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The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition)
Books: CookBooks: Good Food: Item 7
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The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition)by William Sears, Martha Sears, Robert Sears, and James Sears
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547 of 735 people found the following review helpful: Good for some things....., July 12, 2003 Reviewer: A readerAs an involved father, I thought that it would be good idea for me to read the same references that my wife did. I was disappointed after reading Dr. Sears' book. According to this book, my role in the care and rearing of my child is relegated to being secondary to that of my wife's, "Father creates a supportive environment that allows mother to devote her energy to the baby (pg.8)". The role that I am to play in my baby's care is defined in pages 8, 43, 272, and 350 (paperback edition) out of a book that has 689 pages. To his credit, Dr. Sears does provide some good practical advice on some childrearing issues, which is why I would give it 2 stars. However, I find the overall tone of this to be extremely patronizing and to be totally dismissive of the fact that fathers are sometimes the primary caregivers to children. This book has a very strong bias towards the traditional mom-stays-at-home-and-father-goes-to-work household. If some families decide to follow this template, by no means would I criticize them for following what they believe to be the best for their children and families. I do not have a bias against this. However, what I am also rather upset about (in addition to my relegation to a secondary role in my child's upbringing) is Dr. Sears' subtle and backhanded criticism of as well as lack of support for families that do not follow the traditional route. Given his pediatric practice, the number of books that he has written, the boards that he is on, it is obvious that Dr. Sears himself has devoted very little time personally to the raising of his children and instead, has given the majority of the child-rearing duties to his wife. Despite being an RN, I cannot believe that Mrs. Sears worked much professionally, given that she is the primary caregiver for 8 children. Being a physician myself, I know that there is no way that Dr. Sears can accomplish all of his professional duties and discharge all of his responsibilities and still have a great deal of time for directly caring for his children. Personally, I chose to take a position where I could cut back on the number of days that I work so that I could take care of my daughter while my wife can pursue her career as well as be a good mother. This arrangement has worked well for all of us. But had I not reassured my wife that it would work out, she would have had a huge amount of unneccessary guilt engendered by this book with its biases and hidden agenda. I feel sorry for mothers and families that read this book, didn't have the options that we had, and felt incredible guilt that they were somehow shortchanging their children. Perhaps Dr. Sears' family does not need two incomes, but I know many families do (an idea he pooh-poohs on page 374)and they make hard choices. The last thing that these families need is an authority figure that either openly and subtly disapproves of their choices.
Product Review
In their excellent (and hefty) resource guide, The Baby Book, attachment parenting specialists William Sears and Martha Sears have provided new parents with their approach to every aspect of baby care basics, from newborns to toddlers. Attachment parenting is a gentle, reasonable approach to parenting that stresses bonding with your baby, responding to her cues, breastfeeding, "wearing" your baby, and sharing sleep with your child. For those parents who worry about negative effects of this attention, the Sears say, "Spoiling is what happens when you leave something (or some person) alone on the shelf--it spoils." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
William and Martha Sears, a pediatrician and a registered nurse respectively, team up with two of their doctor sons to update their 1993 guide to "attachment parenting." Advocating a "high-touch style of parenting to balance the high-tech life of the new millennium," the authors teach new parents how to bond with their babies through seven fundamental behaviors, including breastfeeding, "babywearing" and setting proper boundaries. When parents keep close to their babies by bringing them into bed at night and picking them up when they cry, the infants develop better, the authors argue; rather than becoming spoiled, they become more healthy and independent. From tips for a healthy birth, getting your baby to sleep and feeding him the "right fats," to information about early health concerns, the major steps in infant development and troublesome but typical toddler behavior, the authors of this comprehensive volume (who share their own parenting experiences along the way) are assured and reassuring experts.
Copyright 2003 Reed business Information, Inc.
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