What To Expect...not very good books

[hunkermunker]

Dipped into my copy of What To Expect In The First Year the other day (bought as a present before I had DS1).

I'd forgotten how much of it is just vile.

Apparently a seven-month-old is already "an expert mummy-manipulator".

If "the crying" of your trying to be sleep trained six-month-old gets too much, turn the baby monitor off.

And my current favourite - lots of references to "primitive societies" doing such terrible baby-spoiling things as wearing them in slings.

Pro-circumcision - really? Crumbs...

Yes, you're right - the different possible ways of bringing up a baby amount to more than just a spectrum. I still think some sort of broad categorisation could be useful. The trouble with the books is that they all seem to assume their way is the right way. Never mind that parents are all different, never mind that children also vary.

Kathy1972 - sounds like a great book! I presume your children all have lovely straight backs .

I think its an excellent book and one of I've read more than any of my others.

My favourite bit was being told that as part of making our house safe for our new baby we should install a rope ladder by the bedroom window in case of fire. And practice escaping down it holding a doll.

Love this thread..making me laugh. I'm considering looking for these books now for their entertainment value

I've never read any baby care/development type books. Just do what I think I should ( lots of breast feeding and baby wearing)

If in doubt I remind myself that when my kids are being interviewed for their first jobs they won't be asked how old they were when they walked/stopped breast feeding/slept in their own rooms.

Love this thread..making me laugh. I'm considering looking for these books now for their entertainment value

I've never read any baby care/development type books. Just do what I think I should ( lots of breast feeding and baby wearing)

If in doubt I remind myself that when my kids are being interviewed for their first jobs they won't be asked how old they were when they walked/stopped breast feeding/slept in their own rooms.

I liked the pregnancy WTE, mainly because a) I was a champion worrier and wanted to be prepared for every eventuality (great pg I had) and b) I found it hard over here to get hold of pg books that weren't all glossy photos, aspersions on working mothers and inaccurate info (raspberry leaf tea in the first trimester, anyone?). Glad I didn't get the others, though, if that's their agenda.

Well, Hallgerda, circumcision is much more normal in the US, and they're quite American books, really.

Certainly men in their 30s, from what I know, back home, are all, or nearly all, circumcised.

Oh, my favourite bit, other than the circumcision thing, was that, when you're pregnant, you should consider every mouthful of food you put in your mouth, and think "is this food good for my baby?". Where's that eye-rolling emoticon when you need it?

I loved the 'call a doctor if you are concerned' along with the 'your baby should be proffering a foot by now'.

Can you imagine going to the GP and saying 'My baby is not proffering her foot.'

NotQuiteCockney, another new thing I've learnt on Mumsnet - thanks!

Yes, there's that "what to eat in restaurants when you're pregnant" bit, that suggests carrying wheatgerm with you and sprinkling it on your less than healthy choices.

I'd forgotten paying attention to a raisin. None of our raisins ever said anything remotely worth taking note of.

Please, please, please will someone copy this thread and post it on the Amazon website. A review this good and funny deserves a much larger audience!

LMAO at the rasin stuff!

WTE PG - dreadfully unrealistic, barely adapted to a UK audience.

WTE first year - loathed the checklist chapters -your baby may be able to perform neurosurgery by 6 months, if he's unable to by 8 months, speak to your GP.

reasonably good to look up odds and sods, but that's about it.

I read every PG book going in first trimester, barely touched them since, barely touch baby/toddler books.

I just check the symptoms section.... oooh look what he'd have if he had Lyme disease... no, pfilmadeupitis sounds far more dramatic... cor....

no where in either book does it say "The normal temperature for a baby is XXX." THAT I'd have found useful

I fell out with the WTE Pregnancy one over the best odds diet. Bugger that - I was finding it hard enough to give up soft cheese and alcohol, I was bloody well going to have a bit of anything safe that I fancied and didn't make me barf... Funnily enough, wheatgerm wasn't on that list :o

PMSL -this is hilarious. I thought they were Australian though. They're a bit obsessed with sleeping through aren't they, and raisins, yes!

Urgh this book is soo annoying and cheesy. The most cringeworthy part is when they advise you how to refuse a drink when you're at a party
"no thankyou (pat bump) my baby isn't old enough to drink." [puke emoticon]

Which I'd read this prior to my pregnancy and my utter devotion to WTE pg.

Sure I wouldn't have been the absolute nervous wreck I was.

Was convinced I had every single one of those 'complications'

BURN THEM BURN THEM!

Ledodgy - I'm impressed that WTE even ALLOWED a pregnant woman to go to a party :o

Remember, before you go on any outing, stop, and ask yourself ... "is this outing good for my baby?"

they are the work of the devil

I ditched them because of the 'is this mouthful good for you baby' nonsense. I did look at the first year one, but the pictures were too scary.

now .. I loved what to expect

its the one that I always recommend

I liked them for dipping in and out of
However the 1st year one's index is completely wrong - pretty poor really

I thought they were good too.......

Tell me you're joking, Twig... Tell me the means you're joking. You're joking, right?