Benjamin Spock - Baby and Child Care

To Allen and Gloria Needlman,

my first and best teachers

The ideas, procedures, and suggestions in this book are intended to supplement, not replace, the medical advice of trained professionals. All matters regarding your childs health require medical supervision. Consult your physician before adopting the medical suggestions in this book, as well as about any condition that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

The authors and publishers disclaim any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of this book.

Copyright 1945, 1946, 1957, 1968, 1976, 1985, 1992 by Benjamin Spock, M.D.

Copyright renewed 1973, 1974, 1985, 1996 by Benjamin Spock, M.D. Revised and updated material copyright 1998, 2004, 2011, 2012 by the Mary Morgan Trust and the Spock Family Trust

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or

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ISBN: 978-1-61608-959-7

Photo credit: Child Choking Maneuver Image courtesy of American CPR Training, a division of Express Companies. Copyright 2011 AmericanCPR.com, All Rights Reserved. www.AmericanCPR.com

The photo of the older child (pretending to be) unable to cough or breathe, is courtesy of Neil Mack, photographer; thanks also to John, his son, for agreeing to appear in the book.

The book you are reading was first published more than 65 years ago. When it came out in 1945, The Common Sense Guide to Baby and Child Care by Dr. Benjamin Spock revolutionized parenting and changed the lives of a generation. The children of that generation are the grandparents of this one. Maybe they are your parents. So, in a way, you might be a child of Spock. I know I am.

Dr. Spocks warm and wise advice still makes sense today. That is largely because the book changed with the times. When Gloria Steinem, the groundbreaking feminist, told Spock that he was a sexist, he listened and he changed. When the health risks of our high cholesterol, high fat diet became known, Spock embraced a vegetarian diet and went on to live to 94.

Before he died, Spock worked on the 7th edition of Baby and Child Care with a gifted pediatrician, Steven Parker, who had been, by coincidence, one of my own most influential teachers. So when I revised Baby and Child Care for its 8th edition, I owed a huge debt to Dr. Spock and Dr. Parker, and to all of the other doctors, parents, and children who have made the book so rich, accurate, timely, and wise. That debt still stands.

For the 9th edition, I turned for help to a team of experts from many fields: To Marjie Greenfield for pregnancy and childbirth; Mary OConnor for breast feeding; James Kozik for dental health; Abdulla Gori and Nazha Abughali for infections; Leyla McCurdy for environmental health; Henry Ng for sexuality, and Erin Whipple for going to the hospital. They, and to a host of other friends and colleagues, have greatly enriched this edition of Baby and Child Care, although, of course, the responsibility for the finished product is mine.

Special thanks are due to Micki Nuding and Maggie Crawford, my editors at Simon and Schuster, and to Robert Lescher, Dr. Spocks agent for many years, and now mine as well. Mary Morgan, who was married to Dr. Spock for 25 years, and who worked with him on multiple editions of Baby and Child Care, has been an enormous source of guidance and support. Writing a book, like raising a child, is an act of faith. Thanks, Mary, for having faith in me.

Finally, thanks to my family: to Grace for the joy and creativity you bring to life; and to Carol, for your love, acceptance, and good sense. Without you, I couldnt even start, let alone finish, a project like this book.

Nobody should suppose that making an e-book is as simple as pushing a button! It takes a great deal of planning up front; its not easy to convert paper and ink into a digital file; there are new illustrations to select; new type faces and color to choose; new covers to design, and much more besides. For all of this, I am grateful to the team at Skyhorse Publishing, including Heather Chapman, Kristin Kulsavage, Brian Peterson, Sam Denlinger, and Tony Lyons, the leader of this great band. Special thanks to Shannon Mortland and her team at MetroHealth Medical Center, for inspired public relations work, and to Gary Clark, for his wise legal guidance; Hector Carosso for introducing us to this new world of digital publication; and finally, to Mary Morgan, whose vision and persistence have taken the electronic version of Baby and Child Care from pipe dream to reality, bringing the calm spirit and time-tested insights of Dr. Spock to the wired parents of today and tomorrow.

YOUR CHILD, AGE BY AGE