The Sears baby book Everything you need to know about your baby from birth to age two

The latest in the 18-books-and-counting "Sears parenting library" updates the 1993 and 2003 versions of The Sears Baby Book, which promotes "attachment" practices like breastfeeding, skin-to-skin bonding immediately after birth, "wearing" your infant rather than wheeling the baby, and reading his or her cues. William "Bill" Sears, a pediatrician, and his wife, Martha, a nurse, coauthor here with two of their eight children, both doctors. They divide their hefty handbook into five parts on getting started, infant feeding and nutrition, contemporary parenting, infant development and behavior, and safety and health. They include many Q & As, charts, and shaded boxes, such as "Rx for Fussing." Parents should think, "If I were my child, how would I want my mother/father to respond?" Throughout, the various Sears weigh in individually, and their many practical tips include how to remove bee stingers and ticks and how to apply sunscreen. Life-saving advice covers the three P's (prevent, prepare, practice) and procedures like the Heimlich maneuver. A caveat: they focus on husband-wife families. Still, it's an empathetic, commonsense guide that empowers parents to trust their instincts.

With a combined 55 years of parenting eight children, plus nurturing 11 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and 100 years of pediatric practice, pediatrician William and registered nurse Martha Sears have long been household names in the genre. First published in 1993, this exhaustive manual has been extensively revised and includes nearly 800 pages on just about every category imaginable. A baby's brain grows at warp speed in the first two years, so parenting during those early years are crucial. In this work, the Sears attempt to help readers personalize their parenting style based on the child. Advocates of attachment-style parenting, the coauthors guide readers through many aspects, such as getting to know their child and enjoying parenthood. Each chapter ends with a "Questions You May Have" section. Down syndrome is addressed in some detail, but little attention is paid to obstacles faced by BIPOC families, and the LGBTQIA+ community is left out altogether. The authors have some strong opinions on aspects of parenting, such as breastfeeding, that may make some parents feel shamed. VERDICT Quite limited in scope.