Infants Books

i just had to go out and buy this book after reading the reviews on it, my son is ten months old and just gone down for a nap, and i am reading through the book and getting so excited about all the places we can now go and see. We have only been in california 1 year and i am a new mom in a new place not knowing where to go and what to see for my toddler and this book is going to be just perfect and we want to go exploring now. i have a couple of other books but the activities are for children a little older but we need to explore now. Thank you to the parents who bothered to review this wonderful book, and I hope this review helps other. like someone mentioned most of the places are either free or very inexpensive. - its going to be perfect.

Finally there is a Southern California tour guide especially geared towards parents of babies and toddlers. Your children learn best through first hand experiences and Baby's Day Out is chock full of great places for the young (and not so young) to experience the things they love like animals, trains, parks, aquariums, tide pools, hands-on museums and more. My 10 year old and 61/2 year old twins still love to visit many of the places listed in JoBea Way's comprehensive guide. They also have a list of many new places for us to visit as well.

The book is broken down into eleven chapters covering major areas of interest for young children: Museums, Our City, Gardens and Nature, The Zoo, Aquariums, Trains and more. There are over 224 separate sites reviewed. Locations covered include the expected Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos as well as many less well known places like the Goodyear Blimp Airfield, Tierra Rejada Farm and Pasadena Unified School Bus Lot.

The book includes many helpful tips for making outings more enjoyable and each review contains a concise description, directions with Thomas Guide page references, and cross references to both similar sites and nearby attractions. Easy to spot icons let parents know if the locations can accommodate single and or double wide strollers (most do), and whether gift shops, snack shops or picnic areas are available so parents can plan accordingly. I love the lists of children's books on topic related to each entry and the special pages with simple graphics of animals or things that go, etc. These pages are designed for young children's use before, during or after their visits. For example, the first picture pages are of cars and trucks children might see on the way to their visit.

The final chapter includes a month-by-month "Things to Look For" section featuring holiday, special events and seasonal changes to watch for geared to Southern California. There are comprehensive listings of Fourth of July displays, Holiday lights, Farmer's Markets and more. These lists alone are a great resource whether you have young children or not.

The number and variety of places listed is truly impressive. Our family has been enjoying working our way through the book and finding many new favorites. I plan to give this book as a shower gift to all my pregnant friends and think the book is a great resource for parents of school age children and teachers also.

This book is filled with fun things to do at any age and for anyone who has some time to spend in the L.A. area. We visit there often and sometimes we are looking for more to do than just the big theme parks. There are so many things that I wouldn't have known about, much less how and where to find them. A treasure for anyone, local or tourist.

Baby's Day Out in Southern California provides a wide range of age-appropriate excursions. Crammed to the bursting point with places to go, things to see and do, special events, ideas for activities and related reading, this excellent book is one of the most innovative, detailed and practical guides around.

Although the contents are arranged by type of place (i.e., museums, aquariums, farms and ponies, flying), it also offers site maps, making it easy to plan a day around a particular location or a specific interest. Listings include physical and Web addresses, phone numbers, directions, what to see and do, hours, parking, admission and membership information, related locations, nearby places and blank space for your own comments. Additional sections contain events by the month, packing lists and road games.

Its most valuable feature is its ability to look at potential places from a child's perspective. Among the 224 sites listed in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Santa Barbara/Ventura counties are fire stations, school bus yards, museums, libraries, gardens and nature centers, truck stops, farms, theaters and convention centers.

This is one of the best travel reference guides you could acquire if you have young children.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and never knew about 90% of the places suggested in this book! In addition to the usual spots (Disneyland, parks, etc), the book suggests creative places like the schoolbus depot and construction sites (from a safe distance, of course!). "Baby's Day Out" really made me look at the world through my babies' eyes, where everything is a new and fascinating experience. For example, when I drive on the highway now, I point out the trucks passing by to my kids and they love watching the different sizes and colors. Before this book, I never would have thought about trucks on the highway as a field trip experience. This book is also very practical, providing all the necessary information, including Thomas Guide map pages, hours, prices, parking, everything! As an added bonus for me, Holt even tells me when they're enough room for my double stroller (with twin 18-month old boys, that is a big plus for me). I live in New Jersey now and bought this book while on vacation in Los Angeles. I wish they would write a book like this for us folks in the east coast.

I bought this book when my son was 3 months old and he still loves it!!!

