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A review by mcbolt
The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby's First Year by Alice Callahan
3.0
I think this author set out to write a book called "Don't Bother Being Crunchy" but wound up with "Science of Mom" instead, like dads don't need research based parenting advice too.
The consensus seems to be that this is the best book of its kind, even though there are only one or two others like it. I read this because I heard it took seriously the different issues of raising kids and evaluated things fairly, but that's not quite how it shakes out. There are things to like about this book, but there are also huge problems. Leaving out routine circumcision is a glaring, conspicuous omission.
Some of her conclusions seem flawed, or at least misguided. After reviewing the evidence on routine newborn eye goop, she figures "what's the harm? it might prevent an eye infection." But I need way more than "why not?" to go on when it comes to giving medicine to a newborn. And if you know you're negative re: chlamydia/gonorrhea, then the eye goop actually won't do anything helpful. The chapter on sleep training is utterly lacking. She concludes that sleep training is fine, but my main concern was that not all sleep training methods are equally harmless. She also says "you can buy organic baby food, but it won't matter, it makes no difference." What about the EWG's dirty dozen? I'm pretty sure there are valid reasons to buy organic food. She says she did BLW with her daughter, but says it's not right for everyone. DUH. The point is that spoon feeding isn't right for everyone, either.
What I did get from this book was a better understanding of vaccines and why the schedule is what it is. Plus I'm making iron a priority now that Firstborn is eating solids. The book as a whole still felt underwhelming.
The consensus seems to be that this is the best book of its kind, even though there are only one or two others like it. I read this because I heard it took seriously the different issues of raising kids and evaluated things fairly, but that's not quite how it shakes out. There are things to like about this book, but there are also huge problems. Leaving out routine circumcision is a glaring, conspicuous omission.
Some of her conclusions seem flawed, or at least misguided. After reviewing the evidence on routine newborn eye goop, she figures "what's the harm? it might prevent an eye infection." But I need way more than "why not?" to go on when it comes to giving medicine to a newborn. And if you know you're negative re: chlamydia/gonorrhea, then the eye goop actually won't do anything helpful. The chapter on sleep training is utterly lacking. She concludes that sleep training is fine, but my main concern was that not all sleep training methods are equally harmless. She also says "you can buy organic baby food, but it won't matter, it makes no difference." What about the EWG's dirty dozen? I'm pretty sure there are valid reasons to buy organic food. She says she did BLW with her daughter, but says it's not right for everyone. DUH. The point is that spoon feeding isn't right for everyone, either.
What I did get from this book was a better understanding of vaccines and why the schedule is what it is. Plus I'm making iron a priority now that Firstborn is eating solids. The book as a whole still felt underwhelming.