys a baby really needs, as well as what sort of things around the house are baby-safe and encourage development. As a working-class mother with an eye on reducing consumption and living a fairly sustainable lifestyle, that information was incredibly helpful.
With that little defense in place, I will admit that the tone does come across as preachy at times. And the book seems written for parents who will be staying home with their children rather than anyone who will be a primary caregiver to the child. I felt more than a little twinge of guilt every time the book reminded me how much my son will love my voice or seeing my face when we have play time, considering I may have to go to work full time when he is only a few months old. Those reminders only made the potential of my son in daycare that much harder for me to ponder. There's nothing wrong with putting a child into child care when you have to work, it just wasn't initially my plan and the tone of this book made it a little harder to process.
There are some very good suggestions for games, activities, and home-made toys to encourage my son's development. These suggestions are broken down by age range starting at birth and going up to a little over two years old. I found these suggestions and how-to's helpful enough that I intend to buy a copy of the book, preachy tone aside.
Despite the book's flaws, I would strongly recommend it to any first-time parent. It takes a lot of pressure off the financial side of having a child when you realize how little you need some of the big-ticket items everyone seems to think a baby "needs". And it does alleviate some guilt in the form of how many toys a baby really needs, as well as what sort of things around the house are baby-safe and encourage development. As a working-class mother with an eye on reducing consumption and living a fairly sustainable lifestyle, that information was incredibly helpful.
February 25, 2020
I got this when I started panicking that I wasn’t doing enough tummy time with my son and that I honestly didn’t know how to entertain him on his belly. This book did not help.
My biggest complaint, however, is the gentle overtime of chauvinism throughout:
“Baby loves hearing mommy’s voice!”
(Ok, we’re assuming only moms are reading this)
“Only have your baby in a bouncer 10-30 minutes at a time, just enough time to sweep the floor or do a load of laundry!”
(Uh....ok...)
“This activity mat lets your infant play on his own while you can work on a hobby like knitting or reading!”
(...what?)
“While your infant is playing, you can do exercises! You can do sit-ups, push-ups, and leg lifts!”
What is this, 1953?? This is all the WRONG parts of retro. Not to mention that sit-ups are an awful choice 3-6m postpartum, when this quote is from.
Anyway. Lots of great baby books out there. What to expect: the first year and “bringing up Bebe” are two favorites. Skip this one.
My biggest complaint, however, is the gentle overtime of chauvinism throughout:
“Baby loves hearing mommy’s voice!”
(Ok, we’re assuming only moms are reading this)
“Only have your baby in a bouncer 10-30 minutes at a time, just enough time to sweep the floor or do a load of laundry!”
(Uh....ok...)
“This activity mat lets your infant play on his own while you can work on a hobby like knitting or reading!”
(...what?)
“While your infant is playing, you can do exercises! You can do sit-ups, push-ups, and leg lifts!”
What is this, 1953?? This is all the WRONG parts of retro. Not to mention that sit-ups are an awful choice 3-6m postpartum, when this quote is from.
Anyway. Lots of great baby books out there. What to expect: the first year and “bringing up Bebe” are two favorites. Skip this one.
December 8, 2017
This was highly recommended by the OT who presented a couple times at my new moms group.
Good ideas for activities and games to break up tummy time, but most of what is here is just good ol’ common sense: YOU are the most important thing to baby, and all the doodads and devices are no substitute for engaging play with someone who loves them.
Good ideas for activities and games to break up tummy time, but most of what is here is just good ol’ common sense: YOU are the most important thing to baby, and all the doodads and devices are no substitute for engaging play with someone who loves them.
July 24, 2016
It's a lot of not what to do, without telling you what to do instead. So here's all the things I can't do with my baby at all and here's some things I'm allowed to put her in for 15-30 minutes. What am I supposed to do with her all the rest of the day? Wear her, I guess? I babywear, but not 8 hours a day.
Also, the vocabulary really needed clarification. A whole section on walkers; does that include activity centers? Activity centers are only mentioned by name in a chart at the back of the book. What about the ubiquitous bouncy seats? And what counts as a bouncy seat since there are several styles? "Baby carriers" are called car seats in my world, which got really confusing really fast. Yet baby wearing (what I think of as baby carriers like the Ergo) are only mentioned in passing.
Don't waste your time. I'll sum it up with: don't use things with batteries, don't put batteries in things that can take batteries, interact with your child, and look up specific safety information online before buying an item.
