General Books - Page 6

Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood

Jenny McCarthy

Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Plume Amazon Marketplace: 78 new & used starting at $3.09

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> Parenting & Families
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Humor -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 111 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Jenny McCarthy’s hilarious, no-holds-barred personality has made her an instantly recognizable TV personality and a bestselling author. In Baby Laughs she examines the full range of challenges that new mothers face, including:

• The humiliations of postnatal "numbing spray," Tucks medicated pads, and adult diapers; jelly belly, balding, and gum disease; and becoming a "five-foot puke rag" for the baby
• Heart-stopping terrors, such as baby manicures, breathing checks, and burp failures
• Inadequacies, such as lullaby illiteracy and the need for a "heavy rotation" of toys, videos, and mobiles
• Daddy antics, such as infant wrestling, home-movie mania, sleeping like a log, and expecting sex
• Dueling grandmas, germ-ridden guests, Olympic-class competitive mommies, anorexic pets— and much more.

Mothers and fathers will find much-needed relief and insight in this sometimes touching, sometimes gritty, but always perceptive and outrageously funny account of what it truly means to have your very own small bundle of joy.

The Wonder of Boys

Michael Gurian

List Price: $13.95 By: Tarcher Amazon Marketplace: 373 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 79 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

lots of redundancy, but some useful advice 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

When my son was about to be born, I panicked, because I thought I would not know how to give a good upbringing to a boy. I have only a sister and my husband is an only child. We discussed the issue a lot and we sometimes had different views on how to deal with boys, to do everything to make our son happy and fulfilled. So - we decided to buy a book and chose "The Wonder of Boys".

The book is not bad, but it is not very good. First of all, there is nothing new in the notion that boys are different from girls and that testosterone is physiologically responsible for these obvious differences, boys being more competitive and aggressive etc. Many things described by the author are obvious and instinctive. I would be happy to see more scientific dissection of the differences, something similar to "Brain Sex" by Anne Moir and David Jessel (a really valuable book, by the way), but with the focus on children and the education of boys.
The "old-new" rules of the boys' education and need for the male presence in their lives, the importance of the group, sports and discipline, are nicely presented at the beginning, but later on the book gets very repetitive, full of redundant information and artificially blown out of proportion. Maybe the purpose was to make the reader memorize the rules subconsciously (after all, it is one of the therapy principles, I think). For me, it just made the book boring and I could not help thinking it would be much more useful in a form of an article or essay. It seems to me more like an introduction to Gurian's guidelines, more developed in his later books on various aspects of the boys' character and education.

There is some advice I found good there, though: the rules for disciplining the boys at different stages of life, the details of the father's role, the discussion on spanking, the teaching of morals and spirituality. I could do without superficial examples from the world cultures.

I did not find this book particularly challenging for feminism, on the contrary, I think it presents reasonably the roles of both parents and the methods for building the family life beneficial for the offspring, which happens to be male.

Altogether, I rate "The Wonder of Boys" at three stars, it is neither outstanding, nor hopeless, but the useful advice needs to be extracted from a lot of meaningless words and the book could only benefit from being more concise and to the point.

Editorial Review:

The author describes in an insightful and practical way what boys need to become strong, responsible, sensitive men. Instead of encouraging us to stifle boys' natural propensities for competition and aggression, the author offers effective and practical guidelines for channeling them.

Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, New Edition

Linda Acredolo, Susan Goodwyn, Douglas Abrams

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill Amazon Marketplace: 144 new & used starting at $0.77

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> By Topic -> Nonverbal Communication

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 166 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Baby Signs makes sense 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We are going to try using baby sign language with our daughter when she's old enough. The deciding factor was my one-year-old niece that can wave bye-bye and blow kisses but gets frustrated when she can't express something that she wants or when we don't understand her. She's obviously ready to learn to use signs since she knows 2 already and her parents weren't even trying. The Baby Sign book is an easy read with good suggestions and a glossary in the back- we can't wait to start teaching our little girl!

