What Baby Needs (Sears Children's Library)

This book looked promising but unfortunately was incredibly outdated and promotes outdated gender roles.Firstly, the page about feeding the baby talks only about breastfeeding. There is no mention of formula whatsoever. It then says that “when baby is older, baby might drink mommy’s milk from a bottle.” Again, no mention of formula and ignores the very real situations when families need to or choose to bottle-feed from the beginning.Secondly, the book talks about all the errands that a child might do with Mommy. No mention of Daddy. Mommy is feeding the baby, mommy is getting groceries, mommy takes baby to the doctor, mommy goes to the library, etc. Oh, but don’t worry, “Somtimes Daddy might hold the baby.”We are not in the 1950s any more. We don’t need books that support these outdated norms. I’m very disappointed, as I was excited to get a book that will help my daughter prepare for a baby sibling, but sadly this is not the right book.

I love this book so much, and my daughter is infatuated with it. Of the new baby books I purchased, this is my favorite because it supports so much of how we have chosen to parent or daughter and soon-to-be baby. My daughter is 22 mo old and the sentences are a little long so I simplify things when I can. But she has asked me to read it with her multiple times a day since it was delivered. Her favorite book though is The New Baby because it is very simple where she recites it as we read. But this one I find leads into more discussions with her.

This book handles the topic of new baby in the house for soon to be older siblings in a tidy straightforward manner. The family in the book is a mom, dad, brother and sister who arw welcoming gender unspecified 'baby'. Basic baby care is covered as well as topics that siblings may struggle with like wondering why mommy is occupied with baby a lot and gives small tips for the siblings in how to interact, react as well as have a chance to talk over what things were like when they were babies. The book does refer to breastfeeding and bottle feeding of breastmilk. This book has been a good refresher for our oldest who doesn't recall having a baby in the house as well as a good intro for our youngest who has never had a baby in the house.

Great book to give 3.5 year old an idea of what it will be like with new baby. He now tries to figure out why every random baby around is crying and wants to help them, very sweet. Also nice that it explains the wait time in-between birth and being able to play together. Its a bit heavy on attachment parenting ideals, which we don't really follow, but not so much so that it is off-putting. It can be annoying to have books push breastfeeding since I am unable to breastfeed because of a medical condition, but at least this does mention bottles. All of my friends breastfeed, so it helps my kid understand what is going on with his friend's siblings, which is useful for everyone. Overall, my kid loves the book and has learned some good things, which was the goal!

LOVE this book for my preschooler as it helped him understand why baby gets attention and such. It was recommended by a friend. It's ideal for a family that: BREASTFEEDS, COSLEEPS (or sleeps with baby in room for first period of baby's life) and USES BABY CARRIERS. There are some words we done use and as recommended in the book, we substitute for our family words or ideas (like breast milk we say "mommy milk" and instead of saying "buckle your seat belt" we say "climb into your seat" as we don't want our 3 year old buckling or unbuckling his seat belt). If your family is like ours, I highly recommend it.

This book stands out from the crowd!! It presents a positive and affirming picture of the new baby's arrival. The illustrations are all so sweet! It is just a book of gentleness and warmth. It also presents little tips for helping the older sibling bond with the baby / be involved in the care and loving of the baby. What a fabulous idea! My preschooler LOVES having a concrete sense of what HER JOBS will be once the baby gets here! She is already so excited to help with the bath, hold hands with the baby, and sing the baby songs. What a great emphasis this book gives -- really making big brother and sister feel IMPORTANT and NEEDED... not just to the mom, but also to the baby. This book has my preschooler convinced that her new sibling NEEDS her and WANTS her! I could not be happier!!As an aside, some have commented on the attachment parenting style of the author (Dr. Sears). Aside from two depictions of breastfeeding, I found nothing that anyone could possibly consider "out there" in this book. (And honestly, to me showing the breastfeeding makes sense - lots of babies eat that way! The kids will see it or at least hear about it at some point! The author also presented bottle feeding. And neither was touted as "better" than the other. The emphasis was on the fact that mom would need to be feeding the baby - very simple.) The baby was also worn in a sling & slept in a sidecar next to the mom's bedside... but none of this was promoted as "the way its done." It was just shown. And honestly, the sidecar looked more like a traditional crib than the bassinet I bought for my oldest child! People who are not fans of Dr. Sear's "attachment parenting" should not be afraid of this book! It is all sweetness and warmth. Nothing preachy in the text or pictures. It is not really about "how to parent" the baby, afterall -- its about how to love the new baby brother or sister. Dr. Sears does an outstanding job not making parent-issues any concern of the kids. He just talks about how to love the baby in a safe and gentle and rewarding way.

Great book! Exactly what I looked for. I only rated 4/5 as it is written in American English so I need to change all the "diapers" to "nappies" as I read it to my toddler.Content is really good- it describes how baby will sleep next to mummy, feed from breast, will be carried in carrier and all of these are followed by "just as you did". I can see my 3 year old got a lot out of this book already as when she saw a baby in pram she went on to hold baby's hand saying that baby needs to be touched and be close to people. Cannot recommend high enough if you are/planning to do attachment parenting.

We used this and "Baby on the Way" by the same authors when expecting our younger child - they are both fantastic books. We were looking for something that didn't mess about when it came to facts, and that made our older child feel a part of the pregnancy - this was perfect. Pitched so well that our then 18month-2 yr old loved it but there was loads of additional information suitable for older children too that could be included in discussion. We absolutely saw the results of this 'prep' when it came to her big-sisterhood in action!

Well written to incorporate attachment parenting, breastfeeding etc whilst also making the sibling feel included and valued. Its American, but easy to reword to suit your own needs. Almost 3 year old loves it.

The perfect book for preparing the family for it's newest member. It's wonderfully 'real' - like saying 'sometimes it feels like the baby is always with mommy' - but also encouraging and loving.It offers the child guidance on how to be a helper and have fun with daddy & siblings.I bought quite a few books when my little one became a big sister, but this is the only one I would recommend.

The book is ok. Its not suitable for really young children but they can look after the pictures. Was expecting more about preparing for after a baby is born. Lots of pictures about being an older sister not really relevant. Not sure why such good reviews to be honest. Disappointed.