We are making a collection of article from The Common Sense Guide to Baby and Child Care by Dr. Benjamin Spock. The article you are reading was first published more than 65 years ago. When it came out in 1945, The Common Sense Guide to Baby and Child Care by Dr. Benjamin Spock revolutionized parenting and changed the lives of a generation. The children of that generation are the grandparents of this one. Maybe they are your parents. So, in a way, you might be “a child of Spock.” I know I am.
Dr. Spock’s warm and wise advice still makes sense today. That is largely because the book changed with the times. When Gloria Steinem, the groundbreaking feminist, told Spock that he was a sexist, he listened and he
changed. When the health risks of our high cholesterol, high fat diet became known, Spock embraced a vegetarian diet and went on to live to 94.
The Common Sense Guide to Baby and Child Care
Your Child, Age by Age
TRUST YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN
Trust Yourself
What Are Your Aims in Raising a Child?
Parents Are Human
Nature and Nurture
Different Families, Different Challenges
Before Your Child Is Born
Babies Develop; Parents, Too
Prenatal Plans and Decisions
Choosing Your Baby’s Doctor
Planning the Homecoming
Helping Siblings Cope
Things You’ll Need
Your Newborn, Birth to About Three Months
Enjoy Your Baby
Touch and Bonding
Early Feelings
Parents’ Sexual Relations after Delivery
Caring for Your Baby
Feeding and Sleeping
Crying and Comforting
Diapering
Bowel Movements
The Bath
Body Parts
Temperature, Fresh Air, and Sunshine
Common Newborn Concerns
The First Year, Four to Twelve Months
A Time of Firsts
Caring for Your Baby
Feeding and Growth
Sleeping
Crying and Colic
Spoiling
Physical Development
Learning About People
Clothes and Equipment
Common Physical Issues in the First Year
Your Toddler, Twelve to Twenty-four Months
What Makes Them Tick?
Help Your Toddler Explore Safely
Fears at Around One Year
Challenging Behaviors
Sleep Issues
Eating and Nutrition
Toilet Training and Learning
Your Two-Year-Old
Being Two
Worries at Around Two
Challenging Behaviors
Diet and Nutrition
Toilet Training
Your Preschooler, Three to Five Years
Devotion to the Parents
Romantic and Competitive Feelings
Curiosity and Imagination
Sleep Issues
Fears at Around Three, Four, and Five
Worries About Injury and Body Differences
School Age: Six Through Eleven Years
Fitting into the Outside World
Social Lives
At Home
Common Behavior Concerns
Adolescence: Twelve to Eighteen Years
A Two-Way Street
Puberty
Other Health Issues
Psychological Tasks
Early Adolescence
Middle Adolescence
Late Adolescence
General Strategies for Dealing with Teens
FEEDING and NUTRITION
Feeding in the First Year
When to Feed
Getting Enough and Gaining Weight
Changes and Challenges
Self-Feeding
Vitamins, Supplements, and Special Diets
Breast-Feeding
Benefits of Breast-Feeding
Feelings About Breast-Feeding
How to Give Breast-Feeding a Fair Trial
How the Nursing Pattern Gets Established
Is Your Baby Getting Enough?
The Nursing Mother’s Physical Condition
Breast-Feeding Techniques
The Working Mother
Problems During Breast-Feeding
Manual Expression and Breast Pumps
Breast and Bottle Combinations
Weaning from the Breast
Formula-Feeding
Choosing and Preparing Formula
Washing and Sterilization
Mixing the Formula
Formula Refrigeration
Giving the Bottle
Bottle-Feeding Problems
Weaning from Bottle to Cup
Starting Solid Foods
Healthy from the Start
When and How to Begin
Meals at Six to Twelve Months
Nutrition and Health
What Is Good Nutrition?