Also, the vocabulary really needed clarification. A whole section on walkers; does that include activity centers? Activity centers are only mentioned by name in a chart at the back of the book. What about the ubiquitous bouncy seats? And what counts as a bouncy seat since there are several styles? "Baby carriers" are called car seats in my world, which got really confusing really fast. Yet baby wearing (what I think of as baby carriers like the Ergo) are only mentioned in passing.
Don't waste your time. I'll sum it up with: don't use things with batteries, don't put batteries in things that can take batteries, interact with your child, and look up specific safety information online before buying an item.
Read
October 21, 2021Somewhat helpful to read pre-pregnancy because it helped confirm to me that I don't need to buy ALL the baby gear. But the milestones for the different ages and the ways to hold/play with baby weren't all that helpful before actually having the baby, so I skimmed most of those sections. I will probably crack this open again multiple times as baby grows to check in on how she's developing.
November 2, 2018
I got this book to primarily answer one question: which baby gear do I really need and what can I do without? I also found it helped me understand how babies develop and what skills they have at each age. I’ll probably get this again next year and try out some of the recommended activities.
December 27, 2017
An informative and practical guide to effective tummy time. Research based with lots of easy to implement ideas!
July 31, 2025
I wanted to love this since it was written by an OT. And it does have some great developmental information. However, every exclamation point made it feel more and more condescending.
February 15, 2015
This book was much more occupational therapist (OT) geared than I thought or wanted it to be. I completely agree with the premiss that is presented by the title - that our society has too many toys thrown at infants/toddlers and that they can learn and develop perfectly fine with only a few simple items. However, I felt like everything in here was OT centered and I wanted it to talk about more. I found myself skimming the end because the activities sounded like a broken record.
Don't get me wrong, I learned some things about development from this book, as will anyone who reads it. However, after the first couple of chapters, all of the activities toward the end seemed like they were saying the same thing. The later chapters of the book are broken up into sections based on age, so perhaps the seeming redundancy was for those who choose to flip to the section pertinent to their child. However, I read this cover to cover and by the end I felt like it was all very similar.
The beginning chapters of the book were pretty good with their background and development information. I liked that the book only went through 2-years-old; so many books go up through 3 or 5 yrs and the jump even from 2 to 3 is so huge in development it really needs its own book at times.
Chapter 4 with the 'Back to Sleep' campaign was interesting, but I'm not sure it needed a whole chapter. Chapter 5 I liked a lot, albeit a bit scary and perhaps a little strict. I wholeheartedly agree that we have children in car seats/carriers/swings way too much, but if you're going to suggest 30 mins or less/day why not just say they aren't recommended in your opinion? 30 mins or less seems not even worth it for having the contraptions in your house.
Overall this was a decent book. The suggestions for activities and things to 'make' were interesting and probably useful to those who want ideas. The overall feel/voice for the book just didn't strike me well.
Don't get me wrong, I learned some things about development from this book, as will anyone who reads it. However, after the first couple of chapters, all of the activities toward the end seemed like they were saying the same thing. The later chapters of the book are broken up into sections based on age, so perhaps the seeming redundancy was for those who choose to flip to the section pertinent to their child. However, I read this cover to cover and by the end I felt like it was all very similar.
The beginning chapters of the book were pretty good with their background and development information. I liked that the book only went through 2-years-old; so many books go up through 3 or 5 yrs and the jump even from 2 to 3 is so huge in development it really needs its own book at times.
Chapter 4 with the 'Back to Sleep' campaign was interesting, but I'm not sure it needed a whole chapter. Chapter 5 I liked a lot, albeit a bit scary and perhaps a little strict. I wholeheartedly agree that we have children in car seats/carriers/swings way too much, but if you're going to suggest 30 mins or less/day why not just say they aren't recommended in your opinion? 30 mins or less seems not even worth it for having the contraptions in your house.
Overall this was a decent book. The suggestions for activities and things to 'make' were interesting and probably useful to those who want ideas. The overall feel/voice for the book just didn't strike me well.
October 5, 2014
I found this book to be easy to read and had a lot of good information. I think she does a great job of providing research based facts along with fun budget-friendly activities and home-made toys (many of which we have tried and my daughter has really enjoyed!).
As a first time mom, it was hard to know what products to invest in, because there are so many out there, and the marketing teams do a really good job of making us believe that they are crucial to our child's development and success in life! She explains which products are helpful, which have the potential to be harmful, and which ones are ok, just in moderation. I think she does a wonderful job of addressing this topic in a balanced way, and her recommendations are in line with information I get from my pediatrician. And for the products that she recommends avoiding/limiting, she offers alternatives (often free or very low cost), which I found to be helpful.
