CHILD CARE, PARENT CARE

An absolutely massive tome, packing much more detail than most parents will want to know. Pediatrician Heins and psychiatrist Selden are both mothers, and both have lots to say on every subject. They have researched everything thoroughly and are clear, but voluble. Their philosophy of parenting is based on the strong feeling that while children must be planned for and focused on, parents must always also attend to their own needs as individuals and as a spousal unit. After the philosophical basis laid out in Part I, Part II of this guide covers ""Ongoing Issues in Parenting"" (socialization, safety, child-care helpers); Part III describes children's, then parents', growth and development; Part IV covers parenting stage by stage from the first few days through the five-year-old. Part V discusses health and illness (detailed first-aid instructions included); Part VI looks at various forms of today's families (stepparents, etc.); and Part VII is a note on parenting in society. This is exhaustive coverage, and sometimes overly alarming, in extensive sections on safety (""The peanut is a killer. When Marilyn is feeling dogmatic she says 'No peanuts until age five!'""), and first aid, which includes a scenario for each disaster: on shock, ""You hear the squeal of brakes and a crash. A car has hit your bike-riding child!"" There are also endless suggestions on what parents might do, ideally, to enhance learning: ""Label items in the home. . .Write notes to answer children's questions (""Yes,"" ""No,"" ""Kitchen,"" ""Dad""). The authors discuss when they disagree: ""Anne feels Marilyn is overreacting here. Anne feels television, like food, can be harmful or helpful. . ."" and so on. Parents will still do best with Leach (Your Baby and Child, Babyhood) for daily guidance with all the extras. This is accurate and extensive material for those who enjoy wandering all around a subject.