Product Description

This title offers excellent advice for looking after your baby during the first year. Rachel Waddilove has worked for many years as a private maternity nurse; her clients include Gwyneth Paltrow and Lady Ivar Mountbatten. In this book, she draws on her considerable professional and personal experience to advise young parents on everything they need to know about looking after a baby in its first year. Areas covered include: needs for the nursery; coming home from hospital; breast feeding vs bottle feeding; establishing a routine; sleep; crying; and introducing solid food. In addition to the host of practical information given, Rachel also considers the emotional and social aspects of becoming parents. Rachel's down-to-earth style and wealth of experience makes this an essential guide for new parents, expectant parents and all who want the best for the children in their care.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13836 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Daily Telegraph, 16 May 2006
This book is, without doubt, the wisest book about families I have ever read.

The Observer, 14 May 2006
May well be seen as the most sensible book ever written on how to bring up a baby.

Gwyneth Paltrow
Rachel's advice on everything from breastfeeding to parenting was invaluable.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Baby Book!
This book has been an excellent guide for us as first time parents. It explains and gently guides you through situations, helping explain emotional changes and the challenges you face. The routine guides are invaluable. They are very flexible so there is room for movement but they give you a great structure to work your day around. You couldn't choose a more practical and friendly guide to help you through the first year.

Useful in parts
I have a three week old boy. I read this prior to his birth. It set me up with entirely unrealistic expectations. Yes, the routines are more flexible that Ford's, but they are still regimented, and frankly, no tiny newborn is going to go four hours between feeds. I tried the routines and watched my son scream with hunger. Even the three hourly routine she suggests for premature babies was too much. I spoke to my midwife about his waking and crying, and she pointed out that newborns stomachs are the size of walnuts: there's no way they can go four hours. And as for the sleep training, well, some people may be able to leave a newborn to scream, but i couldn't. Now, I'm not a full on attachment parent, but at the same time it strikes me that any mum can come up with her own routine based on her child without having to follow a strict regime, and this IS strict. It might suit some babies, but not mine.

That said, the basic sections on how to wind, bath etc were clearly written and fairly useful for a first timer. But I won't be using the routines. There are kinder ways of dealing with a child. And for the first few months of life, what's so wrong with NOT having a regime? I feel a lot happier now i've stopped trying to follow her instructions.

Fantastic book for first or second time parents
I totally loved this book. As a second time parent, it gave me valuable, gentle guidance on setting sleep routines, feeding times and controlled crying. Rachel speaks a lot of common sense and promotes a more traditional, loving approach then other books. She favours plenty of walks for babies, sleeping outside wrapped up rather then in darkened nurseries and prayers at bedtime.

Her approach is gentler then other books, but she still recognises that babies thrive on routine, need to feel loved and that parents do not need to feel bullied and pressured into following ideas they may not be comfortable with.

Anyone who follows her approach will have a happy, thriving baby and relaxed confident parents.