Overall I recommend this book, especially for parents that are looking for evidence-based information on how to promote their little one's development without going out a purchasing a lot of "gear".
As a first time mom, it was hard to know what products to invest in, because there are so many out there, and the marketing teams do a really good job of making us believe that they are crucial to our child's development and success in life! She explains which products are helpful, which have the potential to be harmful, and which ones are ok, just in moderation. I think she does a wonderful job of addressing this topic in a balanced way, and her recommendations are in line with information I get from my pediatrician. And for the products that she recommends avoiding/limiting, she offers alternatives (often free or very low cost), which I found to be helpful.
Overall I recommend this book, especially for parents that are looking for evidence-based information on how to promote their little one's development without going out a purchasing a lot of "gear".
October 30, 2014
I thought this book was going to be perfect for me, because I’m all about kids being amused by household things and using their imaginations as much as possible. Instead, the vast majority of the text was a little preachy, saying you shouldn’t let your baby sit in a car seat, swing, or bouncy seat too often. I completely agree with that, but less than 30 minutes a day? I’m a stay at home mom, and even doing that, I’d NEVER be able to manage life if I could only let my babe sit down for 30 minutes a day. I think this book was written for an ideal world where you have nothing else to do but tend to your child. It’s not realistic to be able to do all of this with your baby even if you stay at home, much less if you work! If it seemed less preachy and more realistic, I would have liked it more.
May 28, 2015
Retro Kids for Smart Baby
It is ridiculous how many silly toys are in market these days which claim to make our babies "smart." This book teaches us how to raise smart babies with traditional games and lullabies. The games and lullabies are fun and easy to follow. And my little princes always enjoys games suggested in the book.
Only con in this book are the homemade toys instructions, instructions are hard to follow and it seems bit time consuming to makes these toys at home, if you don't mind spending little money then you can buys these toys from a store.
It is ridiculous how many silly toys are in market these days which claim to make our babies "smart." This book teaches us how to raise smart babies with traditional games and lullabies. The games and lullabies are fun and easy to follow. And my little princes always enjoys games suggested in the book.
Only con in this book are the homemade toys instructions, instructions are hard to follow and it seems bit time consuming to makes these toys at home, if you don't mind spending little money then you can buys these toys from a store.
May 9, 2016
I was under the impression this book was something it was not. I should have read the subtitle. I thought it would help me come up with a system so I am not on the phone (online, surfing the web) 24/7 when I'm with my baby. Anyway, it was different from what I expected. It also was way too concerned about tummy time and no co-sleeping. So not what I practice. But I am proud of myself for finishing the entire book (before it was due at the library!)
February 24, 2015
It was tough to tell if it was written for the parent or the baby. Seriously, it was dumbed down to such an extent that I found it pretty frustrating. Basically she doesn't think you should put a baby in a seat or carrier for more than 30 mins a day and other than that there really wasn't much to it.
November 24, 2015
This book, like any other parenting/child development book, should be taken with a grain of salt. Just choose what works best for your family. That said, I liked having several activities to choose from for each stage of development as well accompanying developmental milestones. While I may have known about many of these activities already, it was good to be reminded well as get new ideas.
February 24, 2016
I actually didn't finish this because I had to return it to the library and I had only read up to the part relevant to my baby's age. But found it a helpful resource for age-appropriate toys and activities. Also appreciated the guidance on which baby gear might actually impede baby's development. I recommend this as a good resource for other parents even if you don't follow it word for word.
February 7, 2014
Attention parents! We don't need a tons of expensive, complicated toys for our babies. Just carry out the ideas and activities in this book and you will foster your child's development while having fun! I'll be giving this book to every new mom I know!
January 26, 2014
"Retro Baby" is a wonderful resource for parents who want to carry out playful activities that promote infant development. It's very well-organized and reader friendly. It's the perfect baby shower gift for a new mom!
January 26, 2014
Every parent needs this book! It explains the developmental process and includes lots of homemade toy ideas and fun activities to carry out with your baby.If you're into natural parenting, this book is a must have.
December 17, 2014
This information in this book is research-based and important for every parent and caregiver. I've had several friends whose babies have spots on the head, and I've recommended it to them. I found it to have an understanding tone (obviously written by a mom) with lots of great activity suggestions!
December 1, 2016
A must read book by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It gives you more than a 100 activities for you to do with babies up to 24 months. It's very good as it shows why the exercise is useful and for what specific age.
November 2, 2014
Best baby book I've read so far, other than Ina May's books
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews