Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, 7th Edition: Birth to Age 5

by Steven P. Shelov (Editor), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

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

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Reference, Health, Family, Childrens, Self Help

960 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget What To Expect the First Year, this book is way better. It's based on statistical evidence, has a user-friendly format, and clearly explains the developmental stages of your child. Plus, it has a huge topical index at the end covering everything from rashes and fevers to behavioral issues. It's the exact same advise your pediatrician would give you.

I've used this book again and again, whether to see if my child is reaching appropriate milestones or to check if a spot on their skin is eczema. If I had to choose one book for new parents, this would be it.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books for new parents.  It is full of all sorts of helpful info about everything.  I reference this book quite often.  A great gift for a new mom.

[Brian Ketterman]

This was not exactly for-fun reading, but it was 886 pages and I read all of it.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great resource for novice parents. I was looking for a guide on the very basics of how to care for a young child. I mean, the barest basics, like how to change a diaper, how and when to start feeding solid foods, and what to actually do with a baby every day. This book was definitely that resource. It's helpfully divided into different ages and stages of development so that you can find the right chapter for where your baby or child is at in life, and each chapter follows a predictable pattern so you can easily find the information you're looking for. Key information is summarized in boxes and bullet-points, which is also very helpful. I also read this in conjunction with Cribsheet by Emily Oster and found that (this edition, at least) seems to agree with much of Oster's conclusions on many topics and so seems to have kept pace with current research. My only quibble with the book is its lack of inclusive language. The book exclusively uses the term "breastfeeding" rather than "chestfeeding" throughout, and most often speaks only to "mothers" (assumed to be the birthing and chestfeeding parent) and only occasionally calls out "fathers" (presumably the non-birthing and non-chestfeeding parent) and "grandparents" for their unique caregiving roles. I would have much preferred more gender-inclusive language for trans or nonbinary parents, same-sex couples, and adoptive parents, as well as more acknowledgment of single-parent households.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I haven't read this cover to cover, it certainly has helped me a ton with caring for my 3 kiddos, especially the first. With another on the way I will have to break it out again for sure. My sister-in-law gave it to me with my first telling me it was the "baby bible". She was definitely right.

[Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think you need a manual for your new baby, this is it. The book is pragmatic and down-to-business. It covers a broad range of topics related to parenthood: basic care of a baby, health issues, cognitive development, sleep, discipline, etc. It structures the advice by age brackets and gives the concise background on those issues for the specific age. The book grows with your child: you can read 30 pages every few months (or, later, every year) to stay up-to-date with their developmental stage. The second part is a reference list of common health conditions which you can quickly look up before calling a doctor.

The author list is long and the book is approved by the American Association of Pediatrics, so it contains only absolutely uncontroversial advice; the book is thus free of philosophical musings or arguable statements, for example it does not cover the lifestyle choices like using a sling or co-sleeping. You may still thus it bland; if you are looking to study more bold or cutting-edge viewpoints, pick up the relevant books using this one as a baseline.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource for new parents. Suggested by our pediatrician. Includes age related development milestones to look for, nutrition and eating plans, and neutral parenting advice on just about everything.

Definitely recommend this for parents.

[Roxana · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an indispensable reference book for parents. It is not not a medicine book where you can find anything and with great detail. It is a book for parents that want to check or get a quick advice about behaviour and healthy concerns of their kids.

It is great specially for the first years as it gives a nice details of milestones that we have to look for. It is not as month specific as other books (such as what to expect during your baby first year)buy I like it a lot. I like the way the topics are presented and content and the amount of info provided.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my "Baby Bible" as Taylor calls it--my go to book for a quick answer or a quick chapter read of the months my baby's in. Best of all it was free for joining the Publix Baby Club. Basic, untrendy, up-to-date answers without too many opinions. Just bare bone facts. I've yet to see a baby book that is as basic yet comprehensive that doesn't have what this one has in it. Did I mention it was free?

[Adrianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been times when I worried about my daughter. This is very normal. Not because anything was wrong but because she was my first child and I wasn't quite sure what to expect at each age. For example at 5 I was not aware of how much children forget and lose their train of thought. It helped me understand my daughter better and be more patient. Each year is so different an this book gives great insight.

