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The Essential First Year
Written by Dr. Penelope Leach, the leading international expert on child development information and childcare, The Essential First Year is the one book every 21st-century parent needs. Providing all the tools to nurture and care for an infant-from how to meet the baby's physical needs, to how to stimulate their intellectual development and ensure their emotional well-being-Penelope Leach offers proven advice on practical issues including feeding, sleeping, dealing with crying, and keeping your baby safe. Dr. Leach culls her more-than-ten years of recent research into infant development, especially in brain growth, showing parents how helping a baby to be calm, contented, amused, and interested leads to optimum development of body and brain.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2010
17 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Penelope Leach
82 books22 followersDr. Penelope J. Leach (born Penelope Jane Balchin) is a British psychologist who writes extensively on parenting issues from a child development perspective.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 30, 2019
Sadly, I picked this book up later than I would have liked to. It was given to me as a gift when my son was already three months old, and I only got to it as he reached 5 months. I really wish I had started reading it before he was born, as the section I did read (which spoke to his age at the time of reading) was really fantastic. Having read quite a few other books on baby parenting, I wouldn't hesitate to say that this is one of the best, and I would even venture to say that this may be the top choice if you're looking for a single book to guide you through the first year of your child's life.
What I love about this book is that it is broad. It treats many of the key topics one needs to think about as a new parent: sleep, feeding, play, speech, development etc. Still, it always seems to manage to go into sufficient depth to be practical. Leach does not attempt to summarise all the scientific data, but she makes sure to point out the implications of the best parenting science. She doesn't pull any punches when it comes to dismissing conventional wisdom that has no solid basis. Having read quite a few other books, her advice always seems to be consistent with the best thinking. Still, her recommendations are grounded and realistic. She seems to genuinely consider the challenge of being a new parent when doling out advice.
I also really appreciate the fact that this book is laid out in sections that focus on a particular period of time in a child's life. Although not specifically labelled that way, it basically has a section for pre-birth, one for birth, one for the newborn phase, one for 3-6 months, and one for 6-12 months. Leach leaves plenty of room for the reality that different kids develop at different rates though, which is probably why the sections aren't so explicitly labelled based on age.
The illustrations, contents and section headings make this book really easy to navigate, and I can already see that it will be an easy reference to refer back to after reading through. The writing is also engaging. I plan to read the last section as my son turns 6 months, and I hope to have the opportunity to read the early sections that are now less relevant to me when we have our next child.
If you're expecting a baby, I highly recommend you pick up this book!
What I love about this book is that it is broad. It treats many of the key topics one needs to think about as a new parent: sleep, feeding, play, speech, development etc. Still, it always seems to manage to go into sufficient depth to be practical. Leach does not attempt to summarise all the scientific data, but she makes sure to point out the implications of the best parenting science. She doesn't pull any punches when it comes to dismissing conventional wisdom that has no solid basis. Having read quite a few other books, her advice always seems to be consistent with the best thinking. Still, her recommendations are grounded and realistic. She seems to genuinely consider the challenge of being a new parent when doling out advice.
I also really appreciate the fact that this book is laid out in sections that focus on a particular period of time in a child's life. Although not specifically labelled that way, it basically has a section for pre-birth, one for birth, one for the newborn phase, one for 3-6 months, and one for 6-12 months. Leach leaves plenty of room for the reality that different kids develop at different rates though, which is probably why the sections aren't so explicitly labelled based on age.
The illustrations, contents and section headings make this book really easy to navigate, and I can already see that it will be an easy reference to refer back to after reading through. The writing is also engaging. I plan to read the last section as my son turns 6 months, and I hope to have the opportunity to read the early sections that are now less relevant to me when we have our next child.
If you're expecting a baby, I highly recommend you pick up this book!
May 24, 2013
A very detailed and informative resource for new parents and caregivers. Leach gets a little preachy and comes across sounding like that mom (you know, the one who always knows exactly what to do with her kids and knows how you're ruining yours). So she doesn't quite achieve that dispassionate tone that would lend a final boost of authority. But all that being said, as long as you read this with a few grains of salt, it can be very helpful.
February 5, 2019
A good book for first time parents. Starts with preparing to have a baby to the end of first year. An array of topics are covered from feeding, sleeping, breastfeeding, the emotional needs of parents and the babies; and various aspects of physical care.
January 15, 2014
Superficial.
January 11, 2024
Beware the subtlety of bias. I will point out a few things which are overly simplified for the sake of the review. Granted, these issues are not the focus of this book and you should look elsewhere to learn about labor and delivery.
