The Informed Parent
A Science-Based Resource for Your Child's First Four Years
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The latest scientific research on home birth, breastfeeding, sleep training, vaccines, and other key topics—to help parents make their own best-informed decisions.
In the era of questionable Internet "facts" and parental oversharing, it's more important than ever to find credible information on everything from prenatal vitamins to screen time. The good news is that parents and parents-to-be no longer need to rely on an opinionated mother-in-law about whether it’s OK to eat sushi in your third trimester, an old college roommate for sleep-training “rules,” or an online parenting group about how long you should breastfeed (there’s a vehement group for every opinion). Credible scientific studies are out there – and they’re “bottom-lined” in this book.
The ultimate resource for today’s science-minded generation, The Informed Parent was written for readers who prefer facts to “friendly advice,” and who prefer to make up their own minds, based on the latest findings as well as their own personal preferences. Science writers and parents themselves, authors Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham have sifted through thousands of research studies on dozens of essential topics, and distill them in this essential and engaging book. Topics include:
Home birth * Labor induction * Vaginal birth vs. Cesarean birth * Circumcision * Postpartum depression * Breastfeeding * Vaccines * Sleep training * Pacifiers * SIDS * Bed-sharing * Potty training * Childhood obesity * Food sensitivities and allergies * BPA and plastics * GMOs vs. organic foods * The hygiene hypothesis * Spanking * Daycare vs. other childcare options
Full reference information for all citations in the book is available online at http://theinformedparentbook.com/book-references/
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalists Haelle and Willingham have made an ambitious but uneven attempt to build a comprehensive evidence-based resource for new parents. The book shines with clear explanations of the reasoning behind common hospital practices such as labor induction, vitamin K shots, and taking Apgar scores, including up-to-date summaries of the sometimes overwhelming-data surrounding giving birth and infant care choices. Subjects of controversy, such as allergies and sleep training, receive in-depth, scientifically minded treatment. The results will please information junkies who like to think their choices through rationally and comfort those who want justification for currently unpopular choices such as for bottle-feeding over breastfeeding. Nevertheless, this guidebook overstates its lack of bias and its scope the vast majority of topics covered fall between the prenatal period and the first few months of life and suffers from poor, confusing organization and a lack of bottom-line summaries. The lack of footnotes and paucity of primary references, combined with a "what we did" section at the end of many of the discussions, contradicts the explicit message that parents should educate themselves. Instead, it conveys an implicit attitude that the authors should be trusted as research-savvy experts and smart parents rather than as data consolidators.
Customer Reviews
Evidence-based
Perfect book to those looking for facts. I read this during pregnancy and recommend it to expecting couple. It’s filled with evidence based science and told in a conscience manner.