Product Description

Paperback edition to this guide to the first 12 months of human life. In a revealing portrait of life, from the baby's point of view, Desmond Morris answers the questions parents ask: Do babies dream? What makes them cry, or smile? How well can they hear, smell and taste? and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #366404 in Books
• Published on: 1991-11-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 170 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
As one would expect from so eminent an author, Babywatching is a fascinating book that manages the difficult task of being scientific and still inspiring awe at this most miraculous of beings--the baby. But then striking this balance is what Desmond Morris is best at.

Each of the short chapters is headed by a question--what makes babies cry? How important is a mother to her baby? What comforts a baby?--which Morris then goes on to answer and justify his answer with historical and biological allusions. Morris writes fluently and with an elegant simplicity which adds to the book's appeal in that it avoids falling into the trap of seeming to push a particular agenda. A fact is included if it is relevant to discovering how it all feels for the baby, which is surely the best basis for any book about babies! The book doesn't have a bibliography, which is frustrating if you would like to follow through on any of the astounding facts; nevertheless this book is informative, compelling and a wonderfully easy read.

The reader will find much more in here than in the more run-of-the-mill baby books, which often seem to include the currently fashionable beliefs without being discriminating. For example, did you know that some babies can have temporarily lop-sided heads, sometimes until they are three or four years of age, caused by sleeping the same position each night? Or that a baby can influence it's mother to pick it up by dilating it's pupils? Or how about the fact that if a mother stays in close contact with a baby for the first 30 minutes of it's life, six hours later she can identify it by smell alone? Truly amazing.

This book is an absolute must-have for mums and dads, natural history fans, or anyone else interested in the human condition. --Alison Jardine

Review
Reissue in paperback of this intriguing study from the author of Manwatching, the original analysis of 'body language' which spawned a genre. Morris begins with an insightful argument for gentler birth at home and proceeds through baby physiology, sensations and reactions, ending with explanations for customs and superstitions associated with birth and babies. Babies are infinitely more sensitive to their environment than we generally realize, and if we can understand what's going on for them we can give them, and ourselves, great joy. 'The more we can think like a baby, the greater our chance of becoming good parents'. Here's a marvellous start. (Kirkus UK)

From the Publisher
An indispensable guide to the first twelve months of human life.

Customer Reviews

Fascinating but not always practical.
I was advised to read this by my brother when I was tearing my hair with my 2 month old baby. It gave a totally different perspective to being a new parent, and explained a lot of the "whys" if not the "what to dos". I have passed my worst stage, and my baby is beautiful and I can enjoy Baby watching without feeling like a failure and just be fascinated by the reasons behind my baby's actions. Good luck to all new parents.

Great for a father-to-be!
As a father-to-be I've found this book a fascinating read. It certainly makes you aware of some the changes you'll see in your baby as they grow.

An excellent book with real insights into how we should be parenting our babies.
This is a great book, very accessible and easy to read with some fascinating information about how our babies develop and how we can help them to grow into happy confident adults.
A must read for anyone with a baby, tells you very clearly how popular baby care techniques can be damaging to the baby and to the mother and baby connection.