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The latest scientific research on home birth, breastfeeding, sleep training, vaccines, and other key topics—to help parents make their own best-informed decisions.
In the era of questionable Internet "facts" and parental oversharing, it's more important than ever to find credible information on everything from prenatal vitamins to screen time. The good news is that parents and parents-to-be no longer need to rely on an opinionated mother-in-law about whether it’s OK to eat sushi in your third trimester, an old college roommate for sleep-training “rules,” or an online parenting group about how long you should breastfeed (there’s a vehement group for every opinion). Credible scientific studies are out there – and they’re “bottom-lined” in this book.
The ultimate resource for today’s science-minded generation, The Informed Parent was written for readers who prefer facts to “friendly advice,” and who prefer to make up their own minds, based on the latest findings as well as their own personal preferences. Science writers and parents themselves, authors Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham have sifted through thousands of research studies on dozens of essential topics, and distill them in this essential and engaging book. Topics include:
Home birth * Labor induction * Vaginal birth vs. Cesarean birth * Circumcision * Postpartum depression * Breastfeeding * Vaccines * Sleep training * Pacifiers * SIDS * Bed-sharing * Potty training * Childhood obesity * Food sensitivities and allergies * BPA and plastics * GMOs vs. organic foods * The hygiene hypothesis * Spanking * Daycare vs. other childcare options
Full reference information for all citations in the book is available online at http://theinformedparentbook.com/book-references/
- Sales Rank: #36261 in Books
- Published on: 2016-04-05
- Released on: 2016-04-05
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.01" h x .81" w x 5.95" l, 1.00 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 336 pages
Review
"Clear, comprehensive, and resolutely evidence-based, The Informed Parent is a fabulous resource for science-minded parents. Haelle and Willingham have tirelessly compiled the evidence on so many questions that cause parents to worry and wonder, and with all of this science at their fingertips, they'll be able to make confident and informed choices for their families. From pre-conception to preschool, you'll find yourself returning to this book again and again."
--Alice Callahan, PhD, author of The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby's First Year
"The Informed Parent is a beacon of science-based sanity for new parents caught in a blizzard of dubious child rearing advice. Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham are sure-handed guides, distilling the most up-to-date, reliable research into sensible advice that neither patronizes nor terrorizes. Circumcision? Television? Nipple confusion? Relax, Tara and Emily have got you covered."
--Dan Fagin, Director of the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at NYU, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation
“In The Informed Parent, Emily Willingham and Tara Haelle, two widely respected science writers (and parents), explore key questions about child health, beginning with fetal development and continuing into toddlerhood. The result is engaging, conversational, deeply researched, and smart, a book that should be considered a necessary resource for all 21st century parents.”
--Deborah Blum, Director of the Knight Science Journalism Program, MIT, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection
"Finally! An amazing, informed, evidence-based tour through the most common questions and concerns of parenthood that I can recommend without hesitation. A must for any science minded new parent, or for anyone who thinks Google doesn’t replace expertly curated information."
--Yoni Freedhoff, MD, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine, University of Ottawa and creator of the Weighty Matters blog
"Parents in the internet age have to navigate their way through a maze of confusing information and misinformation. Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham are the perfect guides to what's fact and fiction when it comes to the science of parenting."
--Seth Mnookin, Associate Director of MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and author of The Panic Virus
"Science-based. Judgment free. A perfect guide for evidence-based parenting!"
--Ari Brown, MD, pediatrician and author of Baby 411 book series
"In The Informed Parent, journalists Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham manage to answer everything a parent could possibly be worried about during pregnancy, birth, infancy, and toddlerhood. What makes this book different from every other book on this subject (and there are many) is that the authors take on not only the science of what concerns us, but encourage us to think along with them—giving us the tools to answer other questions in the future. It was like reading the answer sheet before the test."
--Paul Offit, MD, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
"With The Informed Parent, Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham have gifted today’s neurotic parents with fuel - and ultimately antidote - for their obsessive researching. Unlike most parenting books, the authors never preach, condone or praise. Instead, they report the science on all possible parenting controversies in a lay-friendly (and often pithy) style, allowing the reader to come to her/his own conclusions. Well-written, impeccably researched, and brilliantly suited for millennial parents, The Informed Parent should be on the top of everyone’s baby shower list."
--Suzanne Barston, the "Fearless Formula Feeder" and author of Bottled Up: How the Way We Feed Babies Has Come to Define Motherhood, and Why It Shouldn't
“Is it confirmation bias to say that anyone who decides to look at scientific facts instead of hectoring parents is doing the world a service? If so, consider my opinion biased: This book will help a lot of folks!”
