Product Description
Brought thoroughly up-to-date-with the latest information on everything from diapering to daycare, from midwifery to hospital "birthing rooms," from postpartum nutrition to infant development-THE BABY BOOK remains the one must-have resource for today's new parents.

In this perennially bestselling and encyclopedic guide, Dr. Bill and Martha Sears draw from their vast experience both as medical professionals and as parents to provide authoritative, comprehensive information on virtually every aspect of infant care. THE BABY BOOK focuses on the essential needs of babies-eating, sleeping, development, health, and comfort-as it addresses the questions of greatest concern to parents today.
Amazon.com Review
In their excellent (and hefty) resource guide, The Baby Book, attachment parenting specialists William Sears and Martha Sears have provided new parents with their approach to every aspect of baby care basics, from newborns to toddlers. Attachment parenting is a gentle, reasonable approach to parenting that stresses bonding with your baby, responding to her cues, breastfeeding, "wearing" your baby, and sharing sleep with your child. For those parents who worry about negative effects of this attention, the Sears say, "Spoiling is what happens when you leave something (or some person) alone on the shelf--it spoils."

	A Word from Dr. Bill and Martha	xiii
Part I	Getting Started: Baby-Care Basics	1
Chapter 1	Getting Attached: What It Means	3
	Parenting Your Baby	3
	The Seven Baby B's of Attachment Parenting	4
	Attachment Parenting Includes Fathers	10
	Some Questions You May Have	11
Chapter 2	Ten Tips for Having a Safe and Satisfying Birth	21
	Choose Dr. Right for Yourself	21
	Choose the Right Birthing Environment	22
	Use a Professional Labor Assistant	22
	Get Moving	24
	Get Off Your Back	24
	Experiment with Labor Positions	25
	Use Technology Wisely	25
	Use Medical Pain Relief Wisely	25
	Avoid an Episiotomy	27
	Formulate Your Birth Plan	27
Chapter 3	Preparing for Baby	29
	Choosing Dr. Right for Your Baby	29
	Choosing Other VIPs	30
	Choosing Whether to Breastfeed or Bottlefeed	31
	Circumcised or Intact?	32
	Cord Blood Stem Cell Banking	35
	Expanded Newborn Screening Blood Test	36
	Preparing Your Nest	36
Chapter 4	Getting the Right Start with Your Newborn	41
	Baby's First Minutes	41
	Bonding--What It Means, How to Do It	43
	Getting to Know Your Newborn	47
	Attachment-Promoting Behaviors	48
	Birthday "Pictures"	49
	Routine Hospital Procedures	52
	Newborn Jaundice	55
	Baby's First Checkup	58
Chapter 5	Postpartum Family Adjustments	60
	Nesting-in	60
	Role Adjustments	61
	Preventing and Overcoming Postpartum Depression	65
	Now We Are Three	69
	Shaping Up After Childbirth	73
Chapter 6	Caring for Your Baby's Bodily Needs	79
	Diapering Your Baby	79
	Cord Care	82
	Care of the Circumcision Site	83
	Nail Care	83
	Bathing Baby	84
	Keeping Baby Comfortable	88
	Pacifiers: In or Out?	90
	The Right Touch: The Art of Infant Massage	92
Chapter 7	Common Concerns in the Early Weeks	97
	Early Newborn Changes	97
	Spitting Up	104
	Eyes	105
	Baby's Mouth	106
	Newborn Skin Marks and Rashes	107
	Diaper Rash: Prevention and Treatment	110
Part II	Infant Feeding and Nutrition	115
Chapter 8	Breastfeeding: Why and How	117
	Why Breast Is Best	117
	Preparing for Breastfeeding	124
	Right-Start Techniques	127
	How Your Breasts Make Milk	133
	Common Breastfeeding Questions and Problems	135
Chapter 9	The Breastfeeding Mother: Choices, Challenges	149
	Eating Right During Breastfeeding	149
	Upsetting Foods in Breast Milk	152
	Medicines for Two: Taking Medicines Safely While Breastfeeding	154
	Breastfeeding Helpers	158
	Getting It Together: Working and Breastfeeding	165
	Expressing Milk	168
	"Nursing Nuisances," Challenges, and Funny Things That Happen on the Way to the Breast	176
	Breastfeeding Special Babies in Special Circumstances	183
	Weaning: When and How	194
Chapter 10	Bottlefeeding with Safety and Love	200
	Formula Facts	200
	How Much? How Often?	208
	Preparing Formula	210
	Bottlefeeding Tips	213
	Weaning Baby from the Bottle	215
	A Person at Both Ends of the Bottle	216
Chapter 11	Introducing Solid Foods: When, What, and How	217
	Why Wait?	217
	Feeding Solids: Six to Nine Months	221
	Feeding Strategies	224
	Feeding Solids: Nine to Twelve Months	226
	Making Your Own Baby Food	231
	Commercial Baby Food	234
	Bring Out the Cup	234
Chapter 12	Ten Tips for Becoming Your Family's Nutritionist	238
	Feed Your Baby Smart Fats	238
	Feed Your Baby the Best Carbs	240
	Perk Up the Proteins	241
	Shape Young Tastes	242
	Fill Up with Fiber	243
	Value Your Vitamins	244
	Mind Your Minerals	245
	Pump Up Baby's Iron	245
	Make Every Calorie Count	247
	Raise a Lean Baby	247
Chapter 13	Feeding the Toddler: One to Two Years	252
	Nourishing the Picky Eater	252
	Getting Your Toddler to Eat	253
	Choosing the Right Milk for Your Toddler	261
