The first half of this hefty text serves as a comprehensive parenting manual, and includes a month-by-month guide to the first year, nutritional information, basic care instructions, and physical, emotional, and social developmental milestones for children up to 5 years old. While the American Academy of Pediatrics represents the mainstream child-rearing philosophies embraced by thousands of baby doctors, it does not reflect the entire gamut of child-rearing theory. (There's no discussion, for instance, of breast-feeding past the first year or co-sleeping.) The second half of the book includes a thorough, easy-to-navigate emergency first-aid section, plus detailed information about childhood illnesses, immunization schedules and side effects, and family structures, as well as a discussion of behavioral issues. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child is useful, sensible, and carefully researched, and makes a trustworthy addition to any parent's bookshelf. --Ericka Lutz

Product Description
The organization that represents the nation’s finest pediatricians and the most advanced research and practice in the field of child health answers all your medical and parenting questions. Here is sound, reassuring advice on child rearing that covers everything from preparing for childbirth to toilet training to nurturing your child’s self-esteem. Here, too, is an indispensable guide to recognizing and solving common childhood health problems, plus detailed instructions for coping with emergency medical situations.

Comprehensive, accurate, and doctor-approved, Caring for Your Baby and Young Child provides the very latest state-of-the-art information, including:

• Basic care from infancy through age five
• Guidelines and milestones for physical, emotional,
social, and cognitive growth
• A complete health encyclopedia covering injuries, illnesses,
congenital diseases, and other disabilities
• Guidelines for prenatal and newborn care with sections
on maternal nutrition, exercise, and screening tests during pregnancy
• An in-depth guide to breastfeeding, including its benefits,
techniques, and challenges
• A complete guide for immunizations and updated information
on vaccine safety
• A guide for choosing child care programs and car safety seats
• Ways to reduce your child’s exposure to environmental hazards,
such as tobacco smoke
• New sections on grandparents, stay-at-home dads,
computers and the Internet, and much more

Caring for Your Baby and Young Child is an essential child care resource for all parents who want to provide the very best for their children—and the one guide pediatricians routinely recommend and parents can safely trust.