Infants Books

I just looked at this book while attending a national conference on child development. This would make a great gift for new or expectant parents. It is well wriiten and very easy to follow.

"Raising a child is the most important job you'll ever have." ~Rob Reiner

The First Years is a book that was created in conjunction with I Am Your Child, a national organization that focuses on raising public awareness about the importance of learning during the first three years of a child's life.

The contents include:

Getting to know me: birth to nine months
I can do it myself: 9-18 months
On my way: 18-36 months

During the first three years of a child's life there is so much more going on than just the physical/visual development. What is going on in a child's mind? Are they developing a healthy self-esteem and a positive attitude towards learning?

Are you sure your baby feels loved and secure? They discuss the myth about not picking up your infant when he/she cries too much. I have always wondered about this aspect, because I think it is natural for a mother to want to comfort an infant who is crying and it seems unnatural to leave a child crying for ages in a crib when you are who they depend on. This book also tells you that it is normal for babies to cry for certain periods of time during various stages.

Some of the highlights include: The advantages of Breast feeding, Establishing Routines, How Babies Communicate and a discussion about how you can encourage your baby to communicate with you through "self-talk."

I also enjoyed the section on: Why Babies Cry and what to do about it, Understanding your child's unique temperament, Teaching self-discipline, Language and Learning, Play Time, Childproofing the house, The stage from crawling to walking and how to deal with crib-climbers.

Questions they answer include:

What causes colic and what is the normal duration of crying?
When do babies begin talking?
Why do children bite?
How can I prevent tantrums?
How do you provide your child with the best nutrition?
How often should you visit the doctor?
Will you ever get enough sleep again?
What do I do when my baby won't stop crying?
Is baby talk ok?

This guide will encourage you to make the most of those first few years that can be so crucial to your child's development. Knowing about each stage of our baby's development makes it a bit easier to meet your baby's needs.

~The Rebecca Review

Our son has loved this book for years. He loves that the baby won't nap. He loves the trips on bus, train, and ferry. He loves the rhythm and poetry. As a three year-old, he can recite it by heart! A fabulous baby gift for any urban baby.

This book is about a baby who doesn't want to nap, but loves to go! She goes on the train, the ferry, and the bus with her mom and sister, and finally at the end (sorry to give it away!) she falls asleep. What my daughter LOVES about the book is the city NOISES that are written into the book: sirens, ship horns, train wheels clicky-clack, snapping flags, barking dogs, etc. I play up the sound effects and she is rapt for two readings in a row!

I would give this beautiful book 20 stars if I could. It is truly one of the most moving works --for children OR adults-- that I have ever read. It centers around an exceptionally kind woman, a widow, who lives near Notre Dame cathedral. The angels and gargoyles who decorate the cathedral test her goodness by sending a hideously ugly and disobedient child to her doorstep. The angels bet that she will love him no matter what, the gargoyles wager that she will not. Good Griselle is most sorely tested, especially when a gargoyle disguised as her late husband forces her to choose between him and the child she has grown to cherish. But virtue triumphs in the magnificent conclusion. This is a haunting, unforgettable tale of unconditional love and unselfishness that will leave tears in your eyes.

Beautiful illustrations and a well told story make for a delightful read.

I've known several people who've tried various sleeping methods and techniques for their infants and many were unsuccessful. I picked up this book and read it while I was pregnant. It gives advice for ensuring your baby sleeps through the night as soon as he/she is ready to BUT the habits you instill in your infant need to start from the very beginning. So, I followed this book very carefully and my son had excellent sleeping habits and slept through the night in just a couple of months. I highly recommend this book- it's a sane and kind way to approach your baby's sleep habits (while helping to preserve your sanity as well!). Plus, it's really a funny book that is enjoyable to read.

I wanted alternatives to teaching my babies to sleep on their own. I didn't like the Cry-it-out method. I didn't like going in every 5/10/15 minutes to soothe them. So, I tried the No Cry Sleep Solution. I liked the idea behind it, but it sure wasn't taking as little as 2 weeks, like suggested. Then, I tried THIS little gem. It's peppered with adorable illustrations and great tips. It's not a huge book, but just long enough to convey it's messages. Especially to an exhausted parent who doesn't want to take a lot of time to read a long-winded book. I LOVED this method of teaching my kids to sleep alone and self-soothe. I now have a 3 1/2 year old and a 2 year old, both of whom have been sleeping through the night since before they were 1 year old. Thank you Charlotte Preston!

As with "B Karem", I must admit to a bit of nepotism in my accolades for this book. However, my great-aunt Chris brought back to me a clearer version of the hazy childhood memories of my great-Grandma Karem. Yes, I remember the blue sweater. And how she always wore her hair in those two braids up on her head, but let them down at bedtime. One of my favorite parts of the book is how the author captures the subtle, poetic flavor of the Arabic language when Gram tells Rafe "sachtine" (usually followed by "yu ulbe"). What does it mean ? You'll have to read the book. . .