[Hero · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one and only book you need on baby care. It contains all the facts in a clear personable tone. There's no fads, hype, or excessive focus on rare maladies. I reference this book of the night to answer those small parenting fears: Does my child talk less than other kids? How do you swaddle an infant? What is the asprin doesage per weight again?

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book in hopes one day I have a child and can use it. I really would love to be a parent and definitely want to be the best parent I could be and to provide my kids with more then what I had.

[Nalini Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice

[Heather Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will obviously need to keep referring to this book in the future.

[David Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for BABIES ... or rather, those that have babies.

[Ashley Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource, especially for first-time moms. Part 1 of the book provides detailed information on what to expect from your child at each stage of development, while Part 2 provides a list of illnesses and medical conditions and basic information on how to respond.

This book is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which means it is authoritative, thorough, and follows current guidelines. However, that also makes it very western-specific. For example, in much of the world (and throughout history), women have co-slept with their babies. The AAP would have you believe this is the primary cause of SIDS. This is a personal decision every mother must make, and information is certainly key. However, the tone of this book often sounds more like Leviticus ("Though shalt not...") than a source of information for all moms.

That being said, it is still a great resource to have on hand, especially Part 2. You'll just need to decide which parts you want to follow and which ones you don't.

[Diana293 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for parents

This is THE guide to parenting. It covers a wealth of information from milestones in social, physical, linguistic development to nutrition to addressing an entire range of illnesses. I appreciated that it covered how to navigate the school system (e.g. if your child has special needs that the school should be able to help with) and delved into talking points with your pediatrician, noting where they can help and how.

While there is more to parenting than what this book covers (in depth nutritional guide, emotional needs, how to talk to children), this book is a foundation for keeping kids healthy, preventing and treating illness.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this book. This book was recommended to me by the first wellness checkup that Isaac had with a doctor in Philly when he was only a couple of days old. I read a chapter a year to coincide with his age (each chapter was a year except 4 & 5 were combined) The last couple of chapters are about sickness, injuries etc. I thought it was a helpful book - though a bit dated in some thing lol But I was a new mom and I bought this as soon as I was done with his app.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is strictly looking at the development of a child and great for consulting when you want advice on skills and health, it does not cover lefestyle choices like sleeping or wearing your baby, etc.

[Ziyun · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a non-native speaker, I find this book very valuable as a reference. It helps us tremendously in building our vocabularies so that we can communicate with paediatricians and/or google information more effectively.

[Marianna Sharktooth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Σίγουρα είναι ένα βιβλίο στο οποίο θα αποτανθώ κατα την πορεία ζωής και ανάπτυξης του παιδιού. Είναι τεράστιο αλλά υπάρχουν πράγματα που δεν αναφέρονται, Οπότε Θα πρότεινα την χρήση του σε συνδυασμό με τις συμβουλές ενός καλού παιδιάτρου.

[Meirav Rath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read the chapters about a baby's first year since I'm only 25 weeks along and will probably not remember the rest of the book if I keep reading. I'll get back to it as the kid gets older.
It's a very thorough book and I like the attitude about dealing with crying babies, working moms etc.

[Angela Ruach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really comes to explain things that no first time mother can know. However, some of the habits sound somewhat idealistic and not very applicable to today's daily life. Thanks a lot: you helped me understand why children behave the way they sometimes do.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems like this is THE textbook for understanding child development and a general resource guide for any issue that might arise. It's a helpful 'what's next?' reading the next month/phase of my child's development.

[Zane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book had a lot of really good information. I’ll definitely be referring to this when my little dude has any issues. Took me forever to get through, but I’m glad I took the time to read through it.

[Rachel Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to reference. As a new parent, this book answers questions and alleviates fears.

[Cynthia Machata · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for parents with young children. Best gift we got!

[Kemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long time ago but yes, good book!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic info and looked pictures, better information is available online via searches of reputable sites.

[Raphaela Folia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Δεν υπαρχει καλυτερο βιβλιο απο αυτο σου εξηγει τα παντα για το παιδι