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Summary: An excellent resource for new parents!
Review: My sister shared this book with me when my baby was born and it has been such a wonderful resource. It has provided so much insight and reassurance that I cannot imagine going through those first few months with a new baby without it. Every new parent needs this book (along with Dr. Spock's). It is an excellent resource and highly recommended.
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Summary: A Must-Read for first time parents!
Review: The most valuable baby gift we received when our daughter was born. More worn than the "What to Expect" books. We always read one stage ahead of where our daughter was at.... and we watched with amazement as she mirrored each developmental stages. Techniques for avoiding the overdevelopment of the intentional cry to eliminating undesirable behavior worked like a charm. Buy it.
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Summary: A great resource for all new parents, a true classic
Review: This book describes development of a child through the first three years of life through significant phases. The author goes through detailed explanations of the abilities and limitations of the young child in each phase. He gives the reader a lot of information about the behavior of the child and what drives it. Using the behavior and the development of abilities as a guide the author recommends and discourages various toys, child rearing practises during each of the phases. This is the only book I've read on the subject that is based upon factual research and not some feel good hypotheses.
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Summary: I love this book!
Review: This book has been wonderfully interesting to my husband and I as we have become parents. White divides the first three years into seven phases. For each phase, he describes:- The developments to be expected (in detail)
- The child's interests and how to support them (for example, a newborn is primarily interested in simple comfort, being handled, sucking, etc.)
- The learning developments that should take place
- Recommended child-rearing practices
- Child-rearing practices NOT recommended
- Recommended toys
- The behaviors that signal the onset of the next phase. We have used this book to select toys for our son, and I think it has saved us some money on toys that wouldn't be interesting to him (as first-time parents, we didn't know a whole lot about babies). We love to read about the developments he is going through, as well as what is coming next. There is also a great Recommended Reading section in the back for more info on many of the topics.
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Summary: This book is awesome. Every first-time parent should read.
Review: This book helped me to raise my daughter. It has explanations for behavior that normally I would never have thought of. Every first-time parent gets this book as a present from me. They always come back and thank me. My daughter is fourteen and we are havaing a wonderful time. The author raised his children into productive members of society. He is proof.
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Summary: If you can afford only one childcare book, buy this one!
Review: We bought this book when our son was born in 1990. After having read other experts (Leach, Brazelton, Spock), we decided that this was the best of the lot--followed closely by Brazelton. White discusses each significant stage of a vey young child's growth and tells the new parent what he/she may expect. The world renouned Missouri Parents as Teachers program is based upon this book. We are from Missouri but did not elect to enroll our child in the program until we read Burton White. We have bought this book for just about everyone we know who was having a baby and we're still buying it!
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Summary: good resource, NOT anti-Attachment parenting
Review: When I read the reviews for this book, I was worried that it would be like so many anti-Attachment parenting books. I was interested in the toy recommendations, so I read it anyway. I just want to reassure any other Attachement parents who are eyeing this book that the author isn't anti-cosleeping as another reviewer suggests -- the author is very clear that he doesn't know much about cosleeping, so he couldn't (and doesn't) give any helpful tips for cosleeping like he does for cribbing.
That said, this is a really good, helpful book, with lots of great ideas. I really appreciate the author's work and his honesty about his area of expertise.
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Summary: Great for the toy recommendations alone
Review: When I was a new mother, for the toy recommendations alone, I found this book of great and indispensable value. (Though I was using an earlier edition, I am sure the toy recommendations are still as useful.) Dr. White tells you which toys are worthwhile and which are a waste of time and money. Often, the most expensive toys are the ones that may make the parents or grandparents or whoever feel good, but that are not useful or interesting to the baby or young child. With Dr. White's recommendations, you can avoid buying the useless toys and instead spend the money on something of true value for your child. Also, sometimes a toy doesn't look like much and may be overlooked by a parent, but can provide a child with hours of enjoyment. And for that matter, there are things around the house that a child can enjoy that cost nothing, such as plastic mixing bowls and other safe cookware. My daughter had her own cupboard of safe things so she could keep herself occupied while staying with me in the kitchen. (The other cupboards had child safety latches on them.) She loved it, and so did I. Probably the one thing that Dr. White did not emphasize enough in the edition I was using was the importance of reading to your child, starting at an early age and continuing until they no longer want you to read to them. Literacy is of vital importance to anyone, and it starts with being read to often. And not just read to, but read to in a loving, interactive way, where the child is allowed to ask questions and where the pictures and story are open to discussion. So remember to buy books for your children, your nieces and nephews and other young relatives, and the children of your friends, and to read those books to them when possible.
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Summary: The ONLY book you need on birth-3 child development.
Review: White marries years of research at Harvard's child development center, with practical no-cost advice on what to do and expect at every week of development. He tells you how to talk, play, nuture, and nourish your child to produce optimum physical, emotional, and intellectual development. It works. My son's IQ is 147, and I raised him by this incredible book. Reading level: Meaty and scientific,intellectually demanding, but worth it!
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