	Is Your Child Eating Enough?	264
	Food Allergies	267
	Pesticides: How to Keep Them Out of the Mouths of Babies	273
Part III	Contemporary Parenting	279
Chapter 14	Babywearing: The Art and Science of Carrying Your Baby	281
	New Support for an Old Idea	281
	Choosing the Right Baby Carrier	284
	How to Wear Your Baby: A Personal Course	285
	The Babywearing Father--Becoming a Shareholder	291
	Other Babywearers	294
	Wearing Down to Sleep	295
	Babywearing in Real-Life Situations	296
	Babywearing in Special Situations	300
	How Babywearing Benefits Infants and Parents	301
	Babywearing May Change Your Life-style for the Better	310
Chapter 15	Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby to Sleep	312
	Facts of Infant Sleep	313
	Step One: Give Your Baby the Best Sleep Start	316
	Step Two: Condition Your Baby to Sleep	319
	Step Three: Lessen Conditions That Cause Night Waking	325
	Sleeping with Your Baby--Yes? No? Sometimes?	329
	Handling Worries and Criticisms of Sleeping with Your Baby	334
	Sleep Safety	339
	Troubleshooting: Solving Your Baby's Sleep Problems	340
	Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep Problems	351
Chapter 16	Parenting the Fussy or Colicky Baby	367
	Fussy Babies	367
	Why Babies Fuss	372
	Matching Babies and Parents	374
	Soothing the Fussy Baby	378
	The Colicky Baby, Alias the Hurting Baby	382
	Tracking Down Hidden Causes of Colic	386
	Comforting Colic	400
	Is Colic Preventable?	406
	Entering the Promised Time	409
Chapter 17	Working and Parenting	410
	The Real Issue: Attachment	410
	Keys to Working and Attaching	414
	Choosing Substitute Caregivers	418
	The Commercial Day-Care Option	423
Chapter 18	Special Situations	429
	Parenting the Adopted Baby	429
	Parenting Twins	431
	Single Parenting	433
	The Down Syndrome Baby--A Special Kind of Parenting	434
	Mixing Babies and Pets	438
Part IV	Infant Development and Behavior	441
Chapter 19	Growing Together: Enjoying Your Baby's Developmental Stages	443
	Growing Together	443
	Attachment Parenting: How It Builds Better Babies--And Parents	444
	How Babies Grow	446
	The Five Features of Infant Development	448
	Seven Ways to Build a Brighter Baby	449
Chapter 20	The First Six Months: Big Changes	458
	The First Month: Big Needs	458
	Newborn Reflexes	464
	The Second Month: Big Smiles	467
	The Third Month: Big Hands	474
	A Three-Month Review	478
	The Fourth Month: Big Looks	480
	Language Development, Four to Six Months	484
	The Fifth Month: Big Reaches	488
	The Sixth Month: Sitting Big	492
	Raising Healthy Teeth	495
Chapter 21	The Second Six Months: Moving Up	503
	Six to Nine Months: Exploring Big	503
	New Fears and Concerns in the Second Six Months	514
	Nine to Twelve Months: Big Moves	517
	Caring for Your Baby's Feet	530
Chapter 22	The Second Year: From Babyhood to Toddlerhood	532
	Twelve to Fifteen Months: Big Steps	533
	Fifteen to Eighteen Months: Big Words	541
	Enriching Your Toddler's Language	547
	Does Your Child Walk Funny?	548
	Eighteen to Twenty-four Months: Big Thoughts	552
Chapter 23	Bothersome but Normal Toddler Behaviors	563
	The Real Meaning of Discipline	563
	Headstrong Mind-set	564
	Toy Squabbles	566
	Temper Tantrums	567
	Biting and Hitting	572
	Baby Won't Mind	574
	Screeching and Whining	574
	Thumb-sucking	575
Chapter 24	Toilet Training	577
	Facts You Should Know	577
	Better Late Than Early	578
	A Step-by-Step Approach to Toilet Training	578
	The Child Who Won't Go	585
	Toilet Training Quickly: The Weekend-Training-Camp Method	587
Part V	Keeping Your Baby Safe and Healthy	591
Chapter 25	Babyproofing Your Home	593
	Profile of an Accident-Prone Child	593
	The Accident-Prone Home	594
	Home Babyproofing Checklists	594
	Choosing and Using Safe Baby Equipment	600
	Safe and Sane Car Travel	604
	Cycling with Infants	611
	Plantproofing Your Home	611
	Environmental Pollutants: Getting the Lead Out	614
Chapter 26	Keeping Your Baby Healthy	618
	Health Maintenance Begins at Home	618
	Well-Baby Checkups	620
	Immunizations: Why, What, and When	622
	Treating Little People	630
	Giving Medicines	633
	Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome	637
Chapter 27	The Most Common Medical Problems: Self-help Home Care	647
	Parenting the Baby with Fever	647
	Colds	662
	Coughs	671
	Ear Infections	674
	Sinus Infections	682
	Croup	683
	Diarrhea	685
	Vomiting	691
	Constipation	695
	Tracking and Treating Inhalant Allergies	698
	Eczema	703
	Questions Parents Have About AIDS	704
	Childhood Illnesses at a Glance	706
Chapter 28	Lifesaving Procedures and First Aid for Common Emergencies	718
	The Three P's	718
	Choking	719
	When Your Baby Isn't Breathing: A Step-by-Step Approach to CPR	723
	Bleeding	725
	Head Injuries	728
	Convulsions	731
	Burns	732
	Poisoning	734
	Eye Injuries	736
	Nose Injuries	737
	Insect Stings and Bites	739
	Tooth Trauma	740
	Strains, Sprains, and Fractures	741
Appendix	Growth Charts	743
	Resources	745
	Index	749