Having a baby is an incredible experience, and the ultimate responsibility! Parenting is a job that you start with no training at all - and friends and family always seem to be the first to tell you how best to bring up your children. But there's no sure-fire formula for raising kids. Maybe that's because every child, like every parent, is an individual, and no two parent-child relationships are ever the same. So, you can give up any notions of being a perfect parent. But, you can learn to keep the big mistakes to a minimum and make the parenting experience easier and more rewarding for your children and yourself. Which is where this book comes in.
Covering information for newborns to pre-teens, Parenting For Dummies gives you the essentials of parenting basics. From dealing with a crying baby and potty training, to building self-esteem and dealing with sibling rivalry, it offers a gold mine of up-to-date advice.
Autorentext
Helen Brown is a journalist and a mother of three. She is Senior Editor for Boots Parenting Club magazines, the former Parenting Editor of She magazine and writes regularly for Mother and Baby.
Inhalt
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
What You're Not to Read 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Conventions Used in This Book 2
How This Book Is Organised 2
Part I: All About You: What Every Parent Should Know 3
Part II: All About Babies 3
Part III: All About Toddlers 3
Part IV: All About Preschoolers 3
Part V: All About Schoolies 4
Part VI: All About Siblings 4
Part VII: The Part of Tens 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 5
Part I: All About You: What Every Parent Should Know 7
Chapter 1: Help! Where Do I Start? The Basics 9
Knowing Your Child: Ages and Stages 10
Baby 10
Toddler 10
Preschooler 11
Schoolchild 11
Oh, and watch for the funny bits 12
Knowing Yourself 12
Your role: Parts all parents should play 13
Your goals: Hopes all parents have 13
Your fears: Worries all parents share 14
Don't Panic - It All Comes Together in the End! 14
Chapter 2: You're in Charge: Setting Boundaries 17
Boundary Basics 17
Understanding why boundaries work (even when they're broken) 18
Setting boundaries wisely 18
Strict? Easy going? What's your parenting style? 19
Toeing the Line: Making Boundaries Work 20
Being clear, certain, and consistent 20
Making it cool to do the right thing 21
Spelling out the consequences 22
Following through 22
Great ways to minimise boundary-breaking 23
Moving on: Reshaping boundaries together 24
Chapter 3: You Are Not Alone: Massing the Troops 25
Working with Your Partner 25
Discovering the truth about kids and relationships 26
Sharing the load 26
'But Daddy said ': Presenting a united parenting front 27
Finding time to be together 28
Working with Other Parents 29
Why what they say can keep you sane 30
And when you're better off not listening 30
A word about mothers - and mothers-in-law 31
Single but Not Solo 32
Finding back-up 32
Choosing mentors 33
Step-parenting: Raising a 'blended' family 33
Chapter 4: Other Secrets of Great Parenting 35
Right Way? Wrong Way? Your Way 35
Big-Picture Parenting: Eight Skills That Will Serve You for Years 36
Avoiding the Common Parenting Pitfalls 38
Comparing and contrasting 38
Over-parenting 39
Setting too much store by stuff 39
Five Golden Mantras Great Parents Repeat Every Day 40
'Onwards and upwards' 40
'Don't forget to laugh' 40
'Once more, with feeling' 41
'Guilt gets you nowhere' 41
'It's a phase' 41
Horrid comments even good parents hear 42
Chapter 5: Childminders, Nurseries, and Nannies 43
Choosing the Right Option for You 43
The day nursery 44
The childminder 44
The nanny 45
The granny 46
Finding the Right People for the Job 47
Going on a nursery hunt? 47
Going on a childminder hunt? 49
Going on a nanny hunt? 50
And when they're older? 52
Separation and Settling In 53
The Wise Parent's Guide to Childcare 54
Back to Work 54
The practicalities: Sorted! 55
The guilt: Busted! 55
Part II: All About Babies 57
Chapter 6: Surviving, Thriving, and Diving In: Getting Accustomed to Having a Baby 59
The First Six Weeks 59
Fasten on your L-plates 60
Tear up the to-do list 60
Jump at all offers of help 60
Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me? 61
He looks so weird! 61
He cries such a lot 61
It's a boy/girl thing: clinginess 63
I can't handle this tiredness 64
He's suddenly so hungry 64
Heated debate: Dummies - good or bad? 64
Holding Patterns 66
Fab or fad? Attachment parenting 67
Nappy Know-how 67
Disposables or reusables? 67
Changing-mat rules and ruses 68
Blotchy bottoms 69
Settling In: Life after Six Weeks 69
The beginnings of routine 70
Getting out and about 70
Eight things never to leave the house without 71
Looking After Yourself 71
Making some me-time 72
Coping? Of course I'm coping! 72
Looking After Your Relationship 72
Tiff triggers and how to avoid them 73
The four rules of relationship rehab 74
Chapter 7: Mmmm, Mmmm, Good: Feeding Baby 75
The Truth about Breastfeeding 75
Why breastfeeding's great 76
Why breastfeeding's hard 76
Breastfeeding myths: busted 77
Giving breastfeeding your best shot 78
How to breastfeed 79
What to do when your milk 'comes in' 81
Why we give up - and how to avoid it 81
Throwing up all over: reflux explained 83
Supplementary bottles 84
Express yourself: A guide to the breast pump 85
Doing it in public 86
Doing it and working 87
Weaning from the breast 87
The Truth about Bottlefeeding 88
Vital safety facts 89
Overfeeding and weight charts 90
The breastfed baby who won't take a bottle 90
There She Blows! The Strange New Art of Winding 91
Chapter 8: Moving on to Solids 93
When to Start Solids 93
Letting the Food Fun Begin 95
Getting ready: Spoons and bowls and other essentials 95
Grub's up! Loading the spoon 96
Open wide: Here it comes! 97
Beyond First Bites: Purée and Simple 98
Baby-led weaning 100
Being a Food Whizz 100
Allergy Alert: Signs to Watch For 101
Up for the Cup? 101
Chapter 9: Sweet Dreams: Getting Baby to Sleep 103
What's Normal? 103
Safe Sleeping 104
The family bed 105
Distinguishing Night and Day 106
A word about naps 107
And So to Bed 108
Creating the ritual: Bath, cuddle, bed 108
Here's the rub: Massage magic 109
Soothing ideas 110
Beware the bad bed habits 110
Sleeping bags 111
Sleeping Through: Teaching Baby to Self-Calm 111
A room of his own 112
Wailing in the Wee Hours 113
Hungry cry? Scared cry? Hurt cry? 113
What to do when it happens again (1) 114
What to do when it happens again (2) 115
When enough's enough: Time to get tough 115
Chapter 10: Playing, Learning, and Socialising 117
Big Movements for Little Babies 117
Tummy time 118
And sit! 119
Doing the locomotion 119
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