Our health system resembles a repair service which treats illness and suffering. But in many cases it would seem much simpler to avoid health problems. Why do we wait until the illnesses have developed?

Young and expectant families are particularly interested in maintaining the health of their children and their whole family. Since prevention must begin long before the emergence of illness, there can be no better time to start than the beginning of life. This book presents a range of contributions that not only encourage theoretical reflection about the topics discussed but also provide practical suggestions.

Topics included:

The demand for anticipatory guidance by young families · Establishing good partnership among all family members · Excessive crying, sleeping and feeding difficulties · Educating parents in the nutrition of their infants · Vaccinations · Promoting the mental and physical development of young children · Preventing injuries in childhood · Educating young parents in first aid · Prevention of allergies · Caring for the primary dentition · Theoretical aspects of health promotion in the family.