Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care: A Guide to The Practical Stuff in Parenting

A Guide to The Practical Stuff in Parenting

It’s funny really how unprepared I was for actually having a baby at home. I had all of the baby gear deemed necessary and I had all sorts of linens and clothing items, but the first time I encountered a red bottom or a strange confection inside a diaper, I was at a loss – where was a hospital nurse when you need one? Fortunately, my mother had gotten me the same tome she used raising my sisters and me as babies – Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care.

Large enough to be used as a small booster seat should the need arise; Dr. Spock’s baby care book covers literally everything that you might possibly encounter with your little one or later with a preschooler or even early teens. I found the solution to that red bottom and learned about various pooh consistencies as well as learning how to properly sterilize bottles, how to properly mix and store formula, how to take baby’s temperature, how to diagnose thrush, the best ways to burp babies and so on. This book has everything.

Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care
Spock’s book is divided into sections primarily by age. The first section deals with you, the new parent and your mindset. The rest is split into development and concerns by age and then practical skills including feeding, health, discipline, behavioral challenges, habits, toilet training, school, injuries, first aid and just about everything in between. If you were given a baby on a deserted island, so long as Dr. Spock came with you via this book, you’d have a handle on the first thirteen years of your child’s life.

Concerns about Dr. Spock
There are some concerns about Dr. Spock’s viewpoints, just as there are about any parenting expert. The practical advice, developmental issues and first aid sections are useful without qualifications and if you’re concerned because your personal philosophy differs from his on working outside of the home or taking on sibling rivalry, just move past those parts. With almost a thousand pages, there’s plenty to read without getting bogged down in philosophies. Skip to the parts about how to prevent choking and then help a choking baby or how to treat diarrhea and you’ll be learning something you’ll almost certainly need to use as a parent.

Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care is available starting around $18.

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