Hi,
I am pretty surpised that I am first person to write a review on this book. At the same time I am delighted that I am the first to write about ’’Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care’’. When my wife was expecting in year 2001, we did a lot of research for a good book to guide us on the later part of pregnancy and the ’’dos’’ and ’’donts’’ for new borns. We did buy lot of books which deals with pregnancy: some Indian titles and some forign titles which covers quite a few interesting tips but none of them were really comprehensive.
When I visited my cousin’s place, he suggested about the book written by Dr. Benjamin Spock and Dr. Steven Parker known as ’’Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care’’. I visited the Strand bookstall in the Fort area in Mumbai and picked up the book which then costed about Rs. 320. I should say this was a real stepping stone for my wife and me, since then we just follow whatever is written in the book (after ofcourse few trial and errors). It is a wonderfully well written book, very comprehensive and bet nobody can think more than what is covered in this book.
I had bought the 7th edition of this book, the first being printed way back in 1945. Dr. Spock and Dr. Parker have a vast experience not only in physical pediatric (in medical sense) but also the psychological and the behavioural aspects of a child. Believe me it about 900 pages covering all the aspects from the later stages of pregnancy to child care to adolescence.
The book starts with ’’The Parent’ Part’’ which very nicely explains the responsibilities of parents towards the child including a very realistic view of the father’s role as a important part of parenting and a very pragmatic view on the sexual relationship after delivery and parents being companions of the child. Then it moves on to cover the ’’The Child’s Part’’ explaining the development of the child which touches upon the important stages like the Language development, Cognitive development and Emotional development.
After explaining the process of development the book is divide into various sections:
’’Before the Child is Born’’ : which essentially deals with the prepartion required to welcome the child into this world. All the preparation required for the new born and the mother are covered in this section.
’’Care of your Newborn’’: which takes care of all the apprehensions in the minds of new parents. As a new parent, it is difficult to access whether a certain movement, action or habit of a child is normal or not. This section has very nicely explained about batheing the child, about the navel of the child, Bowel movements and also about the clothing, Fresh air, sunshine and sleep.
’’Breas* and Bottle feeding’’: covers in detail the various aspects about nursing the child taking into account the physical condition of the mother and problems faced by working mother to nurse her baby. The idea of mix of Breas* and Bottle feeding is explained very practically and the care to be taken for the same. Bottle feeding deals with the cleaniliness required using bottles which includes sterilization vis-a-vis washing of bottles.
’’Feeding in the First Year’’: In this section the author has very beautifully explained the feeding process from the child point of view. The psychological point of view what a feeding means to the baby is explained very nicely. This section also deals with babies gaining weight, Vitamins required by the infant, Weaning and drinking water.
’’Care during the First Year’’: This section deals with the Development Gains which covers common physical problems including Constipation, Diarrhea and Rashes. Also it explains about the Skin conditions including birth marks and all the miscellaneous problems faced by the infant together with excellent solutions and precautions.
’’One Year Olds’’, ’’Two Year Olds’’, ’’Three-to-Six Year Olds’’ and ’’Six-to-Eleven Year Olds’’: The next four sections deals with the injuries: Care to be taken and first aid including symptons of something more serious injury. All the four sections details about all the fears, apprehensions of the parents and the physical and the mental development happening in the infants. The ’’Six-to-Eleven Year Olds’’ section additionally details the self control, ethics and etiquette required to be adapted by the child to fit into this world.
Adolescence: deals to cope with the new stage and parents responsibility and duty to make the process from childhood to adolescence stage smooth: issues like puberty, sexuality etc..are really informative.
The rest of the sections are for parents to understand the child both mentally and physically irrespective of the age and the stage of the child. It deals with the care that parent needs to take at all points of time including combatting with illness. The following are explained very utmost care which is quite practical and comprehensive:
Nutrition
Preventing injuries
Dental Development and Oral Health of Children
Raising Mentally healthy children which explains about discipline, manners, reading, sharing, duties and chores etc.
Common Behaviural Problems
Common Development Challenges
Developmental Disabilities
School and Learing Problems
Day Care, Baby Sitters and Out-of-Home issues
Preparing for the 21st Century
Different Family Constellations
Family Stress and Crises
Medical Issues
The book ends with the Glossary of various medical terms mentioned in the book. I and my wife have now simply started referring to this book at the fall of a hat. Believe me this has not let us down. Few common problems could dealt by ourselves like the nappy rash, common cold etc etc. The most striking example is my son used often sick, down with the common cold and cough practically once in 15 days even after taking utmost care. We consulted every referred child specialist including one of the best child specialist to find out the problem but in vain.
In this book it mentions that some children suffer from common cold and cough (allergic) because of dust accumulated in the soft toys!!!! This was real eye opener for us and we decided to put away all the soft toys and touch wood he has rarely fallen sick after that. Each child is different but everyone finds this useful which indicates the comprehensiveness of this book.
I guess I will stop now, and await for your comments, ratings, suggestions and views.
Vijay