The pictures are quite endearing and detailed with lots of things to point out and talk about. The little latch is a hit. We must operate it at every page!

This is an enjoyable colorful bible for babies. The colors and the stories are a fantastic way to Introduce baby or toddler on the bible. This little beginning makes it fun and easy for mom and dad to explain further the stories that are told, too.

My daughter, Zoe is 21 months old & we both loved this book. She is learning to pray & the short, often rhyming words make prays easy to remember. But most of all the vibrant illustrations captivate the toddler's interest. This was a great buy!

The moment my 2 yr. old daughter saw the book, she never let go. Every night, we both cuddle up & look at the very colorful pictures with cutouts on each page. I make up stories on each page & also read to her the simple prayers that she could learn as she grows. Since the pages are made of hard board, they are perfect for tiny, experimenting hands which turn each page awkwardly with too much excitement. Furthermore, the lock at the side makes it easier for those tiny hands to carry. No more flapping pages! These little inquisitive kids will not only learn to read but also harness their motors/skills by opening/closing the lock. Another big plus is the handle which allows the children to hold/carry the book very conveninently wherever, whenever. I highly recommend this book to all your toddlers!

We have had this book from infancy, Quinn is now two years old and still requests the "baby book". The rhymes, multicultural pictures, and surprise at the end make this an enjoyable book for us all to read. This has become our standard baby gift and is much loved by all who recieve it.

I bought this book second hand and it was my sons favorite for almost a year. I loaned it two a neighbor and her daughter was almost inseparable from it. My daughter (12 months) has just started it and I see her face glow with each new page.

You don't have to be an infant to love this book, as becomes clear from the delight it gives one 12-year old we know and love. But there's something very fetching about infants, even for kids bordering on adolescence.

In this case, the book may operate as something of a replacement for baby pictures that don't exist, since the child was adopted well past toddler-hood.

But the 28 pages of huge black and white photographs of infants are also in themselves a great draw, what with feet, hands, faces, and bare bottoms all thrown together with a 65-word poem, and a full-page mirror for the baby (or child) to see himself.

For infants and older kids, the message is terrific: you're special for being you.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

This has been my daughter's favorite book for the last month, and there is no sign of it ending. She will search through her shelf of books and somehow find this one to pull out. And I'm going to give away the ending... It has a really nice mirror on the last page - she loves to stare at herself and then flip back through the pages to the other babies. She loves it so much that I am about to buy a second one - a couple of the pages are already tearing! A must have!

This beautiful, rythmic book is perfect for a child of any age. My son fell in love with it when he was only 4 months old. He still reads it daily. This book is a treasure!

This is the best possible resource for parents of new baby girls who want to welcome them in a Jewish way. I found it extremely helpful. My wife and I felt somewhat confused, unsure of how to put a welcoming ceremony together for our new daughter, and this book took us through the process, step-by-step. It has an incredibly wide selection of readings, poems, blessings, prayers and songs from which to choose. Now we also give it as a baby gift to every new parent of baby girls we know.

There are few truly essential books for new Jewish parents; if you are blessed with a daughter then Cohen's book is surely one of them. It is at its core an indispensable how-to guide for planning a beautiful Simchat Brit Bat ceremony step by step. But it is also so much more. It places the texts and rituals in their liturgical context and helps the reader to understand why each selection is relevant. Cohen has also written a wondrously inclusive book that caters to a broad spectrum of Jewish practices from traditional to progressive. My wife and I used this book and little else to plan a lovely, meaningful ceremony for our daughter. We've never owned a book that was so quickly dog-eared and full of notes than Cohen's masterpiece. It is an extraordinary work.

I have twin girls, and this book helped my husband and me create a fabulous ceremony to welcome our daughters into the covenant. This book is great for anyone who is having a baby nameing outside of a Temple. Our guests loved the ceremony so much that they actually kept copies of the service.

This book was great for helping us plan our Bat Simcha. We purchased it even before our baby was born - before we knew the baby would be a girl. It provided many great ideas for creating either a Bat Simcha or a more personalized bris. We could not have planned such a meaningful ceremony without the help of this book.

