Parenting with Reason: Evidence-Based Approaches to Parenting Dilemmas

[tadamsmar]

Just wanted to recommend this book. The book is based on findings from scientific research. The chapters are topic-based. For instance there are chapters on breastfeeding, sleep, disipline. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of recommendations, so the book can be a quick skim, you can read the chapter summaries and go back to the chapter for more detail if need be. No need to slog through stuff that is obvious to you.

I think the book is a great shower gift for a couple expecting their first baby. It's important to read the book before the baby arrives because the information in the chapters on sleep and breastfeeding are relevant the day the baby arrives. For instance, the evidence suggests that decisions made on day one could impact the breastfeeding success rate up to 30% (due to introducing the pacifier and bottle feeding too early causing a condition called nipple confusion).

I think the book uses British terminology. A pacifier is called a dummy.

The book seems to set a high standard for evidence and ends up making relatively few firm recommendations. Lots of issues are left open to parental disgression, but I think the areas where recommendations are made can have a big impact on increasing parent's success rate and avoiding some potential hazards.