Editorial Review:

The bestselling parenting guide featured on "Oprah" and "Dateline" is revised and updated with new signs

For every parent or caregiver who has struggled unsuccessfully to decode baby grunts and grabs, resulting in tearful frustration for both adult and child, there is Baby Signs. Based on 20 years of research, this one-of-a-kind classic shows you how to encourage your baby's use of nonverbal gestures to enhance communication. Simple hand movements signify objects, events, and needs, so your infant can enjoy interactions with you that otherwise would have been impossible until they could talk. New features of this revised edition include helpful tips on incorporating Baby Signs into the day care setting and more than 50 additional illustrated Baby Signs.

The Pregnancy Countdown Book: Nine Months of Practical Tips, Useful Advice, and Uncensored Truths

Susan Magee

Amazon Price: $14.95 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Quirk Books Amazon Marketplace: 52 new & used starting at $7.12

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Disappointed after such good reviews 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was disappointed by this book after reading such good reviews. It is full of opinions and personal advice but no real factual information.

Editorial Review:

The average pregnancy lasts 280 days and the suspense can be excruciating!

The Pregnancy Countdown Book starts on Day 280 and counts down the biggest milestones every step of the way with one page of helpful information for each day of your pregnancy. Here are tips from doctors and midwives, amusing anecdotes and quotes, and occasional gory-but-necessary details (if you can define the word "lochia," you know what we're talking about).

Every page offers an interesting revelation. On Day 231, your baby will be the size of a blueberry but by Day 168, he'll be the size of a large avocado. By Day 124, you'll need to stop sleeping on your back; by Day 90, air travel becomes a dicey proposition. And if you haven't planned the nursery by Day 45, you're playing with fire.

A perfect gift for expecting moms of all ages, The Pregnancy Countdown Book is a delightfully irreverent look at the craziest nine months of your life.

The What to Expect Pregnancy Journal & Organizer

Heidi Murkoff

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Workman Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $4.36

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Item ok 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This item was a good idea at the time. But I really never used it. My son is now 12 months.

Awesome way to remember!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Awesome product! Lets you organize everything, and then you have a memory of what you went through during your pregnancy. Especially good to go back and look at if you are having another!

Ok...but too detailed 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I used the older verison for my first baby. You could fill in the date and week of pregnancy and it had a space to write your thoughts. This next version is designed for daily entries. Even for a first pregnancy, esp a second pregnancy, there isn't enough changing day to day that there is something new to write. I found "The Belly Book" to be easier to use. It is desinged week by week.

Editorial Review:

Your Personal Pregnancy Companion

A Journal and daily diary to record all those memorable moments in the making of your baby—from the test coming back positive to the first ultrasound. From the first kick to delivery to the first cuddle.

An Organizer to keep track of everything pregnancy: practitioner visits and shopping lists, birthing plans and birth announcements, baby names and baby gifts.

An All-in-One Place to write down everything you’ll want to remember about the most exciting nine months of your life.

Staying Connected to Your Teenager: How to Keep Them Talking to You and How to Hear What They're Really Saying

Michael Riera

Amazon Price: $10.88 List Price: $16.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Da Capo Press Amazon Marketplace: 65 new & used starting at $4.02

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

At last, a book of sage advice that will help frustrated parents reconnect with their teenager and keep that connection even in today's often-crazy world.The first step is simple: realizing that inside every teen resides two very different people-the regressed child and the emergent adult. The emergent adult is seen at school, on the playing field, in his first job, and in front of his friends' families. Unfortunately, his parents usually see only the regressed child-moody and defiant-and, if they're not on the lookout, they'll miss seeing the more agreeable, increasingly adult thinker in their midst.With ingenious strategies for coaxing the more attractive of the two teen personalities into the home, family psychologist Mike Riera gives new hope to beleaguered and harried parents. From moving from a "managing" to a "consulting" role in a teen's life, from working with a teen's uniquely exasperating sleep rhythms to having real conversations when only monosyllables have been previously possible, Staying Connected to Your Teenager demonstrates ways to bring out the best in a teen-and, consequently, in an entire family.

Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven: A Gutsy Guide to Becoming One Hot (and Healthy) Mother!

