The Mother of All Baby Books:
An All-Canadian Guide to Your Baby's First Year
(Excerpt)



In Association with Amazon.ca

Introduction

Table of Contents | 1 | 2

A One-of-a-Kind Baby Book

As you've no doubt noticed by now, books on Baby's first year tend to fall into one of two distinct categories: those that focus so much on the experience of becoming a mother that they almost forget that there's a baby involved; and those that focus so much on the ins and outs of feeding and caring for a baby that they neglect to talk about how becoming a parent changes your life. And, boy, does it change things!

The Mother of All Baby Books avoids falling into either of those all-too-common traps. Because the book focuses only on the first year of life (rather than attempting to cover a three- to five-year time span, as many other parenting books are inclined to do), it is able to double as both a parenting book and a pediatric health resource. That's why we chose to call it The Mother of All Baby Books: this is one comprehensive book, after all!

If you take a quick flip through the book, you'll find a lot of valuable information packed between its covers, including:

  • insider secrets on what you can do before the birth to make the transition to parenthood as smooth as possible;
  • useful advice on shopping for baby (and without going broke in the process, no less!);
  • the facts you need to make up your mind about breast-feeding, circumcision, immunization, and other important infant health issues;
  • helpful insights into weathering the physical and emotional highs and lows of the postpartum period;
  • practical tips on getting breast-feeding off to the best possible start;
  • detailed answers to all of your baby-care questions-everything from feeding to diapering and beyond;
  • a frank discussion of the biggest misconceptions about parenthood and the top 10 worries of new parents, as well as the joys and challenges of welcoming a baby who has special needs;
  • practical guidelines on coping with fevers and other infant health concerns that can have you hitting the panic button (and speed dial) at 3 a.m.;
  • detailed information on all aspects of infant development-physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and more;
  • some practical suggestions about stocking the toy box (don't worry-it's not as scary as you think);
  • useful advice on juggling work and family if you'll be returning to work after the birth;
  • no-nonsense advice on family planning issues
  • practical suggestions on preparing your older child for the birth of a new baby;
  • information on first-aid procedures;
  • a detailed glossary of baby-care terms;
  • a directory of Canadian organizations of interest to families with young children;
  • a directory of Internet resources of interest to Canadian parents;
  • baby growth charts;
  • immunization schedules;
  • a list of recommended resources for parents who want to do some further reading.

What makes this book really special, however, is the fact that it was based on interviews with more than 150 Canadian parents. These parents passed on their best tips on weathering the sometimes tumultuous first year of parenthood-everything from practical tips on getting the baby food into the baby rather than just in the general vicinity to creative strategies for finding stolen moments to nurture your relationship with your partner (arguably the mother of all challenges).

You'll also find a few other bells and whistles as you make your way through the book:

  • Mom's the Word: insights and advice from new parents.
  • Mother Wisdom: little-known facts about babies and parenthood-including some really fun pop culture tidbits.
  • Baby Talk: research updates and other important baby-related information.
  • The Baby Department: leads on resources that will be of interest to parents with babies.

As you've no doubt gathered by now, The Mother of All Baby Books is unlike any other "Baby's first year" book you've ever encountered. It's comprehensive, it's fun to read, and-best of all-it's made in Canada.

Enjoy!

Ann Douglas

P.S. My editors and I are determined to make The Mother of All Baby Books the best Canadian "Baby's first year" book on the market today. If you have any comments to pass along-good, bad, or ugly-we'd love to hear what you have to say. You can e-mail me directly at ann@having-a-baby.com or write to me care of my publisher: CDG Books Canada, Inc., 99 Yorkville Avenue, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5R 3K5

 
© Copyright 2003 Ann Douglas. All rights reserved.