Published by Rupa Publications
Pages: 177
Price: INR 195
ISBN: 9788129119230
Infant sense
What do you do when your baby cries incessantly? If you’re like most, you either sing her a lullaby, reluctantly use a pacifier, attempt to feed her hoping the wailing is due to hunger or pace up and down the room with her and wait for the crying to stop. If nothing helps to cease the crying, you may panic and make a distress call to her doctor. But your doctor may not be always reachable. And even if she is, she may not be able to do something immediately to help you. The incessant crying is heart-wrenching. What’s worse is that the baby can’t even tell you what’s bothering her, which makes the situation seem more frustrating. You’re left to find solutions based on nothing more than guesswork.
Not knowing what to do puts you under tremendous pressure, especially if you’re a new parent—because you’re afraid of doing the wrong thing. Who should you turn to? This is where this book comes to your rescue. It is intended to be a reliable companion during such desperate times as described above. Written by a paediatrician with over 20 years of experience in clinical practice, the book contains clear, crisp and conclusive answers to 100 of the commonest questions parents/care-givers of a new born baby struggle with. From topics such as how much should a newborn sleep to how can you find out if the new born has normal hearing, the book covers it all. The questions are neatly categorised into sections. The book is also a good resource to refer to when most parents find themselves not having answers or having far too many and not knowing which one is correct for their baby.
In addition to health-related questions, the author has included another set of FAQs that parents might find useful, especially in the Indian context. In India, there are many customs and traditions involving babies and we want our babies to be a part of them, but aren’t sure how good they are for our little ones. The section addresses doubts in this regard.
The book is devoid of images but you don’t miss them, since the language used is simple and easy for a lay person to understand. The design is clean, with each question beginning on a fresh page.
Of course, the book is no substitute for medical treatment, but it does help to clarify many basic doubts that new parents often have. It gives them a sense of having the situation under control and is sure to make your parenting experience more fulfilling.
If you know someone with a newborn or is expecting one, the book makes for a thoughtful gift. It will be an invaluable resource not just for the parents, but for the entire family.