Baby to Toddler Month by Month

by Simone Cave, Caroline Fertleman

This is a unique guide to older babies and their journey into toddlerhood. The book explains how your baby will be developing and what you can realistically expect to see each month.

Genres: Parenting

290 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2011

Reviews

[Mim Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because their first book, Your Baby Week by Week was my baby bible in the newborn stages for both of my boys. This book is also great, though toddlers develop at such different stages that it’s hard to track the bullet points for each month - my toddler didn’t follow the trajectory laid out and some bullet points he’d been doing for ages and others we hadn’t seen signs of yet. Having said that, they constantly remind the reader that all kids develop at different speeds and do their best all things considered. An interesting and enjoyable read for parents of toddlers.

[Rufus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, easy to read chapters with some useful info. However, the authors have a weird habit of writing about parent gender roles as if they were making radically progressive suggestions to someone living in the 50s. For example; "our big tip is to let Dad have sole charge - he'll relish being able to do things his own way, but hopefully realise there's quite a lot involved and be a little more sympathetic in future...and your partner will love spending time with his toddler - especially if he never gets 'told off'"!

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a parent navigating the rollercoaster of raising a tiny human, “Baby to Toddler Month by Month” is like that friend who shows up with a meticulously organized diaper bag and a hot cup of coffee. It’s helpful, informative, and generally reliable, but maybe not the life-changing guru you hoped for.

Having devoured “Your Baby Week by Week” I came into this book with high expectations. Like its predecessor, this book is structured like a dream. Each month is broken down into bite-sized chunks of advice, milestones, and what to expect—perfect for those sleep-deprived days when your brain can only handle small doses of information. Both books are great at laying out the essentials in a clear, easy-to-digest format.

However, let’s address the elephant in the nursery: the sleeping advice. Just as with “Your Baby Week by Week,” where the sleeping tips felt more like an unrealistic lullaby than practical guidance, “Baby to Toddler Month by Month” doesn’t quite hit the mark in this department either. The sleep sections might leave you feeling more awake than your baby during a 3 AM feeding. My advice? Smile, nod, and find what works best for your family.

Overall, “Baby to Toddler Month by Month” is a solid guide that offers plenty of useful tips and insights. For that reason, it earns a respectable four stars. If you’re looking for a dependable companion to walk you through your child’s early years, this book will serve you well—just take the sleep advice with a grain of salt and a big cup of coffee.

[Rikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful and reassuring book, particularly if you followed the prequel for babies from birth to 6 months. This book covers 6 months to 24 months, and each month gives information and guidance on sleep, feeding, milestones and various health issues.

Months 6 to 16 (or thereabouts) are most useful, but I found that beyond that, much of the information became redundant, as ultimately every child is so different and therefore much of what is discussed may not apply. There was also a sense that, in the later months, the authors were scraping the barrel for things to say.

The book maintains the calm and non-judgmental tone of the previous guide, but I found that as I became more confident as a parent and began to follow certain philosophies that I agree with, some of the advice in this book no longer aligned with my way of parenting - for example, in the later chapters toddler behaviour management is discussed. Here, distraction is advocated as a valid ‘tantrum-taming’ technique. This goes against the approach that I have chosen to follow. There are also some gender generalisations that are becoming dated by today’s standards.

[Zainab Hameed · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book ever

[Bridget Whittingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant, well written, easy to navigate and has helped me understand my child's development in an easy and consise way.

[Brigitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful

[Naomi Pathak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first book and it kept me sane, the second book just as good. Both accurate and helpful for parents.

[Ashton Trimble · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outdated, non-evidence based, sexist....

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally helpful and non judgmental, though often repetitive. Some parts raised eyebrows.. Feeling dated (gender roles/expectations), having a specific target number of daily sleep hours (instead of a range), or ignoring safety /medical advice (amber beads, Lavender baths)

[Terry Clague · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this in batches and it is a very good, fairly reassuring guide to bringing up a toddler. Co-authored by a qualified Doctor, it avoids the evidence-free patronization that can be on offer elsewhere.

Marks off for the needless font changing. Also, though the month-by-month element is generally a good pedagogical feature it also can be irritating to be reminded that junior should (for e.g.) be sleeping through the night by month x. Works the other way too of course when you find yourself smugging if he's doing something they flag in month 23 leading to issues of self-disdain.

[Yiannis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book for the baby’s development from 6th month to 22nd month. A very good description for each month, milestones, when to worry and how many hours the baby/toddler should sleep. A definitely must have for every parent.

[Skeetergal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and reassuring in the main. Four stars owing to a very sexist paragraph or two saying that little boys need more exercise than girls!!

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do I read now?