Parenting with Reason: Evidence-Based Approaches to Parenting Dilemmas

by Esther Yoder Strahan, Wallace E. Dixon Jr., J. Burton Banks

Sometimes it feels as though everybody has an opinion on how you should bring up your child – and no two people seem to agree on how it should be done for the best! Parenting with Reason cuts through the masses of confusing and often contradictory advice about parenting by providing hard evidence to back up the tough decisions all parents face. Unlike many self-help guides to parenting which are based on the opinion of one author, this book is based on many findings from scientific research, giving you a trustworthy, ‘evidence-based’ guide to help see your way through parenting dilemmas. Written by a clinical psychologist, a developmental psychologist and a doctor of family medicine, the book looks at pressing questions such 'What should I do when my child acts up?', 'How can I get my baby to sleep through the night?' and 'How do I begin to toilet-train my child?' The authors, who are also parents themselves, debunk common myths about parenting, such as the notion that a healthy baby needs to be able to breastfeed at will throughout the night, or the idea that children who are adopted need specialized counselling. They also cover issues such as how children might be affected by seeing violence on television, how a parent’s psychological health can affect their child, what the scientific evidence is for and against circumcision, and how divorce and adoption affect a child’s development. The end of each chapter gives you 'The Bottom Line', a handy summary of the key points of each issue. This book is ideal for new or prospective parents, and paediatricians, family health providers and anyone who works with children and their parents will also find the book’s objective, scientific approach useful in their work.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Science

376 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2009

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so relieved to finally find a book that actually looks at the evidence of parenting instead of relying on individual experiences. Reading advice on parenting is usually frustrating due to all the contradictions. While this book is a little dated by now and some of the chapters were a little verbose, it does a great job of conveying the key evidence available on parenting dilemmas - especially since high quality research on parenting is often not feasible due to ethical concerns.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got sick of reading lots of anecdotal parenting advice, and I found this book, which takes a look at the research behind a variety of parenting controversies. The authors' dedication to what the research actually says really impressed me, especially in the section on if media is harmful to young children (there isn't much evidence that shows it is actually harmful). The chapter on sleep was pretty good too.

I was hoping for more information about infant care, like if cloth diapered children really have fewer rashes, which at least one study has found, and if babywearing helps accelerate certain types of motor development, which some mothers have claimed. It might be the case that there are only a few research articles on such topics so it didn't warrent a whole chapter? But they put a photo of an infant on the front, so I was expecting a little more depth on infant issues.

I haven't yet read the entirety of the book, since I don't want to worry about more than I have to at this point in my parenting career, but I will keep it on hand and expect to reference it later, by which time its research will probably be somewhat out-of-date.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it truly is an evidence based approach to common parenting dilemmas. In particular, it gives lots of credit to all sorts of different parenting choices. If you're looking for parenting advice based on sound science and not opinion, it's a great read.