Baby Secrets

Baby Secrets

By Jo Tantum and Barbara Want

RRP $30

Synopsis

Baby Secrets is the ultimate first-time parenting guide to help you through the early weeks of your baby's life and take you into the blissful world of night-time peace.

Unlock top maternity nurse Jo Tantum's secrets, just as Barbara Want did when she gave birth to twins and found herself completely unprepared. You too can begin a happy spiral for you and your baby.

Discover:

* The secrets of sleeping through the night

* How to calm their crying

* Simple feeding routines

* The joys of play

* How to cope with more than one

Jo's approach is warm, empowering for you as a parent and very reassuring.  Her advice is easy to follow and very simply, it works.  Barbara is proof of that and they can't wait to pass it on.

About the Authors

Jo Tantum has worked with parents and their babies for the last eighteen years.  She is now in demand as a maternity consultant, twin specialist and sleep expert.

Barbara Want is a journalist and television producer who has worked for the BBC on many programmes, including Panorama and Newsnight.  She lives in London with her husband and twin boys.
 
Review

Firstly, I must warn that this book isn't for everyone.  If you are a strong believer in demand feeding and following your baby's cues to dictate sleep, play and meal times then this book wasn't written for you.

HOWEVER, if you are a first time parent or already a parent either at your wit's end or simply keen to explore how a routine may help you the second (or subsequent) time around, then Baby Secrets will make for a valuable read. Don't get me wrong, Baby Secrets isn't a strict, military-style manual that will have you and your precious newborn chained to the clock at all times.  In fact, Jo highlights the need for and benefits of demand feeding - especially in those early days and weeks whilst you are establishing your milk supply - and cautions against establishing routines too soon.  Nor does the book suggest forcing a one-size-fits-all routine upon your unique baby.  But rather, Baby Secrets presents a variety of suggestions and options allowing you the freedom to adopt an approach that bests suits your family.

I have to confess, when I first heard of Jo, I was somewhat cynical towards a woman preaching parenting skills when she has never given birth, nor raised a child of her own.  After all, even a live in nanny wouldn't have first-hand experience with breastfeeding!!  But any reservations I may have held soon disappeared once I had met her and listened to what she had to say.  I truly believe that Jo's vast experience working with parents and their babies puts her in an excellent position to advise on methods that work time and time again in a variety of situations.  

My opinion has always been that a certain level of routine is necessary to maintain a sense of control and predictability within your day.  But it is also essential that you have some flexibility within your routine so that you can confidently handle things that crop up now and again which are outside of the "norm".  Unfortunately, most of the books I found whilst pregnant in 2002 was very much either in favour of strict routine or greatly against it.  What I really needed was permission to find our own happy medium.  Baby Secrets empowers you to do just that by guiding you through your options in a warm and reassuring fashion.  

Whilst the mere thought of having twins (or multiples) simply terrifies the majority of us, Barbara's words will leave you confident that you CAN in fact cope with the additional challenges if you follow Jo's practical advice. 

As with most literature on parenting, there is bound to be something within this book that you either don't agree with or for some reason simply doesn't work for your family.  And that is okay - simply take the information that you can relate to and discard the rest.  But I am confident that you will have at least one (if not more) ah-ha! moments that will reveal the key to creating a happier atmosphere in your home. 

Baby Secrets is a worthwhile read for all parents addressing issues around sleeping, crying and feeding.  It is also a superb resource for anyone expecting two or more babies at the same time and would make for a fantastic gift for all parents-to-be.

Reviewed by: Franciska
 
Available from:

Whitcoulls

Dymocks

Amazon

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