The introduction opens with, "Mazal Tov, You've Had a Baby Girl!" Everybody is familiar with a bris, or brit milah circumcision ceremony -- and in current practice, a festive celebration, for healthy baby boys on their eighth day after birth. But what do you do when you have a daughter? What are they, chopped liver? Since the early 1970's, some Jewish parents have been celebrating their daughters in original ways (Ezrat Nashim published the first ceremonies in 1977, and the havurah and renewal movements wrote about theirs starting around 1973). Debra Nussbaum Cohen, a resident of Park Slope Brooklyn, and mother who has known the joy of birth and the pain of loss, has created this essential guide to new and traditional ceremonies with which to welcome your new daughter to the world, the covenant, and the Jewish people. It will be a welcome addition to your Jewish bookshelf and your life. Consider this: what you create today will be a "tradition" for your descendants! Cohen started collecting organic Simchat Bat ceremonies when she was pregnant with her first child. For your Simchat Bat ceremony and celebration, she includes readings, poems, specialized readings for adoptions, blessings, prayers (in Hebrew, English transliterations and translations), history, songs, and rituals. It is an inclusive book that has sample ceremonies also crafted for adherents to traditional Orthodoxy, traditional Sephardic rite, contemporary rites, contemporary Orthodox, humanism, and modren mikveh rites. Part One consists of about two dozen pages that introduce you to welcoming ceremonies and Jewish tradition, including the idea of covenant, brit milah, the custom of gomel, and that of a new father being called to the Torah to recite blessings, announce the birth, and pray for his wife's recovery. Part Two consists of about four dozen pages on seriously practical considerations for your ceremony. It includes chapters on how to involve your non-Jewish loved ones or spouse, if necessary (through acknowledgement and readings); what to do in cases of adoption and cross-cultural adoption (remember, Moses was an adopted child, and Mordechai was probably an adoptive parent); and gay and lesbian parenthood. Part Three focuses on planning the event, creating programs, sanctifying the space, and deciding when to have the Simchat Bat (eighth day, 30th day, etc.). Part Four contains over 150 pages of sample ceremonies, and hundreds of readings and elements from which you can pick and choose. It includes selections for welcoming, naming, prayers of thanksgiving, parental blessings, acrostics, psalms, readings for relatives and friends, blessings for wine and bread, and rituals for brit nerot (light), brit mikvah (immersion), brit rechitzah (footwashing/handwashing), brit tallit (enfolding her into the covenant), brit kehillah (community), brit melach, and brit havdalah (transitions). The book succeeds so well, one wishes all the babies were girls (or maybe some things can be borrowed for future boys).

The Child Health Guide is hands down the best, holistic book on pregnancy & parenting that I have found yet. I'm still learning stuff that I didn't know -- stuff that helps with my 15 year old!!
The author holds a degree in Oriental Medicine and focuses on scientific information to teach you to make healthier choices for you and your family.

Here's a sampling: Plastic Toys and Phthalates; Environmental Toxins In The Home; Chemicals To Avoid In Shampoo; Why Avoid Soy?; Which Sweeteners Are (Relatively) Safe & Sweeteners To Avoid; DHA Supplementation, Cod Liver Oil Nutrient Content, Fats For Children, etc.; The Most Important Foods To Avoid; Principles Of Holistic Pediatrics For Parents; Vaccines -- Making An Informed Choice.

There is an entire section that focuses on managing acute illness, treatment at home & when to seek outside help.

There is so much more. This IS the book to get for someone looking to get pregnant and raise healthy children!!

I am not a die hard holistic follower so I found some of the advice a littel too extreme for my personal taste. Although, while extreme, if definitely provides food for thought.

When I first started this book, I was concerned that it would be too general for me, as I'm pretty granola already. But as I kept reading, I was pleasantly surprised! It turned out to have lots of great info I didn't know before...I'm really glad I found it! It's a good overview of basic child healthcare, and gives lots of practical advice. Because I read it, I'll know not to panic if my child should get a fever that sounds high to me, for instance...Neustaedter explains why fevers can be beneficial, and when to leave them alone, and when to help them go down naturally. There are lots of other great tips, as well as homeopathic remedies.

This is so important for new parents and parents who want to make more informed choices with their second or third etc.
The philosophy behind this book is "don't just believe what your pediatrician is telling you to do". Expand your beliefs and resources for the health of your child. There's so much solid info regarding dietary and environmental influences on your child's health, it's amazing.
We would have done things very differently in regards to our son's "spitting up" issues had we read this book earlier and not just followed the advice of our pediatirican to jump on meds which never worked anyway. Fortunately once we saw meds weren't improving the situation we looked further for an osteopath and a homeopath who actually were more effective in resolving his reflux / spitting up issues.
So hooray for Randall Neustaedter for writing this enlightening book!
It's a must have for all.