I admit to a certain amount of bias as we're talking about a story written by a member of my family about a member of my family.

But, my Aunt Chris really got it right. I bought it and read it to my kids and my three-year-old gets a delightful kick out of it.

May your children enjoy it as much as my own.

This is a very readable, well-researched pregnancy guide. I read it through from cover to cover, and then used it also as a reference. The factor that distinguishes it from other pregnancy guides is that it contains numerous actual photographs of parents & babies. It is also much less scary and alarmist than some of the more popular guides. It may be a little out of date compared to some of the more popular guides that are updated regularly, but it is nonetheless well worth getting your hands on.

This is a very readable, well-researched pregnancy guide. I read it through from cover to cover, and then used it also as a reference. The factor that distinguishes it from other pregnancy guides is that it contains numerous actual photographs of parents & babies. It is also much less scary and alarmist than some of the more popular guides. It may be a little out of date compared to some of the more popular guides that are updated regularly, but it is nonetheless well worth getting your hands on.

I disagree with the review from the School Library Journal. This book has a wonderful plot! I fear that we tend to neglect good literature as we try to compete with television and the internet by preferring books with "excitement." Gravity has a rich inner life as he attempts to rationalize his situation with his humans and eventually makes the decision to leave them. His pride gets in the way of his life on the street. (This is beautifully illustrated in the scene in which Gravity relinquishes a cardboard box to a cat known as The Bum. Even though Gravity was the victor in the tussle over the box, he would rather get soaked in the rainstorm than be recognized.) I am using this book with my
second grade reading students and all of them are drawn into the story, as most of them are familiar with how it feels to have a new baby in the house. They care about what happens to Gravity and are delighted that he and the baby discover a special (and SECRET) bond. My students can explore the prose used to describe feelings and thoughts, something too often missing in books that are heavy on action and adventure. This book is rated as "baby to preschool," and I disagree with this as well. This is a solidly early elementary book and depending on the reader's ability, I would use it up to fourth grade. The only things that may require explanation are some of the more dated references to washing diapers and getting meat from a butcher shop. I highly recommend it as a book for second grade, as a longer story that is a bridge to chapter books. At fifty years old, it's still a great story. (By the way, the pencil sketch drawings illustrating the original are far superior, and encourage the reader to visualize Gravity and his environment.)

I read this book over 1000 times when I was little, and I really miss it because it disappeared in about 1978. But there is never a dull moment inside.

This is a delightful book enjoyable for both young children and adults. The photographer presents the 19 babies in similar poses at intervals during their first year of life. It is great to see the diverse selection of babies go through the same developmental stages.

This is my 9-month old little girl's favorite book - she kisses each baby as I turn the page. She knows exactly where I keep the book and pulls it out for me to read her. And the joy in her face each time she see a new page is wonderful! It's fun to look at how each baby has changed over the course of a year. My husband, friends, etc. that pick up our copy of the book have fun doing that - its for all ages I guess! It is great reading time for both of us. I just ordered Penny's other 2 books and can't wait for them to come. Thank you for wiring this book.

My children absolutely loved this book. They related to it far differently than any other of the myriad books with photos of babies that I bought.

1. My children are adopted, and so I was always on the lookout for books that had photos of children that looked like them, and generally had some variety. This book had a healthy/representative mix of children -- close to that of the actual population in the U.S. -- not just a token here or there.

2. The photos are wonderful. The variety is wonderful -- babies eating, sleeping, holding a Daddy's finger (my favorite).

3. I think that one of the things that was most appealing is that the children could actually relate to the idea of growing and changing.

4. The format is great -- not too heavy or stiff like some board books.

In short, I think that this book offered something unique, and it is extremely disappointing as well as bewildering that it is not still in print.

My boys, ages 4 and 1, both love this book more than all others in their huge collection! It's so simple yet so interesting to them---showing with clear photographs the stages a baby goes through during the first year. They love it when on the last pages the babies are walking---we all yell together---THEY TURNED INTO BIG BOYS NOW! Get this book if you can---it's wonderful!

One of my favorite books for new parenting! Written by a well-respected pediatrician and father of a large family, this book explains the month-to-month developmental stages of the first year of a child's life. Made me anticipate each of those stages with excitement as my babies grew and we enjoyed them 'together'. I felt very prepared to know what to expect, what was generally 'normal' and it put me at ease to enjoy, rather than fret over, my babies' important first year. Dr. Sears obviously loves babies and conveys that hands-on, engaged approach to his readers and encourages them to love and enjoy their babies, too! A real winner.

If you're concerned or inquisitive about your baby's development, you should have this book! Dr. Sears covers the physical, mental, and emotional develpments of your baby. Hundreds of cute pictures of his own baby. The reason I prefer this book over other infant development books is that the book's style is so "down-to-earth" and conversational, and the pictures help you see what's happening with your baby rather than just reading about it.