Rory Freedman, Kim Barnouin

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Running Press Amazon Marketplace: 58 new & used starting at $8.00

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Diets & Weight Loss -> Special Conditions -> Pregnancy

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Skinny Bitch created a movement when it exposed the horrors of the food industry, while inspiring people across the world to stop eating “crap.” Now the “Bitches” are back—this time with a book geared to pregnant women. And just because their audience is in a “delicate condition” doesn’t mean they’ll deliver a gentle message. As they did with Skinny Bitch, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin expose the truth about the food we eat—with its hormones, chemicals, and other funky stuff. But even though they are “Skinny,” they want women to chow down on the right foods and gain their fair share of weight through their pregnancies.

They also won’t mince words on these topics:
• the best foods for a healthy baby and mommy
• the dangers of common lotions, creams, and beauty products that women slather on their bodies (many contain carcinogens)
• why every mother should “suck it up” and breastfeed
• the lowdown on what really happens “post-push” (after birth)
• how the companies we trust don’t care about children (choosing baby food and other products carefully)

With the same sassy tone that made Skinny Bitch laugh-out-loud funny, Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven will give expectant moms the information they need to “use their head” and have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.  

Gymboree Baby Play

Wendy S Masi

List Price: $14.45 By: Barnes & Noble Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

All new parents are eager to help their baby discover the world around them, and BABY PLAY was designed to help parents engage their infant in activities that will encourage developmental skills. From the first month home through the twelfth, BABY PLAY offers doctor-approved, age-appropriate activities that stimulate discovery, begin communication, and nurture parental bonding. Developed in close consultation with the play experts at Gymboree Play & Music, the book contains an introduction that explains the value of "play with a purpose," information on how babies learn, and tips outlining what a parent can do to help their little on get off to a good start.

The book also includes a glossary of key terms in child development, beneficial to any new parent, as well as detailed information on how parents can identify development skills as they emerge in their baby. From stretching exercises to puppet games, BABY PLAY encourages learning during that first critical year of life.

Look at what this book offers:

** Includes over 100 activities for babies 0-12 months.
** Organized by appropriateness for each month of life.
** Includes wide variety of play activities, from ball rolling to imitative play.
** Developed in consultation with the play experts at Gymboree.
** Contains a useful glossary of key terms in child development.

Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care: 8th Edition

Benjamin Spock

Amazon Price: $12.24 List Price: $18.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Pocket Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $1.70

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Classic Handbook -- Completely Up-To-Date

For generations, parents across the world have relied on Dr. Spock's expert pediatric advice. Now, In this fully revised edition of his timeless bestseller, you'll find all the information you need to meet the changes and challenges of childrearing in the new millennium -- including entirely new chapters about international adoption, coping with terrorism and disasters, college planning, autism, and other such topics as:

• breast-feeding: the latest research, approaches, and techniques

• common medical-care Q&A

• talking to your child about sex, drugs, and disease

• immunizations, vitamins, and nutrition

• learning, behavioral, and physical disorders

• dental and vision care

• raising nonviolent children, teaching tolerance

• blended families

• gay and lesbian parenting

• first aid and injury prevention

...and more. With all-new glossaries of medical terms and common medications, and an updated list of resources, this invaluable guide is the next best thing to Dr. Spock's #1 rule of parenting: "Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."

Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason

Alfie Kohn

Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Atria Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $4.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Most parenting guides begin with the question "How can we get kids to do what they're told?" and then proceed to offer various techniques for controlling them. In this truly groundbreaking book, nationally respected educator Alfie Kohn begins instead by asking, "What do kids need -- and how can we meet those needs?" What follows from that question are ideas for working with children rather than doing things to them.

One basic need all children have, Kohn argues, is to be loved unconditionally, to know that they will be accepted even if they screw up or fall short. Yet conventional approaches to parenting such as punishments (including "time-outs"), rewards (including positive reinforcement), and other forms of control teach children that they are loved only when they please us or impress us. Kohn cites a body of powerful, and largely unknown, research detailing the damage caused by leading children to believe they must earn our approval. That's precisely the message children derive from common discipline techniques, even though it's not the message most parents intend to send.

More than just another book about discipline, though, Unconditional Parenting addresses the ways parents think about, feel about, and act with their children. It invites them to question their most basic assumptions about raising kids while offering a wealth of practical strategies for shifting from "doing to" to "working with" parenting -- including how to replace praise with the unconditional support that children need to grow into healthy, caring, responsible people. This is an eye-opening, paradigm-shattering book that will reconnect readers to their own best instincts and inspire them to become better parents.