204 of 294 people found the following review helpful: A good reference, but...., January 24, 2000 Reviewer: A reader I bought this book as a first time parent who wanted something encyclopedic that we could reach for in the middle...
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204 of 294 people found the following review helpful: A good reference, but...., January 24, 2000 Reviewer: A reader I bought this book as a first time parent who wanted something encyclopedic that we could reach for in the middle of the night if necessary, and this book serves that purpose. It has a good index, which is helpful. Unfortunately, the authors seem to take advantage of far too many opportunities to peddle their agenda of weaning children by one year from breast or bottle, as well as getting them to sleep alone in a crib throughout the night. As other reviewers pointed out, they include some inaccurate information about breast feeding, e.g. they say it has no nutritional benefits (does this mean a liquid containing protein and nutrients is the equivalent of a candy cane?) after one year and question if it will somehow delay the development of self comforting skills if the child is able to obtain comfort through nursing. With regard to sleeping through the night alone, they do not simply recommend it, they write that you are depriving your child of the opportunity to learn to self comfort along with a host of other reasons why they believe it can be harmful to comfort your chld at night without commenting on the possible benefits. The bias is not in the questions they raise, but rather in the fact that they do not discuss opposing views. It seems to me that the reason the book elicits strong reactions is that it is probably the best one of its type available. The overall quality of the book makes these areas of bias where the authors state their position as gospel stand out as extremely disappointing to the reader who disagrees with the authors particular biases. There are serious problems affecting children in our country and a high rate of violence among children and adults. We have school programs to teach empathy in an effort to decrease violence among older children. Perhaps this would not be as necessary if those we look to as experts counseled all new parents to show greater empathy to our children and to worry less about teaching our infants and toddlers to comfort themselves. Comment (1) | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)
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