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Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five (Revised Edition)
This newest edition of Penelope Leach’s much-loved, trusted, and comprehensive classic—an international best seller for twenty-five years, with nearly two million copies sold in America alone—encompasses the latest research and thinking on child development and learning, and reflects the realities of today’s changing lifestyles.
In her authoritative and practical style, Lea...more
In her authoritative and practical style, Lea...more
Paperback, 560 pages
Published
September 30th 1989
by Knopf
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a very important contribution to this subject; probably the best childcare manual type book i've come across. she has a very wise and loving perspective. i absolutely love that she finds a way to be respectful to babies while not ignoring the needs of parents (i find some of the attachment parenting people a bit extreme... at some point, you really do have to put the baby down and wash the dishes or cook a meal.) the advice in this book is very humanistic, gentle, loving- yet also extremely prac...more
Hands down the best child care book ever. I loved it so much (my kids are old now) that I would even consider Penelope a great name for a kid!
I wanted to throw this book out the window at times. But I had been forewarned by snippets from Kaz Cooke's book "Kid Wrangling" what this one was like. A great book to get ideas from, and to confirm your own ideas with. Also useful as a door stop and a cockroach killer. But Leach's constant references to Nanny's and Au-Pairs are very irritating. This sort of help is just not the norm where I come from, thank-you-very-much. I suppose if you are a clueless blue-blood this book would be ...more
Truly my favourite parenting book. Penelope Leach may actually be the reason that I have such lovely children ;) and I'm (mostly) still sane. I referenced everything and she always had an answer: nursing problems? she's got you covered. Baby won't sleep? here are some ideas. Freak outs and tantrums? Better than super nanny. Gaping wound? You're good to go. This is a book I buy for expectant mums. I'll buy it for my own kids when it's their turn. Thank you Penelope!
This book rocks. I mean, seriously. Best baby book ever.
As a young mother, I was petrified with worries. What to do and not do, what could be dangerous etc. This book was bought is a second hand shop. It was published in 1978, so not long after I was born.
It relaxed me so much I cannot tell. So this baby book told me what to do in a 1978 fashion, and in the year 2000 everything had changed about babies. So in the end, I did as I felt it, with much love, and I didn't do anything wrong...more
As a young mother, I was petrified with worries. What to do and not do, what could be dangerous etc. This book was bought is a second hand shop. It was published in 1978, so not long after I was born.
It relaxed me so much I cannot tell. So this baby book told me what to do in a 1978 fashion, and in the year 2000 everything had changed about babies. So in the end, I did as I felt it, with much love, and I didn't do anything wrong...more
I bought this as my guide to raising a baby, and so far I do like it. The organization of things is not as useful as I would like, but the advice and thorough nature of the writing IS useful, so it ends up being pretty good. I would recommend it to others, if only based upon how common-sensical the entire book is, which I appreciate much these days.
I like her presentation of key parenting philosophies. While it's clear that there is some bias, she tries to present a somewhat balanced view of the issues. An interesting read, it's quite empathetic towards the way the parent is probably feeling at different times in the child's development. This is quite useful.
I only read the toddler section, so I can't comment on the other age sections, but I got some great ideas for developmentally appropriate play, how not to worry about her eating habits, and how to cope with the fact that she'll probably be between needing 1 or 2 naps for the next little while.
I used other books for detailed things like how to bathe a newborn and starting out with solid foods, but this is a great book for understanding my kid, framing each stage. This is a very *nurturing* book for parents.
Love how this book covers such a broad age range (though by the time my child was 5, I had stopped consulting it). Really practical advice, on just about any subject that comes up in childhood.
I like this book very much: it's rational, written with a comforting tone that lets a first-time parent know that really, everything will be just fine. Leach sets out the choices, and rather than coming down on one side or another, tells you the likely consequences. For instance, on the issue of a family bed, unlike Dr. Sears (who is so pro family bed that one feels guilty for having a crib), Leach says, "Start the way you mean to go on." Both choices are fine. But each has consequence...more
I think this was one of the best books I read on babies and parenting very young children. I liked the balance that Penelope Leach has between the parents and the child.
Of all the baby books I have read, this one is my favorite. Penelope Leach has a gentle and common sensical approach that is both helpful and reassuring.
Shaun Maclean Marrow
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Recommends it for:
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skipping around looking for important notes... but the article on circumcision is great and defense for all us tortured menfolk...
Shea
added it
Borrowed a friends copy and will be sure to borrow again when we get to a new stage or if I have another baby, I mean, go crazy.
my go to parenting book. very practical advice. somewhat old-school; like a trusted grandma would give you.
I read this book literally to bits, and the cherished pieces of it are up on a high shelf.
Along with "What to Expect the 1st Year," I think it's one of the best baby books out there.
i've only read the toddler section so far -- but this one's given me a lot of food for thought. it's insightful into development and historical background, as in describing how working a farm is much easier for kids to participate in and learn from than our modern economy. and what we can do to help our kids have opportunities for play in appropriate ways.
this book is dense and wordy, and sometimes too opinionated, but i think that many parents would be better off if they knew this stuf...more
this book is dense and wordy, and sometimes too opinionated, but i think that many parents would be better off if they knew this stuf...more
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My Bible for raising MY children....my copy is dogged ears and ragged..much loved
Most everything she says is so sensible and logical. And it works.
Useful. Potentially more useful as small beast ages.
A helpful and loving guide to parenting.
this book came highly recommended from a friend.
very interesting, easy-to-find information, common-sense advice for well-grounded parents.
This is a great parenting book for first time parents. I recommend this to parents who are "readers". I actually did an analysis of this book for one of my classes and the reading level is much higher than what is recommended for most literature that we give out to the public. There are good efforts made to make the children pictured more "diverse" and I believe the photos and illustrations are one of the book's strengths.
Such a fantastic book! Penelope Leach is a no nonsense advocate for children, which she demonstrates in almost every sentence of this book. It's so good to read something that is child-centred. This book's focus is to help you understand your child's mind, how they think, what they need and how to parent them so they feel loved. My only qualm is that the style is a little formal and takes a while to get into.
A good overview of early child development. I approached parenthood knowing virtually nothing about babies or small children, and I found this book easy to read without being simplistic. I don't like everything she says about parenting, although I can't right now think of a reason why, but I find her style and tone to be comforting.
I just reread the section on having a toddler in the house. I think the author does a great job of making you understand better how a toddler thinks and reacts to things. Very helpful for anyone with young children at home, practical advice that helps you to be a better mom.
Penelope Leach offers a balanced parenting perspective in a world which careens from one philosophy of parenting to another. She is just so sensible, which really helps a sleep deprived mom's brain to remember what seems consens-ical.
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Dr. Penelope J. Leach (born Penelope Jane Balchin) is a British psychologist who writes extensively on parenting issues from a child development perspective.
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