Baby 411 5th Edition Paperback: Clear Answers & Smart Advice for Your Baby's First Year - Essential Parenting Guide for Newborn Care, Infant Development & First-Time Parents

I am about to buy my 5th copy. I give this as a gift to EVERY expecting mom I know and every one of them has told me how amazing it is. I received this as a gift before my son was born. I cannot begin to explain how much more prepared I felt for parenthood after reading through this book. It's a surprisingly easy read. The primary format is question and answer, but there are other "tidbits" mixed in. Interesting facts and statistics, thoughts from pediatricians, reference charts and lists. Most importantly, it is arranged by topic, instead of a timeline format. Much better than flipping back and forth from the index trying to find the right page.I didn't feel like I had to remember everything I read because it was so easy to go back and reference later. When we felt we were getting close to moving my son to his room, it was easy to go back and reread the "Sleeping" section. At 6 months, I could easily go reference "Solid Foods." When things in the diaper looked out of the ordinary, I'd head to "The Other End" to make sure there was nothing for me to be concerned about. The section on illness is great too because it gives you guidelines for when to call the doctor and when to take the child in to the office or whether they need to go to the emergency room. My son ended up having breathing troubles and I had forgotten that my doctor's office has a doctor on call all the time. When I consulted Baby 411 they mentioned that almost all offices have a doctor on call and if there are certain symptoms, you should use that option. I wouldn't have thought to call the doctor that night otherwise. Also, before my son was born, my doctor wanted to induce me on the day I went a week overdue. After reading the section about inductions in Baby 411, we had the confidence to ask the doctor if we could wait a little bit longer and I went into labor the next night. I'm so glad we waited. There are times when inducing is the way to go, but for us, it worked out to wait. If not for Baby 411, I would not have really understood what I was getting into by just blindly following my doctor's suggestion.The information is very current and they offer pretty unbiased information on different techniques. Instead of saying "this is the best way to do it," they outline the pros and cons and encourage you to make the decision yourself. For example, when it comes to sleep training, they offer a number of different techniques to use and encourage you to pick the one you feel will work best for you. They give advice on educating family members who are not up to speed on current baby recommendations. They definitely encourage breastfeeding, but also acknowledge that for various reasons, breastfeeding doesn't always work out and they encourage you not to feel guilty about it and advise other ways to "bond" as a substitute.This book built my confidence in parenting. If you're looking for a book to prepare you for becoming a parent, LOOK NO FURTHER!! Add this to your cart!