P26 'Active management of the third stage of labor involves immediately clamping the cord and injecting a drug to deliver the placenta quickly; physiological third stage delays clamping,' "and does nothing to hurry delivery of the placenta which may take as much as an hour. Think about what you would prefer." How about a nod to the natural consequences of allowing the baby to receive their full blood volume through the cord while they have skin to skin on the mother? This assists in stimulating the uterus to contract, without depriving the baby of blood.
P27 "Will you want to try breastfeeding for the first time in the labor and delivery room?" Does not inspire confidence in the ability of the mother, the importance of that moment, and the need for a peaceful environment for best bonding practices.
P26 'Active management of the third stage of labor involves immediately clamping the cord and injecting a drug to deliver the placenta quickly; physiological third stage delays clamping,' "and does nothing to hurry delivery of the placenta which may take as much as an hour. Think about what you would prefer." How about a nod to the natural consequences of allowing the baby to receive their full blood volume through the cord while they have skin to skin on the mother? This assists in stimulating the uterus to contract, without depriving the baby of blood.
P27 "Will you want to try breastfeeding for the first time in the labor and delivery room?" Does not inspire confidence in the ability of the mother, the importance of that moment, and the need for a peaceful environment for best bonding practices.
October 5, 2022
A gift from my cousin, it was interesting enough that I read the first 2/3, but heavily skimmed the rest. Milestones are generalized so much it’s not helpful to use as a guide, and the advice is quite simplistic
I did learn a few very helpful nuggets:
Feeding cues are not always easy to figure out
Breast fed babies can digest so efficiently that they don’t have alot of diapers
If your supply is getting low, declare a breastfeeding emergency and go to bed for a few days, letting the baby eat whenever he likes - just like you have the flu or something
I did learn a few very helpful nuggets:
Feeding cues are not always easy to figure out
Breast fed babies can digest so efficiently that they don’t have alot of diapers
If your supply is getting low, declare a breastfeeding emergency and go to bed for a few days, letting the baby eat whenever he likes - just like you have the flu or something
March 14, 2023
I bought this because it is from Dorling Kindersley as I expected it to be largely neutral and unbiased reference book. While the advice is generally sound and there’s nothing controversial, I found it old fashioned, at times judgemental and in places the author’s tone of voice was unpleasant. I don’t feel it is inclusive of different kinds of families or up to date with the modern world. In particular the image of fatherhood is limited, and who buys CDs anymore? DK need to create an up to date parenting book in collaboration with different experts.
November 4, 2020
Lots of useful information but it was organized strangely. It seemed like it couldn't choose between being organized by subject or chronology, so it alternated at odd points. It is also very much talking to the mother, which is understandable, but I would hope that a larger role for the father or other parent is also envisioned.
January 6, 2021
A superb and clear guide on caring for a baby in the first year - things to look out for, debunking dodgy ideas, and the weighing up of pros and cons of different approaches.
Really good for first time parents.
Really good for first time parents.
September 17, 2010
I read about 1/2 of this book, up to 3 months old. I thought it was very informative, but confused on how it was organized and why she discussed some things but not others.
I'm glad I read some of it though.
I'm glad I read some of it though.
March 8, 2011
A great resource for parents. I wish I had this one when I first had Sam, but still found some new ideas when I read it two weeks ago. I love how it includes special areas documenting current research.
October 11, 2013
Really useful information about what is important, what works, and what doesn't during the first year. Easy-to-understand and relatable advice mixed with super cute glossy photos of babies. A great source of information to return to.
January 11, 2011
great book - it gave me so much information without scaring me silly.
June 3, 2011
A cut the crap, intelligent, easy to use guide book for newborns. I really liked this one, and got a lot out of it. Perhaps theres something to baby books published by guide publishers.
June 15, 2011
The book follows the Attachment parent model which is what I gravitate to so I enjoyed it.
July 18, 2011
Informative, and generally written in a pleasant tone, but we don't all want to be full-time hard-core attachment parents, so I gave this book away.
July 23, 2012
Very good book on child rearing. Not exactly like many others which only adds to all the other books vs repeats. An excellent read of essential info.
February 10, 2022
Loved reading this book out loud to my newborn on maternity leave while he looked at the beautiful photographs of faces! Chock full of good advice.
August 21, 2021
Very unscientific and unrealistic. Too much exaggeration and too irrelevant to life!
March 13, 2011
Very informative and helpful. And I love the full color illustrations! :)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews