Right, there must be something good about parenting 'manuals'?

[Pruni]

They are getting a battering atm but I cannot believe that every parenting book is a con.

Tell me some good bits. You don't have to name the book.

As I said on another recent thread, I really like Dr. Sears. He is a sentimental baby loving fool :)

I've come across the ask Dr Sears website and yes, I like what I've seen too.

My mum bought me an updated Dr Spock book when dd was little - I also quite like him (his book was considered rather radical when it was first published I believe).

I really love Toddler Taming.It is so refrshingly down to earth and there is so much humour in it that even when we have been in the depths of darkness we have laughed and realised that our little darlings are quite normal and we are not alone :)

I also enjoy Deborah Jackson although she can be a bit hardcore. I find she challenges me to consider things in a different light which I find refreshing.

I used the GOS book. It gave you lots of medical info, pregnancy related and also childhood illnesses etc. And it was quite realistic, gave simple, 'do-able' advice on sleep, feeding etc. Not draconian but quite sensible, I think.

I am fond of Spock too (my mother's copy). Cute line drawings: 'Dropping is a new skill' -- awww.

Should you run out of formula, doesn't he suggest improvising with diluted evaporated milk?

I took this last piece of advice rather too seriously..dd2 was actually born before i had time to get my tights off!!!

wow

zippi!!! where does that come from??????

Gordon Bourne FRCS FRCOG Pregnancy
First Published 1972 my edition 1979 (purchased for dd1 1983)

Bakedpotato, I think the Nestle can of evap milk itself used to give the recommended dilution in case you wanted to give it to a baby

the best thing ever in a parenting manual is in toddler taming.it says something like'lots of people come to me for help with the following problems' and there is a long list of behaviours, and then it says, 'if you are reading because of one of these problems-they are not problems just normal toddler behaviour'.
i found it very reassuring.

Gordon Bourne on evaporated milk

"The usual formula for feeds is 1 part of milk and 2 parts of water, with half a teaspoon of sugar to every 85gm of mixture. This mixture is well tolerated by all babies, including premature babies, although minor alterations may be necessary on special occasions"

Do you know anyone who was fed on that?
I suspect I was because my parents were so cagey about how they made up formula when I asked them
Shifty looks, you know...

no..i do wonder what the special occasions are that might indicate a change..perhaps a dob of gin in it at christmas?

Yes, anything by Dr Sears. He's lovely, his style is very baby-led. His discipline book for toddlers and older children is great, too.

I was fed on Carnation milk, is that like evaporated milk? (I've never really understood what evaporated milk is, surely if it's evaporated the can is empty?!)

evaporated milk is made by removing about half the water..the treatment of the milk allegedly changes the protein thus making it more digestible.
We used to have Ideal milk (on tinned fruit obviously), I think Carnation is the same too.

I was given one by Christopher Green, not sure what it was called, about the first year anyway. I dont suppose it really mattered which one it was but when I was temporarily living in the land where sane people werent allowed, it really did remind me that the depths of my despair we quite normal. I do think to a certain degree thats all that most mothers want and need, just the confirmation that they are doing the right thing. Lets face it, its what a lot of us use MN for. On the other hand, I do think a lot of it is crap as well.

On the subject of making up formula... back in '83 when my sister was a baby she put on weight at a rate of knots. The chubbiest baby you've ever seen. Turned out my father had been putting an extra scoop of formula into each bottle on the lines of 'and one for good luck'. Good job she was a winter baby and didn't dehydrate!

Miriam Stoppard's book was good for a laugh - especially the page which outlined suitable clothes for pregnant women (like we are too stupid to go to the shops) illustrated with a lovely picture of a checked smock.