Johnson's Mother and Baby: Canadian Edition

Naomi Brun is a freelance writer and a book reviewer for The Hamilton
Spectator.

People often joke that new parents should be handed a manual with their
newborn baby. Even though one doesn’t exist, Johnson’s Mother and
Baby comes pretty close. Edited by two medical doctors, this book is
accurate, informative, and highly user-friendly.

The volume is designed for new parents who need to find the facts
quickly. The book is divided into five colour-coded main sections so
that the reader can go directly to the area of interest without having
to use the table of contents or topical index. Once the reader has found
the desired entry, there is easily accessible information in both
paragraph and chart form accompanied by many photographs. Especially
helpful in the illness section, the photographs can help parents
identify exactly what they are seeing in their sick child, and the
charts indicate the appropriate medical interventions. New parents often
worry, and this book will go a long way to alleviate unnecessary fears
without dismissing legitimate ones.

The book takes parents from pregnancy planning all the way to the end
of toddlerhood, and does so in a positive, straightforward manner. The
writers point out challenges to parents at each different stage of a
child’s development, and follow up with a wide range of parenting
strategies. If not exhaustive, the book certainly offers many ideas to
help new parents deal with all sorts of problems as they arise.

Johnson’s Mother and Baby is a very practical, useful tool for any
new parent.