This is one of the few resources that equip new parents with a "lesson plan" for interacting in positive, productive, and, most importantly, fun ways. Not all of us, after all, can recall the nursery rhymes, songs, and games we played as an infant! This resource helps bring back the once familiar and introduces new ones as well. In an age that pushes us to produce independent little "baby einsteins," it is refreshing to have the voice of a respected pediatrician call us to action for just plain fun time, interacting one-on-one with our instinctively interdependent, social babies.

When you shake this "book style" play pack, you can hear the musical rattle inside. The rattle helps a baby to acquire a mature grip which later will help in writing. In fact, this "book" opens up to reveal a number of fun activities for you and your baby. The three foam toys are covered in various materials. The surface, color, shape and sound of each block will fascinate and amuse. The Music tape (Mozart Beethoven, Handel, Vivaldi and Bach) will help to stimulate the part of your baby's brain that is responsible for math, logic, concentration and speech.

There is a cute wall banner which will help your newborn baby to stimulate recognition and memory. It is not something your child could play with as it is just made out of paper and could easily tear. It is just a very small item and could be put up on the wall so you could point to images of a cat or pig and say the sound each animal makes. The mobile is easy to assemble and must also be kept out of the babies reach. If placed 8-10 inches above the crib, it will help to stimulate vision from birth.

I turned over a smiley face on a piece of cardboard and found myself, well..looking at me :). It is a mirror you can hold above our baby's face so she can study her reflection and begin to develop a sense of self. Because various types of play will encourage your child to develop in different ways, there is a set of "48 game cards." Each card encourages all aspects of a baby's development. Every card shows a fun activity. Fun and familiar rhymes like "This little Piggy" are fun and help a child to be more aware of their feet.

The included "Baby's Skill Book" is just wonderful as it presents hundreds of easy ways to encourage your baby's month-by-month progress throughout the first year. A "golden hour" time clock shows the games and activities that will be particularly good at various stages of development. During the wakeful times, you can help to promote his innate desires to communicate and play.

All I have to say is..."How did parents survive without all this information in the past?" Dr. Miriam sure has it all organized for the new mom and dad.

What an excellent idea! This pack contains all the essential items and topics required for the growth and development of your young baby. It is especially suitable for first - time parents who are bombarded with so much information on how to ensure the stimulation and development of their baby and dont know where to start. I found it very simple to use and also quite exciting and could not wait to introduce a new topic, excercise or toy. My husband was thrilled with this find of ours and he really enjoyed being able to contribute to our son's learning experience through stimulation and play.

Absolutely essential book for every woman to own. Purse sized, easy to read in one sitting, with terrific pictures and illustrations. Exercise tips, advice on doctors, disease, everyday problems, this little book has it all. Wonderfully detailed self-examination portion, easy to understand. Explanations of just how breasts work, what's normal; what's not. A keeper.

For the busy modern woman, this book presents the facts quickly! There is great awareness when it comes to Breast Cancer, but where can you find the information you really need to make your personal life better?

This book includes information on:

Breast Anatomy
Developing Breasts
Size, Shape and Support
A Healthy Lifestyle
The Sensual Breast
Pregnancy & Breast-Feeding
Caring for Your Breasts
Benign Breast Changes
Breast Cancer
Treating Cancer
Life After Treatment
Cosmetic Surgery

I was very surprised to see that alcohol is said to sometimes indirectly cause breast cancer. Women who smoke are also at greater risk for breast problems. For women who are breast feeding, there is an interesting section on how milk is secreted from the blackberry shaped alveoli.

Nice compact book on Breast Health.

My pediatrican recommended this book when my now 13-year-old was born, and it's only slight hyperbole to say that my children are alive and well because Miriam Stoppard! The book gives very practical advice on how to wrap a baby, tips to dress a baby, how to bathe a baby, how to take a temperature, etc. My mother-in-law was in awe of my skills and never guessed that I was so proficient because I'd been reading the book before she came over! The book also has growth charts in the back where you can record your children's height and weight progress and compare it against several norms. I'm reviewing this book now because I'm on-line to order the upteenth copy for another friend who is expecting.

I love this author. She is very down-to-earth. I buy this book and her Pregnancy & Birth book for everyone in my family who gets pregnant.

For first time moms it really lays out everything you will need to be completely ready once the baby arrives.

It breaks everything down so you are prepared and keeps you informed of things you will need well into the first year.

I recommend this book.

Who has time to read a huge book on any subject these days? If someone in your life is entering Menopause, this is a quick resource that is very handy.

This book offers practical advice on how to alleviate symptoms and explains the whole range of menopausal symptoms.

This book includes these topics:

What Happens at Menopause?
Menopausal Medical Complaints
Positive Attitudes
Physical Health
Natural Therapies
Sexuality & Relationships

With this book, you can understand the whole range of symptoms, learn to think positively about the changes in your life, keep fit and care for your body.

The section on natural therapies is especially interesting. You can research Naturopathy, Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Hydrotherapy and Massage. All of which I can recommend as wonderful therapies for anyone.

This stage is a psychological, emotional and intellectual turning point in women's lives. Having this book around will give answers to questions like:

What are Hot Flashes?
Why can't I sleep?
Why am I feeling Forgetful?
How can I prevent Osteoporosis?
What can I do about weight control?
Do I still have to worry about Birth Control?
Will this put a strain on my marriage?

With this guide...you are now in control of how you feel!

