Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Aware Baby, 14 Jul 2005
When I first discovered and read this book my second child was 6 months old and my first child already 3 years old. The book answered nearly every question I had agonised over during my first few years as a mother: it is full of well-researched and honest information about babies and their legitimate needs. After the reading this, and Dr Solter's other two books (Tears and Tantrums and Helping Young Children Flourish) I remember walking down the road with my two children feeling absolutely liberated and for the first time since having children I was not anxious or frustrated or worried about whether O ws 'doing the right things' at every juncture. I wished I had heard of Dr Solter's work before; that someone had recommended these three books to me earlier, because in my opinion every parent or parent-to-be would benefit from reading her work. I felt that every mother (and father) in every maternity ward ought to be given a copy of The Aware Baby to read!! It is such an important book, and one which is full of support for parents. In a world where babies and infants are so often misunderstood and consequently so often suffer - even with the best intentions in the world - it offers clear and in my opinion intuitively sound advice in an otherwise confusing sea of information, from conflicting medical advice to an array of methods passed down through the generations; advice and methods which new parents - often in urgent need of 'solutions' - follow, even if it goes against their better instinct or judgement. Put simply, this book tells the reader about baby's emotional world and needs, and how to care for and meet those needs, and thus how to care fully for your child. It is easy to read, easy to understand, practical, and will remain useful as a reference point throughout your baby's development. The books has a clear, easy to follow structure, good referencing which builds on sound academic studies and I have found no other book which covers the issues of babyhood and parenthood so simply, directly and informatively. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Be cautious, 11 Jan 2007
I accept the good reviews of this book and understand why and how it has been written. However, this book has the capacity to do more harm than good. Out of all my friends with placid babies, I'm the one with the screamer. I turned to this book as it seemed my kind of reading. However, for a desperate mother whose self confidence was low due to caring for a demanding baby, I ultimately ended up feeling worse. To suggest that a baby only sucks its thumb because it has received some 'mis-care' in the past is ridiculous, or to say that babies don't fuss or cry because they are tired is nonsense as this is exactly what mine does. For new parents I felt this book could be extremely confusing and damaging, due to its presecriptive nature. Similarly, the 'crying whilst being held' technique was completely the wrong thing for my baby. If you are blessed with an easy going child, this book is probably just up your street and you'll be able to work with it. If you have a more difficult baby please be aware you may end up feeling worse or as if you've 'done the wrong thing'. It's not a good tool for parents who may lack self-confidence. Try something more practical, realistic and down to earth like 'The Baby Whisperer' - this focuses more on baby and you and how to improve things, not what psychological damage you may have caused/be causing, if that is in fact true anyway...
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A treasure, 20 Aug 2006
I read the original version of this book 13 years ago while pregnant with my daughter. It was one of the books I enthusiastically recommended to any friends who were pregnant, so not surprisingly one day my loaned copy never came back and I couldn't remember the title or the author (or who I loaned it to!) I was devastated as I really felt it was such an important book. I was thrilled to find a reference to it in Sarah Buckley's book, Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering and have now bought another copy.
The book offers simple but profound wisdom. As an adult when one is stressed it is natural to cry and then feel better afterwards; if one is upset a gentle hug or the comfort of a loving embrace is reassuring and healing - so why do we deny our babies such comfort? A crying baby is 'shut up' with a bottle or a dummy or ignored and left to 'cry it out'.
Aletha Solter suggests that crying is a natural response to the changes in a baby's environment and a release from tension due to events around birth or just from the adjustments around daily life. I know from my own experience after reading this book - a baby held and allowed to cry will soon cheer up and be back to normal.
All parents should read this book - it would lead to a whole generation of healthier children, and better adjusted adults.
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