This kind of information can be difficult to get your hands on... What plastics are safe? Do you need to filter your water and what kind is best? What about vaccines and flouride? What tests are necessary for the newborn? Some other topics include: newborn basics, how to co-sleep safely, and how to wrap a matress to reduce the incidence of SIDS.
Nutrition is covered, including allergies. For instance, did you know soy is NOT an appropriate food for babies? For parents who need to give formula there are several recipes for home-made formulas (milk-based, goatmilk-based, liver-based, and how to supplement store-bought formulas).
Other pertinant information includes teething, common childhood illnesses (colds, fevers, ear-aches, etc.) with explanations on how and when to treat with homeopathic remedies, along with chapters about each stage of childhood.
This book is a must-own for ALL PARENTS who want the straight facts in one easy-to-read format.

I bought this calendar for my niece and she is so thrilled to have it that she calls her sister everyday as it is, but since she's pregnant too, my niece shares the little interesting facts each day with her. It's a great way to compare gestation timeframes too with friends and family that are pregnant during the same time as the receiver of the countdown calendar.
It pleases me that this gift pleases my niece as much as she is when she reads her daily gestation growth.

Countdown to My Birth is a very exciting way to keep up with the development of your child. There are all kinds of interesting phases that take place throughout the pregnancy and this calendar was a fun way for my wife and I to wake up each morning and "connect" with our child. We never read ahead and just looked forward to each new day when we could flip the date and see what our baby was going to "say." There is also a place to take "notes" on events that occurred each day as well as stickers with major marking points in the pregnancy (Hurray! You know I'm here, You hear my heartbeat, You see me in an ultrasound, etc.) I think what I really like about this is that it makes me (the father) feel more involved in the pregnancy and keeps me really excited to see my first child. I also think this will be a wonderful gift for my son when he is older so he can read what his mother and I were thinking/feeling during each stage of the pregnancy. I would buy it again.

Easy way to include hubby in daily baby growth in utero without getting out the heavy hitting books. Simply flip the calendar daily (after filling it out for your due date) and it tells you everything from being the size of a pea to suggesting eating finger foods 'cause I'm growing fingers today...

We cherished ours and still have it as part of our baby collection. I highly recommend it as a congrats on your pregnancy book.

I purchased one calendar for myself and one for my girlfriend who is currently pregnant. It's cute, especially for first time mothers. I haven't used mine yet, but I plan to once I get pregnant :)

This calender is so much fun. What a way to get daddy involved. We flip each page every morning and read what each day says. It gives you a great idea of what is happening inside of you each day of your pregnancy. It fun facts. My husband loves it. I plan on buying this calender for all future friends who get pregnant. It's worth it. This calender is probably most fun for first time pregnancies.

The book is a handy reference on just about every health related issue you need to know about for a child from birth- 5 years old. The book is well written, comprehensive and easy to use with a friendly tone. Once you have one, you'll buy one for every other new mom you know.

I used this before, during & after preganancy & still today with my teenage daughters. Great for looking up symptoms & knowing how to handle any situation that may come your way. I still have the book with my first aid items for reference even though my copy is now 18 years old.....

I have loved this book and recommended it to quite a few people. It seems like so many questions a new mom has are answered in such a readable and informative way. Great resource book you'll go back to again and again. I highly recommend it to expecting parents and new parents.

Dr. Joanne Baum
Author of, Got the Baby Where's the Manual?!?
Winner of the 2007 IPPY Gold Medal Award in Parenting

Our original copy of Dr. Mom has split into two pieces. It has lost its cover and backing, and it is missing several pages. We have used this book like a bible for eight years raising our first three boys. We are having a new baby now, and we need a new copy. I seriously cannot think of any book that we have used and relied on so much. By the way, it blows all the others like it away.

I bought this book when I had my first child. It has provided me with alot of helpful information, especially at night or on the weekend when you're not sure whether or not to call the doctor. I have worn my original copy out and am about to buy a new one. Many thanks to Dr. Neifert!

I just recieved my copy today. I was hooked as soon as I saw Dr. Christopher mentioned. My middle child has bad eczema and I hope the suggestions in here help her. It's very easy reading and very informative. If your child has a persistent problem this book should help.

I deffantley recommend this book to parents who do not want to treat their kids with perscibed and non-prescribed drugs. It's a must have for those with kids.

