Babies and young children: A guide for parents

by Ronald S. Illingworth

373 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1984

Reviews

[Chris Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I read this book because I spent many an hour in the Illingworth library studying paediatrics, and I wondered if there was anything I could learn from the master regarding parenting. In short: no. The essence of this book I agree with: love encourage, avoid punishment, but as it is written in a 1970/80s context the culture and language of this book means it cannot be recommended for parents (unless you skip to pages 265-275, which if you can stomach some of the dated language is bearable). And some of it is now just considered wrong, for example references as to how someone might become a homosexual, and how a mother should have the occasional evening off [parenting] to get her hair done. It does however offer a good reflection on what my parents and many other current grandparents and great grandparents would have thought when they were bringing up children back in the eighties. Stick with the books by Christopher Green.