Being a parent is many things, but easy ain't one of them! I realized that the first night my 3-month old was blazing hot with a fever and I became frantic! I didn't want to be one of those mothers who called the doctor at the first sign of a sneeze or a cold, but I didn't want to let my baby get pneumonia, either! That's why the Portable Pediatrician for Parents is an invaluable resource.

Authored by Laura Walther Nathanson, M.D., FAAP, this book is a month to month guide to every aspect of your child's development from birth to five-years old. This book, at just over 500 pages looks daunting, until you dig in! It's simple to find what you are looking down because the chapters are broken down in a logical way and the index is easy to use and complete. There is even a dictionary of medical terms that you may not understand in the back. Though this book is called a "Portable Pediatrician" it reads like a layman.

Prologue: The Prenatal or Preadoption Visit

In the very beginning of the book, Dr. Nathanson deals with the issues of choosing a pediatrician. While we are pregnant, we tend to think of the delivery as being the great climax, but it is indeed very important to choose the pediatrician you think will be best for your family. She can help you decide if breast-feeding is best for you and your infant and will discuss other factors you may be concerned about once your little bundle of joy arrives.

The Well Child

This part of the book spans ages from birth to five years. Though this book has limited usefulness because it only goes up to five years, I've found that the years it does cover are crucial. With each passing year, I feel more comfortable with the daily mishaps that inevitably arise during our days. Within each chapter there are sections on day to day milestones, physical features, sleeping, eating, bathing, safety issues, developmental issues, health and illnesses. The chapters are broken down like so:

* Birth to Two Weeks
* Two Weeks to Two Months
* Two Months to Four Months
* Four Months to Six Months
* Six Months to Nine Months
* Nine Months to One Year
* One Year to Eighteen Months
* Eighteen Months to Two Years
* Two Years to Three Years
* Three Years to Four Years
* Four Years to Five Years

Illness and Injury Though this is touched on briefly under each age group, it is covered more thoroughly in this section.

Frightening Behaviors
This chapter includes tips on assessing behaviors, and how to handle them once you've pinpointed the cause. First a parent needs to discern if their child is looking, acting or smelling sick. Another frightening behavior here is Choking, not breathing and not having a pulse. It gives you a quick rundown of the type of CPR to use, but I strongly suggest you take a first aid/CPR class at your local Red Cross.

This chapter also touches on Convulsions, Seizures and Fits. Typically it is suggested that a parent treat first, assess later in this situation. By this, you must first make sure your child is safe by turning her on her side to prevent choking on vomit and time the seizure if possible. DO NOT put anything in her mouth to prevent her from biting her tongue. Dehydration, Fever, Night Crying and Night Terrors are also addressed in this section.

First Aid

In this section you can expect to find information to help you assess and handle minor injuries such as head bonks, neck injuries, eye injuries, nose injuries and bleeds, mouth and tooth injuries, arm, hand, leg and foot injuries, cuts and bleeding, burns and abrasions, poisoning and insect stings. Each section is accompanied by tips to assess, treat and finally how to prevent further injuries.

Body Parts, Bodily Functions and What Ails Them

Actually, this is the most used chapter in this book at my house! Once after playing outside all day, my son complained of hearing something in his ear. He said "it sounds like a bug!" I humored him and went to look inside the canal when I am faced with the rear-end of an ant! I panicked, of course, and called the ER amidst my son's screams. After a minimum-wage secretary told me to bring my son in, I grabbed the book and found out just what to do (which by the way, is to put clear vegetable oil in his ear and then wait for the ant to come out while his head lays on your lap)!

Besides retrieving ants from ears, this chapter deals with headaches, the neck, eyes, ears, nose, mouth and throat, lungs, stomach, genitals, scalp and hair, hips, legs and feet.

Illnesses, Common and Uncommon

Most parents are startled when they arrive at the pediatrician with a sick baby to find out he has Coxsackie virus, Oral herpes or Roseola. When my child was little, I'd sprint up the stairs after returning from the doctor with Ty's diagnosis to devour all of the information I could on these mysterious viruses. I've even diagnosed him a time or two!

This chapter deals with all of these mysterious ailments and some besides! Even the common Chicken Pox is listed here with quite a few facts I was unaware.

Pediatric Concerns and Controversies

Growing in All Directions
This is a whole chapter that deals with the heartaches and heartbreaks of your child's growing up. So many of us are so eager to see our child's placement on those dreadful growth charts. This chapter shows you exactly how to measure your child, what the results mean, and has its own growth charts by which to compare your child's growth to the rest of America. Now, my son will be five tomorrow and his height and weight are not listed on the chart, so this is a definite drawback to this book for me. My son is a big boy, but certainly not a giant enough that it wouldn't be listed in the five-year old range.

Bacteria, Viruses, and Antibiotics

How many times have you thought, "I take my child to the doctor, wait an hour in the waiting room, then they give me no medicine!" Well, this chapter is designed just for you. It discusses the hows and whys of giving antibiotics, and parents concerns about their use.

Baby Shots and Grown-Up Worries

Have you ever wondered if immunizations are all they are cracked up to be? Well, before the recent biological threats, a lot of my friends used to discuss this. Now, I think our generation understands the importance of getting your child's shots on schedule. If you'd like more information on these shots, what they do and don't do, this chapter will be beneficial to you.

Allergies

The section deals with the development of allergies, the symptoms of allergies and the prevention of them. If you need information on dealing with an allergic reaction, you will need to flip to the first aid section.

Trouble in the Middle Ear

This part of the body on an infant and toddler is so troublesome that they have a whole chapter dedicated to it. In fact, according to this book 71% of all children have an ear infection before age 3; we certainly lived up to the statistic! Here you will find the basics of the ear infection and even a pretty detailed drawing demonstrating the inner workings of the ear and a comparison between a healthy ear and one with Otitis Media.

The Toddler or Preschooler Who Is "Sick All the Time"

I was so perplexed that my child, who'd never stepped foot in a daycare, could always be so sick! This section provides advise on how to approach the pediatrician with your concerns when most of us hear "it's normal" and we want to know more. This also gives some insight to other parents feelings and the perspective of the physician, as well.

Handouts for the Potentially Awkward Situations

This is another very useful section of the book. I am an advocate of positive parenting that has met with some pretty stiff disapproval from people I know to be educated and loving parents. This section helped me better formulate into words, beyond saying "that's just the way I feel," why spanking is not acceptable for me. It also gives the new parent ways to handle disputes with grandparents, visits with the new baby, and when to send your child to daycare if he/she is sick.

Important Information

This book was published by Viking Penguin in 1994.

ISBN#: 0-06-271562-3

Cost: List Price: $23.00
Amazon.com Price: $16.10
Used/Amazon.com Price: $3.98

Recommended: Yes