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A review by sedeara
The Informed Parent: A Science-Based Resource for Your Child's First Four Years by Emily Willingham, Tara Haelle
4.0
If you are looking for quick, easy answers, this is not the book for you (except when it comes to vaccinations. That chapter is pretty clear.)
Modern parenting is a quagmire of conflicting "expert" advice and even more convoluted anecdotal evidence. Everyone seems to have a certain parenting philosophy that they swear by (and judge other parents accordingly). This book is for those who want to know which parenting practices or decisions actually DO have an evidence base -- and the reality is, not a lot of them do. Chapters that I really wanted to confirm my own biases failed to deliver, while I remained somewhat mystified on subjects I am truly on the fence about. That's because, when it comes to parenting, there is not a ton of hard evidence about what works and what doesn't, despite myriad claims that would lead you to believe otherwise. However, this book is upfront about all of that, and where evidence exists (even when it's contradictory), you will find an overview of it here. The authors have looked at and analyzed the studies out there so that you don't have to, and the book is organized roughly chronologically, making it very easy to find what you are looking for whether your current conundrum is potty training or home birth. I read it more-or-less straight through, but I will keep it around so I can continue to reference different sections as they become relevant.
For the most part, it left me feeling like I should follow my instincts or parental preferences on most issues for which no hard evidence exists either way -- but that I really have no right to feel smug about those choices or that they are unequivocally the "right" ones. And on the issues for which very clear evidence DOES exist, it behooves parents to do their best to respond accordingly. (i.e.: VACCINATE YOUR KIDS.)
Modern parenting is a quagmire of conflicting "expert" advice and even more convoluted anecdotal evidence. Everyone seems to have a certain parenting philosophy that they swear by (and judge other parents accordingly). This book is for those who want to know which parenting practices or decisions actually DO have an evidence base -- and the reality is, not a lot of them do. Chapters that I really wanted to confirm my own biases failed to deliver, while I remained somewhat mystified on subjects I am truly on the fence about. That's because, when it comes to parenting, there is not a ton of hard evidence about what works and what doesn't, despite myriad claims that would lead you to believe otherwise. However, this book is upfront about all of that, and where evidence exists (even when it's contradictory), you will find an overview of it here. The authors have looked at and analyzed the studies out there so that you don't have to, and the book is organized roughly chronologically, making it very easy to find what you are looking for whether your current conundrum is potty training or home birth. I read it more-or-less straight through, but I will keep it around so I can continue to reference different sections as they become relevant.
For the most part, it left me feeling like I should follow my instincts or parental preferences on most issues for which no hard evidence exists either way -- but that I really have no right to feel smug about those choices or that they are unequivocally the "right" ones. And on the issues for which very clear evidence DOES exist, it behooves parents to do their best to respond accordingly. (i.e.: VACCINATE YOUR KIDS.)