I'm afraid this book is years behind, particularly the childcare sections. Childminders are unqualified? They've been required to undertake training and qualifications for years now. It makes you wonder just how up to date the rest of the book is.

Try Penelope Leach instead.

Prior to the birth of my first baby I bought and read this book, thinking it may assist in me looking after my first newborn. Yes there are some points which are useful, such as how to make up bottles (if you didn't know at all), but the advice appears to be based on the perfect baby. A lot of the advice made me paranoid I wasn't doing things properly. I found I got on a lot better (and was happier) the day I put the book under the sofa - and there it has stayed.

This book follows a tradition in our society to assume that babies are born blank slates, and that we as parents shape and mould their personalities likes blocks of clay. The fear of emotionally disturbing the child because we don't respond immediately to their demands or that we don't stimulate their minds enough, so that they don't develop intellectually or cognitively to a level we would like, drips from this book. I think this kind of advice is unhelpful and possibly dangerous for new parents. It encourages feelings of guilt and self blame if things don't happen in a text book way. It encourages the question 'what am i doing wrong'.
I believe that babies are far more complex than assumed in this book, or by the standard social science model or socialism in a political sense. Babies learn very quickly how to command parents attention and time. However, as adults we have things to do besides looking after baby. Its a two way relationship, babies and parents have to learn to fit in with each other. IMagine if you had four children for example, you couldn'tpossibly give the baby the intense one to one attention advised in this book.
I would recommend reading Steven Pinker's 'The Blank Slate' and Judith Rich Harris's 'The Nurture Assumption' for more intelligent commentary. Doctors should discuss disease and illness, not child development.

This was the first baby book I bought after the birth as I had found the pregnancy version fantastic. This is a handy book to have for quick reference for various problems particularly on the health issues.

However there is not enough information on newborn babies and how to cope and make things easier. So I found Tracy Hoggs Baby Whisperer & Gina Fords Contented Baby essential accompaniements.

The Development secion is also very helpful.

This is by no means a how to book so if you want advise on routine and sleeping through the night do not buy this book but if you want an encyclapedia style reference book this is ideal.

I bought the book for my Sister in law who had a beautiful baby boy :) The first couple of days were a nightmare until I came across this book. Its a fantastic book as it covers a range of topics from feeding to putting your baby to sleep and uses an illustartive guide on how to do things e.g wiping ur baby's botty and putting the nappy on :0) It also has a section for testing the physical and social development of your baby and thats cool, cause it covers different tests for boys and girls. Basically anyone who wants a breif all in one guide on raising their children from birth to 4 years, should go out there way to read this book!