This book is wonderful! It provides useful alternatives to common everyday ailments that are gentle and effective, and it's easy and fun to read, too. Everything you need to know is clearly presented and referenced. The remedies are simple to prepare or obtain, and because they're made from nature's products, you don't have to worry about their effects being too strong for your child, or even yourself. Andrea Candee provides helpful information on how to decide upon which remedy is best as well as how to help "the medicine go down." This is a wonderful reference for every household. I love it!

As a fairly young herbalist myself, i am very pleased with all the informative and varied rememdies suggested in this book. It is very easy to reference and very user friendly; nothing complicated. Andrea Candee offers a gentle manner in her representation of suggested rememdies. I have bought three extra copies to give as baby shower gifts! It's really nice to see such a variation of alternative rememdies/treatment talked about in this book, such as homeopathic, chiropractic, essential oils, onion poultices, and of course herbal preparations. It's nice to be able to make your own decision on a few different suggestions in many cases. It has been a great reference book for myself and other friends with babies as well. I highly recommend this book!!

Written by a Master Herbalist who has worked with physicians and in her own private practice for the past 25 years, Gentle Healing for Baby and Child is the definitive guide for parents looking for an alternative to common treatments for everyday problems. In an accessible format, this guide includes solutions to ailments that occur both inside and outside the body. Got acne? Try an herbal detoxification, an herbal steam, or some Herbal Zinc Zapper. The Zapper recipe contains a mixture of zinc oxide, peppermint, and comfrey. Got a stressed out teen? Dose him with some Honegar - a mixture of honey and vinegar - to restore his chemical balance. In this book, the authors explain that the "floral nectars that comprise honey contain B vitamins and minerals which are calming to the nervous system." While you've got the honey jar out, don't forget to layer it over your little one's skinned knee before applying a bandage. Honey contains natural "anti-microbial properties."

Also included are sections that address subjects such as "Healing Imagery," as well as instructions for dosing herbs, where to find a local natural health practitioner, how to deal with toxicity, and even testing for food reactions. Herbalist Candee has created a helpful, easy to use guide to natural healing for parents. --Reviewed by Michelle Smith

This book was wonderful! I loved it.Loosing someone you only knew for only a couple of days is heart breaking!!!

Chosen as an, "Editor's Choice" in the September 10, 2000 Chicago Tribune. Rosales' book is part catharsis and part journal, but it's mostly a guide for other parents facing a similar tragedy. Rosales explains how to find comfort in religion and family, and what a person can do to cope with and try to understand the loss of a child.

This book brought me tears of sorrow and tears of joy. Sorrow for the pain I felt for my closest friend and for the author. My close friend recently lost her 4 day old son in similar circumstances. I bought this book as a gift for my friend and read it myself. I'm glad I did as this book gave me a better understanding of her pain. The joy came from the faith messages in this book which confirmed my Faith in God and the bigger picture of life itself. I highly recommend this book to anyone, not just those who believe in God. The saddest part is that this book is not being published anymore, I was fortunate to find it online through a private seller. A book worth searching for! Thank you Jan Wolfe Rosales for sharing your story, for giving me tears of sorrow and joy!

This was a beautifully written book that will completely touch your soul. I lost my firstborn son and this was a book I could defintely relate to! The author talks about her struggles with her faith in God and then shares how she surrendered all to the Lord and how her healing began. This is a definite must read for all those who have lost a baby. We all share the same heartache and this book speaks right to your soul.

Author Jan Rosales lost her firstborn child when he was just four days old. Baby Joe died in his mother's arms in the backseat of an automobile on an Iowa Turnpike, on their way home from the hospital where the best university doctors couldn't undo his fatal heart defect. Joe's young parents were devastated, bereaved, and very angry with God. Given In Love, But Not Mine To Keep is a candid, intimate revelation about loss and repair, about finding a source of strength beyond imagination. It is an exceptional powerful testimony of faith, a tribute to a son who was given everything but length of days, and a testament to the faith that guided a young woman through her valley of the shadow of death. Given In Love, But Not Mine To Keep is highly recommended, redeeming reading for anyone who has ever suffered the loss of a child.

I bought this book for my sister who just had a baby. After reading through it, I am green with envy that she will have access to all the useful and practical information in this book! I had to learn so much through trial and error (the emphasis on error). I would have saved myself so much time and energy had I had a book like this one! Do you know how long it took me to figure out how to go out of the house with my baby and how much time I spent feeling guilty for not feeling totally, unconditionally fullfilled by motherhood?

