What to Expect the First Year: (Updated in 2024)

my sister recommends 10/10, very informative

My wife found this book very useful. It has all you need to know for the first year.

Yo no sabía nada de bebés y quedé embarazada sin planearlo. De todos los libros que he leído en distintos idiomas. Este es el más completo que he conseguido. Altamente recomendado en todo sentido!

I was very surprised by the negative reviews of this book that I read here and decided to add my two cents for some balance. While the authors certainly have definite opinions on subjects like the family bed, they present some very clear and logical reasons for their positions. Further, having used this book extensively for the first 10-1/2 months of my child's life, I have had no issue with the information presented on nursing (which I still do) or getting baby to sleep through the night. The authors are not heartless, as some of the reviewers here would have you believe, and do not suggest that parents always let babies cry it out. That's ridiculous and I don't know how these readers got that from this book. I live in a town where we only have family physicians, no peditricians. The information in this book with regards to developmental milestones (which they are very careful to note are only guidelines with a wide range of what's normal), nursing (of which they are very supportive), how and when to start feeding solid foods, disciplining baby with heart, medical and first aid guidelines, stimulating baby to encourage development, and other areas is excellent. This book has been a real lifeline in the absense of a good pediatrician. As an overall guide, this book is truly outstanding and has been my main reference book. Additionally, there is excellent information dealing with premature infants, babies with special needs, postpartum depression, and sibbling issues, as well as other areas.Do the authors have definite opinions on controversial issues in baby care? Yes, but they do present thorough reasoning and facts in support of their positions. And if you don't agree, you can find information that supports your position on these issues! I am well-read and quite opinionated myself, but I found the book logical and not overburdened with propoganda. It is easy to read, well-organized, and thorough. This book could easily be your only guide for parenting in the first year of your child's life, although it makes no claim to be the definitive book on baby care. Obviously, I recommend it at least as a good addition to your library of books on the subject.

I too was absolutely flabbergasted at the number of people (or is it one person posting several times?) who dismissed this 800 page encyclopedia because of two small and unimportant sections on breast-feeding and "cry-it-out." You're not going to agree with everything in here. But the authors never intend that. Instead, they offer an invaluable reference book for parents. Want to know what that red blotch on your kid's arm is? This is the only book that will tell you. (It's probably a strawberry birthmark, very common, rarely lasts beyond age 10, etc.) The Q & A style is great, it leaves you feeling that you're not the only one who has these questions. And 99% of the book's content is pretty straightforward (why is my baby fascinated by mirrors? why are her eyes that weird bluish-brown color?)We found the authors' pregnancy book invaluable for the same reason-- it was a bit too treacly about pregnancy (e.g. "If you're feeling nauseous knit a sweater") but provided a wonderful, factual guide to what was going on with both fetus and mother.Parenting is 99% instinct. You can't rely on a book to tell you WHAT to do. This book is great in that it explains WHY things are happening.We find the Sears to be unrealistic and believe that people who fanatically follow their advice run the risk of losing any sense of self, which is way more harmful than the occasional bottle of formula, since babies rarely thrive with parents who resent them.A good supplement to this book (What to Expect) is Vicki Iovine's "Girlfriend's Guide To The First Year." It's hilarious and guaranteed to make you feel that you're a pretty good parent after all.Use this book to answer all the "why" questions you have. It'll cut down on the number of calls you make to the pediatrician (or at the very least make you feel a little more knowledgeable when you do.)