Alvin Eden - Positive Parenting: Raising Healthy Children From Birth to Three Years

For those who have not yet had the experiences of being a parent, a book such as Dr. Edens that takes a practical, easy to remember, common sense approach to the subject is a must.

James A. Stockman III, M.D.
President, American Board of Pediatrics

Dr. Edens Positive Parenting remains a must-have book for every parents night table. His wealth of knowledge and experience are always evident but it is his positive, upbeat and supportive approach that has the power to calm even the most frazzled parents nerves. His credo, Relax and enjoy your baby resonates from generation to generation.

David Katzner
President, The National Parenting Center

Dr. Alvin Eden exudes experiencenearly fifty years as a pediatricianaddressing the health, sickness and development of children. His insights and advice reflect deep wisdom and common sense while maintaining an up to date awareness of the latest information for raising healthy happy children.

Lawrence Diller, M.D.
Author of Running on Ritalin and The Last Normal Child

Every pediatrician and every parent should have a copy of this book.

Donald Gribetz, M.D.
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Dr. Alvin Eden brings his many decades of extensive clinical experience as a pediatrician to this book.

Philip Lanzkowsky, M.D.
Executive Director and Chief-of-Staff, Schneider Childrens Hospital

This book provides thoughtful, well-researched, and useful information for new parents. The author has a great deal of experience caring for children (and their parents), and he applies that experience by providing common sense advice with humor and clarity. Even experienced parents will benefit from the wisdom and balance Dr. Eden provides. Most importantly, the book lives up to the title by describing the many ways in which a positive and encouraging approach can enhance the early lives of children, for the baby and the parents.

Julia McMillan, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Dr. Alvin Edens advice to parents is practical and helpful. Positive Parenting is filled with common sense, humor, and wisdom.

H. Garry Gardner, M.D., FAAP

Text Copyright 2007 Alvin N. Eden, M.D.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher.

Hatherleigh Press
5-22 46th Avenue, Suite 200
Long Island City, NY 11101
www.hatherleighpress.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data available upon request.

ISBN: 978-1-57826-252-6
eBook ISBN 978-1-57826-579-4

Cover design by Deborah Miller

Interior design by Allison Furrer

v3.1

To Elaine
And to our children, Robert and Elizabeth,
and their children in chronological order
Jonathan, Michael, Genevive, Alexander,
Michele, and Elizabeth

With Much Love

I want to thank Gladys Villalta
for her invaluable secretarial help,
and my editors, Andrea Au and Alyssa Smith,
for their tireless efforts and support.

As I have stated in all my books, I firmly believe in the equality of the sexes. The English language still does not provide any graceful word to substitute for his and her or he and she. Therefore, I have again decided to continue to alternate the pronouns used to describe gender, chapter by chapter, starting with the Introduction, thus giving equal time to both sexes. Please remember that these pronouns refer to your child, even if your baby is the opposite sex except, of course, where I make remarks that apply specifically to boys or girls. I start off the Introduction with she, a decision made by the flip of a coin.

For similar reasons, you will refer to both mother and father, with one exception the discussion relating to breast feeding.

There are many books on parenting, so many that there is a saying on the subject: reading a book on good parenting does not make you a good parent any more than standing in the middle of your garage makes you a good car. Believers in this saying may change their mind after a read of Dr. Edens Positive Parenting. True the many insights provided by Dr. Eden may not make for a totally complete parenting experience, but they will fill in many of the blanks, even for the most seasoned of parents. There is indeed no better way to learn about parenting than by being a parent. I have been involved with the teaching of residents in training in pediatrics for more than three decades and have worried about those residents who were not parents themselves and the possibility that they were not becoming truly well rounded in their educational experience. For those who have not yet had the experiences of being a parent, a book such as Dr. Edens that takes a practical, easy to remember, common sense approach to the subject is a must.

One can see in Positive Parenting a thoughtful approach to all aspects of child rearing, an approach that addresses the most current thinking on timely issues such as the influence of breastfeeding on child development, including the latest information on its impact relative to behavior and intelligence. While dealing with whats new, Dr. Eden also puts into perspective what has and should remain unchanged in parenting approaches over the years. Yes, our parents, and even grandparents, did do some things right.

When I first picked up Positive Parenting I was curious to learn how the word positive would be applied to the subject of parenting. While everyone probably knows what negative parenting might be, what might positive suggest in this regard? After reading Dr. Edens book, I then referred to Daniel Webster to see which of his definitions best suited the positive in Positive Parenting. Bet you were not aware that there are more than 20 somewhat different meanings of the word positive. Two, however, most appropriately apply to the approaches chosen by Dr. Eden. They are capable of being constructively applied and charged with electricity. Both definitions describe Positive Parenting. You can take the information learned and constructively apply the learnings at home. You will be charged with electricity while doing so!

James A. Stockman III, M.D.
President, American Board of Pediatrics

The first edition of Positive Parenting was published in 1980 and happily was a big success. The reviews were excellent and the feedback from the readership was so good that it almost gave me a swelled head. What came across loud and clear was that new parents found it easy to read, easy to understand, full of true and sometimes funny anecdotes, and most important, it made parenting less worrisome and more enjoyable. As one of my patients said to me, You know, Dr. Eden, it sounds just like you talking to me. I always feel better when I leave your office.

So why have I revised and updated