I will buy this book for everyone I know who is having a baby!!

This wonderful resource recently received a Gold Parenting Resource Award from the National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA). Susan K. Perry, PhD wrote the following review: This compendium of ideas guides expectant and new mothers toward balance and a sense of control as they plan for and face the upheavals of new parenthood. A wide rang of issues is covered, and the tone is reassuring, helping both expectant and new moms relax. The tips are practical and specific."

Written specifically for expectant and new moms, Sheryl Gurrentz presents a superb and infinitely practical compendium of advice, tips, and techniques to care of the new baby and themselves. Especially recommended for women who seek to combine child care with career employment, Gurrentz demystifies early motherhood by covering a diversity of relevant subjects such as how much the body hurts even weeks after giving birth; what to do when feeling jealous that your partner goes to work while you are preempted by child care responsibilities for a new born; how to get a spouse to act like a parent and not just an assistant helper; how to protect modesty while publicly breast feeding; and what to do when life with a new baby doesn't turn out quite like you thought it would! Highly recommended reading, The Guilt-Free Guide To Your New Life As A Mom is an invaluable preparation while waiting for baby's arrival, and even more welcome when trying to adjust to baby after she or he has arrived to enliven, enhance, bewilder, and change your life!!

"We are the first generation of mothers to want the best of both worlds, whether or not we work. We want to be able to take care of our own needs and pursue our personal interests in a wide variety of activities inside and outside the home - while we're being great moms." ~Sheryl Gurrentz

While many books on motherhood focus on what you "should do," this book focuses more on how to make becoming a mother an enjoyable experience for YOU.

Is this possible? Can you really make time for yourself and feel guilt-free?

Sheryl Gurrentz has helped thousands of parents redefine their goals. She believes you can have it all. As a trained ?doula,? she has experience couching women before, during and after childbirth. She wants you to know what it will feel like to be a mom and how you can feel good.

She also shows you how to choose baby products, create harmony in your life, make time for yourself, get things done, balance responsibilities and make wise career choices.

The Contents Include:

Adjusting to Motherhood - feelings
Creating Life Balance - time for you, time for baby
Dealing with Physical Changes - what will your body feel like?
Enjoying Nursing - to nurse or bottle-feed, that is the question.
Choosing the right baby products - deciding what you need and how to select items
Managing Family Dynamics - You, Your Partner, the new baby, other children, grandparents.
Making Career-Oriented Transitions - Getting what you need from working, returning to work and becoming a professional mom.
Creating a Safe Home Environment - general baby proofing and safety
Going Out with Your Baby - daily trips and eating out
Traveling with your Baby - planning what to bring and adapting to places you are staying
Finding Baby-Sitters
Finding Child Care

The author encourages you to look at your positive and negative feelings. She suggests making time for a massage or getting a facial to make yourself feel great. Just because you are pregnant, doesn?t mean you can't spoil yourself.

Throughout the book she talks about:

Dealing with Physical changes.
What the difference will be between various forms of childbirth.
How to prepare yourself for nursing. I had no idea there were breast shields.
There is information in this book, I have never read anywhere else.

The "Deciding What You Need" section is extremely good. Sheryl also explains how various items are more practical than others. This will save you money!

Would make a great baby shower gift.

A Unique resource for every mom or woman considering being a mom. 20 Stars for originality!

You might also enjoy:

Win the Whining War and Other Skirmishes
The Answer is "No"
Survival Tips for Working Moms
The Summer Camp Handbook
Good Friends are Hard to Find

~The Rebecca Review

A look of skepticism crossed my face as a friend handed me this book to read. Being a new, sleep-deprived, working mom, the last thing I thought I could find was time for a little quiet reading, but once I started flipping the pages I was hooked. Sheryl Gurrentz brings her own wisdom as a mother to a fresh new look on parenthood. She uses a mix of humor and real-life testimonials that not only provide good information but priceless wisdom and advice for surviving the many adventures of motherhood. The book talks about everything from dealing with the physical changes after childbirth to evaluating your career and life balance. It is packed with important advice including a resource guide in the back of the book containing contact information for manufactures, organizations and associations that you may need during that first year of motherhood. This book would help any new mom get through the twists and turns ahead. It is a book that new moms will use and treasure.