In just 96 pages, the author manages to cover a lot of topics, including changes that occur physically and mentally. The book starts with an explanation of menopause, followed by a description of the symptoms and stages. It further discusses the emotional effects of menopause as well as other potential health risks.

Useful information is provided for treating symptoms, including tips on diet and exercise, aromatherapy and the use of herbs. There is judicious use of pictures, charts and sidebars, all of which help make it a great reference guide. It is easy to read and small enough to slip into a purse or briefcase.

At a very affordable price, it might be the best $7.95 you could ever spend. Give a copy to the man in your life, so that he will understand what you are going through. It may help you to save your marriage !

This is my favorite Dr. Miriam Stoppard book because it is wonderfully organized and has plenty of great photographs and colorful blocks of information. The charts on everything from "What diagnostic tests are," to "What to look out for as your child develops," make this book the most practical book I have seen.

If I had to buy one book for a new parent, this would be it. I love all of Dr. Stoppard's books, but this one is truly a book for mom and dad. This is also a book that focuses on the needs of the parents as well as the needs of the baby. The first-time parents concerns are examined and Dr. Miriam deals with every aspect from preparing for pregnancy to bonding with the baby as a family. The father's role in the childcare is also discussed in more detail. This takes a look at how parenthood will change your life and it offers constructive help on keeping your relationship alive.

This book includes information on the needs of working women, house husbands and single parents. You will learn how to be a caregiver, supporter and teacher, as well as a loving partner. What I love most about this book is that it focuses on the "decision to become a parent." This is much more than just deciding to have a baby. This is about bringing a child into the world and about creating an entire new person.

The process of pregnancy is also fascinating. You will want to check this section throughout your pregnancy. Issues during pregnancy are discussed in great detail. On many of the pages you will also find a block that gives information about how fathers can take an active role.

There is a section on "Sex and Parenthood" which gives some sage advice if you don't want to immediately become pregnant again. A section is devoted to PPD (Postpartum Depression) and explains why this happens and how to deal with it. The best part of this book is the large charts which show the development of your new child. It focuses in on "mind, mobility, coordination, social skills and speech." In this way, you can keep track of how your child is developing and the beauty of these charts is that there is a whole section on "How You Can Help."

This book shows you what it is really like to have a baby! Highly recommended if your goal is to enjoy life and have the knowledge you need to enjoy life as a family.

I had been looking for a book that will help in showing me all aspects of being a new parent. This book covered it all and then some. I am planning to have children in the next few years and this book has helped with all of my questions. I think the veiwpoints for the fathers makes this a book even the fathers will be excited to read. I have already read it many times and I keep it close by so I may just thumb through it. I just lent it to a friend and I am already missing it.

I got this book from the library and found it to be so helpful that I decided to buy a copy of my own. The instructions are clear and very simple, and also the book shows you what to do using pictures. It goes into how to breast and/or bottle feed without the huge lectures and guilt trips for mothers who decide to bottle feed. It doesn't include every aspect of child care but it's gives the new mom a very good start. It also helps that the book is short and very inexpensive. Makes a great shower gift, especially for the giver who is short on cash.

I was surprised to find no reviews of this book. After the birth of our first child, we received this as a gift and although this reference was a small paperback, it was so full of information I referred to it frequently. The photographs are terrific and this book is an excellent primer for any new parent who wants more information on how to manage the newborn phase of life. I highly recommend it.

Dr. Stoppard's text is an accurate and up to date reference on the female breast. The sections on breast disease including breast cancer, and breast cancer treatment are excellent, providing valuable information on the latest techniques and treatments. The text also includes informative sections on the normal female breast, including breast development, sexual function, breast feeding, and breast self examinations. This would be an excellent source for any woman seeking detailed information on breast health or disease. The level of information included would be of interest to lay persons and health care professionals. T. Cupples, MD 5/97

I have read many of Miriam stoppards books,and i think they are the best written books i have ever read, the only sad part is that I am in India, and we can only buy limited,ones.., I would love to read all the titles.

I almost didn't buy this book - it is a slick, slim book that looks a little commercial. Flipping through it revealed a great book for women just starting to look into menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy.

This would be my Number One pick for any woman who wants to begin learning about menopause, in a reader-friendly manner. It's nice enough to give as a gift, too.

These days we are offered many choices, from no treatment to new, not quite approved treatment. In between is a mix of offers, from birth control pills to soy supplements. What's a woman to do? I suggest reading as much as possible. However, for me, my pre-menopause years have been spent in denial and confusion. So much is written that it is often difficult to digest.

I liked this book because it gives clear, simple explanations beginning with an explanation of what happens to the body during menopause, complete with drawings and photographs that are pleasant to look at and easy to understand.

Hormone Replacement Therapy is explained in separate chapters offering what happens if you take HRT, why some women should, why some women shouldn't, alternatives diet and exercise.

Personally, I didn't want a book that required a lot of studying - this book is packed with information, as easy to read as Cliff Notes. I'd recommend you buy this book for yourself, and keep some on hand for your female friends and relatives.

Al contraer matrimonio, ni mi esposa ni yo teniamos experiencia en el sexo. Este libro nos fue de gran utilidad por su contenido facil y ameno, que nos permitio a ambos leerlo juntos. Su lenguaje directo y sus imagenes son inmejorables.

Wen My wife and I got married, we had no sexual experience. This book was very heplful, it allowed us to reade it together. It's strait foward lenguaje and pictures are unbeatabel.