Lots of fat, little meat At its core, Wonder Weeks has useful information. Unfortunately, the reader has to wade through a lot of pointless and redundant reading to get to it. It could probably be 30-40 pages and convey the stuff you actually want to get from it.
To save readers a lot of time, here's a tip - the first 20ish pages of each chapter can be summed up as "Your baby is entering a growth spurt. He or she will be cranky and clingy. You will be tired and frustrated." That's 50% of the book. Another 25% are testimonials from moms reinforcing those three sentences. The rest is the actual meat - how you can help your baby through this particular spurt, and how the spurt is changing your baby's brain and skill set.
My other complaint is that dads don't exist in this book. We're apparently absent from the parenting process. These days, that has to have been a conscious decision on the author's part, and I just don't get it.
Book is being reprinted I give this book to every new mother I know, it's that good. However, the used book prices are insane. I emailed the author in the Netherlands and he said they are in negotiation with a new publisher to reprint the book.
There is no reason to pay $80.00 - $175.00 for a $20.00 paperback.
People all over the world have written to him asking to have it reprinted and he's very anxious to do so.
Tricia
There's a reason for the change in behavior! I wish someone had told me that babies have a fussy phase around 5-6 weeks. I got this book when my son was about 8 weeks old and it was comforting to know that his seemingly out of the blue crying was very normal. For each "leap" the book tells you fussy signs to look for, things your baby may be doing, and things you can do to help them flourish. The last week or so, my son has been craving more attention, having trouble settling down before sleeping, and turning away at times when being fed. I picked up the book again and sure enough, we have hit the next wonder week at 19 weeks and all of these things were listed under fussy signs. It's nice to have an idea of when these weeks are, instead of wondering why things have changed so much!Great insight into baby's brain development I really wish I'd had this book from the beginning! It's a fascinating insight into what is going on inside your baby's head.
It's easy when your baby is fed, slept, cuddled and played with to become a little frustrated if he's still uncharacteristically fussy. It really helps to be able to anticipate a fussy phase -- I actually prefer fussy "time frame," since our little guy just seems to have a few more off days and isn't really fussy all the time. When he's unusually fussy in that time frame, instead of just becoming frustrated and giving myself a hard time that I'm not meeting his needs, I can look for specific new things he is learning.
I agree with other reviewers that just knowing what is going on is incredibly helpful. Also, knowing that it will end soon and that this fussiness is your baby's way of coping with increased mental capacity and awareness really gives me a great deal of perspective. Actually, knowing it will end soon is probably the most helpful :)
I also like that the authors emphasize that your child will *not* do all the new things listed, but to pay attention to what (s)he is interested in for clues to the emerging personality. I have enjoyed their suggestions for games to play to help your child learn to use their new mental capabilities.
I have acquired a large library related to child/infant care and this is the best book I have invested in thus far. No other book has had such practical information that really contributed to lowering my stress level as a first-time parent.Wish I'd had this book with my first baby... This is such a helpful book. It explains all of the major developmental stages, and helps you understand what your infant might be going through. It seemed whenever my son would start getting fussy or sleeping poorly, I'd look in this book and coordinate it with a different developmental milestone. I recommend this book to any new parents. Sometimes realizing what's happening, makes it easier to deal with.