As a Society, We Need to Change
Building Blocks of Nutrition
A Healthier Diet
What to Cook
Simple Meals
Tips for Happy Eating
HEALTH and SAFETY
General Medical Issues
Your Child’s Doctor
Regular Checkups
Telephone Calls to Your Doctor
Caring for a Sick Child
Fevers
Diet During Illness
Giving Medicine
Isolation for Contagious Diseases
Going to the Hospital
Immunizations
How Vaccines Work
Risks of Immunization
The Immunization Schedule
Coping with Shots
Keep a Record
Preventing Injuries
Keeping Children Safe
Safety Outside the Home
Riding in Cars
Streets and Driveways
Bicycle Injuries
Playground Injuries
Sports Safety
Cold and Hot Weather Injuries
Sun Safety
Bug Bites
Preventing Dog Bites
Fireworks and Trick-or-Treat
Safety at Home
Dangers at Home
Drowning and Water Safety
Fire, Smoke, and Burns
Poisons
Lead and Mercury
Choking
Suffocation and Strangulation
Guns in the Home
Falls
Toy Safety
Home Safety Equipment
First Aid and Emergencies
Cuts and Scratches
Splinters
Bites
Bleeding
Burns
Skin Infections
Objects in Nose and Ears
Objects in the Eye
Sprains and Strains
Fractures
Neck and Back Injuries
Head Injuries
Swallowed Objects
Poisons
Allergic Reactions
Convulsions or Seizures
Choking and Rescue Breathing
Home First-Aid Kit
Dental Development and Oral Health
Tooth Development
Teething
What Makes Good Teeth?
Early Dentist Visits
Tooth Decay
Brushing and Flossing
Dental Varnish and Sealants
Dental Injuries
Preventing Mouth Injuries
Common Childhood Illnesses
Colds
Ear Infections
Sore Throats and Strep Throats
Croup and Epiglottitis
Bronchitis, Bronchiolitis, and Pneumonia
Influenza (The Flu)
Asthma
Snoring
Nasal Allergies
Eczema
Other Rashes and Warts
Head Lice
Stomachaches
Constipation
Vomiting and Diarrhea
Headaches
Seizures
Eye Problems
Joints and Bones
Heart Problems
Genital and Urinary Disturbances
Hernias and Testicle Problems
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
Tuberculosis
Reye’s Syndrome
West Nile Virus
RAISING MENTALLY HEALTHY CHILDREN
What Children Need
Love and Limits
Early Relationships
Emotional Needs
Parents as Companions
The Father as Parent
Self-Esteem
Beyond Parenting
Raising Children in a Troubled Society
The Natural World
Child Care
Work in the Family and Out
When to Return to Work
Child Care Alternatives
Choosing a Child Care Program
After-School Care
Babysitters
Time with Your Child
Discipline
What Discipline Is
Reward and Punishment
Tips for Setting Limits
The Problem of Permissiveness
Manners
Parents’ Feelings Matter
Grandparents
Sexuality
The Facts of Life
Talking with Teens about Sex
How Sexuality Develops
Gender Differences and Homosexuality
Abusive Sex
The Media
Living with the Media
Television
Video Games
Movies
Rock and Roll, Rap
The Internet
Different Types of Families
Adoption
Single-Parent Families
Stepfamilies
Gay and Lesbian Parents
Stresses and Traumas
The Meaning of Stress
Terrorism and Disasters
Physical Abuse and Neglect
Sexual Abuse
Domestic Violence
Death
Separation from a Parent
Divorce
COMMON DEVELOPMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGES
Sibling Rivalry
Jealousy Between Siblings
The Many Faces of Jealousy
Jealousy of the New Baby
Siblings with Special Needs
Acting Out
Temper Tantrums
Swearing and Back Talk
Biting
Hyperactivity (ADHD)
Sadness, Worries, and Fears
Depression
Anxiety Disorders
Messiness, Dawdling, and Whining
Messiness
Dawdling
Whining
Habits
Thumb-Sucking
Other Infant Habits
Rhythmic Habits
Nail-Biting
Stuttering
Toilet Training, Soiling, and Bed-Wetting
Readiness for Toilet Training
A Gentle Training Approach
Bladder Control
Setbacks in Bowel and Bladder Control
Soiling
Bed-Wetting
Sleep Problems
Night Terrors and Sleepwalking
Insomnia
Disorders of Feeding and Eating
Feeding Problems
Needing to be Fed
Gagging
Thin Children
Obesity
Eating Disorders
Children with Special Needs
An Unexpected Journey
Coping Within the Family
Taking Action
Early Intervention and Special Education
Intellectual Disability
Autism
Down Syndrome
Other Special Needs
Getting Help
Why People Seek Help
First Steps
Types of Therapy
Choosing a Professional
Working Together
LEARNING AND SCHOOL
Learning and the Brain
The New Brain Science
How Children Think
Multiple Intelligences
Ready for School
Reading Aloud
Preschool
School and School Problems
What School Is For
Learning to Read
Physical Education
Parents and Schools
Homework
Problems in School
Learning Disabilities
The Unpopular Child
School Avoidance
Planning for College
What College Is For
Choosing a College
College Entrance Exams
Saving for College
Common Medications for Children
Glossary of Common Medications
Index