--Lenore Skenazy, founder of the book, blog and movement Free-Range Kids
"As a mom, I can confidently say that The Informed Parent will be a lifesaver for all moms and dads going through the anxiety and excitement of raising a young child. From autism to organic food, the authors demystify modern parents’ most prevalent fears for the first four years, and effectively arm them with a critical thinking cap for years to come. If you’re tired of the mommy (and daddy) wars, or simply need help separating the credible wheat from the misinformation chaff on the internet, look no further."
--Kavin Senapathy, science advocate and author of The Fear Babe
“Accessible and informative…For anyone headed into parenthood, this is a must-read, as it answers so many questions new parents are bound to ask.”
--Kirkus Reviews
"The book shines with clear explanations of the reasoning behind common hospital practices such as labor induction, vitamin K shots, and taking Apgar scores, including up-to-date summaries of the sometimes overwhelming-data surrounding giving birth and infant care choices. Subjects of controversy, such as allergies and sleep training, receive in-depth, scientifically minded treatment."
--Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Tara Haelle writes about parenting and science for Slate, NPR, Forbes, and Scientific American. Emily Willingham, Ph.D., is a Forbes contributor who writes frequently about parenting and scientific controversies.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction
Based on persistent headlines about the “mommy wars,” you could conclude that a visit to your local playground or a mom’s group outing might require decking yourself out head to toe in Kevlar. But the reality on the ground is different. There is no war, and we’d like to see that metaphor retired entirely for anything but, well, war.
There is, however, a whole lot of bias and judgment. All the time, every second, judging is the background noise of our social interactions. In the parenting arena, that judgment feels—and is—very, very personal. Of all the judgy noise around us, parenting criticism comes through loudly and clearly, a painful signal that elicits defensiveness and anger. Passing judgment on another parent, especially when that judgment is grounded in a “philosophy” of some kind, is a rude and nosy and even hostile thing to do. It’s one reason that some of us rarely do it in our face‑to‑face interactions. But that doesn’t mean we’re not thinking it. And a lot of the time, what we are thinking or another parent is thinking has little to do with what the latest research says.
Of course, it’s not a war. It’s human . . . humans raising other humans. Not one thing we do nor one philosophy we follow will guarantee the outcome we intend. We don’t even need science, for once, to tell us that.
But science is useful, because the practice of science produces data instead of anecdote—data we can use for evidence-based decision-making as parents. In this book, we look at what science has to say at the various crossroads parents encounter, from vaccines to attachment parenting to circumcision to screen time. We don’t dole out a lot of advice—after all, we don’t know you or your family and can’t say which route would be best for you and your child. But we give you the scientific information you need to map your own path. And here and there, we divulge what we ended up doing, which may not have been terribly scientific at the time.
We take on questions like: Should we circumcise our son? Is any sleep-training approach okay? Should I buy conventional or organic food? Is formula all right, because breastfeeding is just not for me? Is home birth ever a safe option? Does too much screen time harm children, and what is “too much” anyway? This book gives you the tools you need to decide, not within the framework of a parenting philosophy but within the framework of interpreting science for your family’s unique situation.
Perhaps the most important of these tools is understanding how to decipher the evidence. We don’t tell you what to do, because how you use the evidence depends on your specific circumstances. We work hard to limit or expose bias—yours, ours, theirs. As humans, we commonly overlook gaps in logic and ignore evidence that counters our existing beliefs and expectations. No one, including scientists, is immune to the mistakes in interpretation that all of us make when assessing evidence. As we dig into data, we note the traps to watch out for as you weigh research findings in the context of your personal needs.
Mistaking correlation for causation is one of the most common cognitive errors because the human mind seeks patterns and sees relationships in coincidence. That tendency is useful when your friend goes missing at the same time a lion is sighted near your village, and you then are on alert for lions. But it can mislead when the apparent associations are more subtle. Just because organic food purchases have increased at a similar rate as autism diagnoses over the past decade, for example, doesn’t mean they’re related.
Another common thinking trap is confirmation bias, which leads us toward information confirming what we already think and turns us away from what contradicts our beliefs. Countering this bias requires playing devil’s advocate with yourself and fighting your natural defensive reaction when evidence goes against a deeply held belief. Be on the lookout: confirmation bias might take hold as you read this book, often taking the form of cherry-picking data that conforms to what you believe. Even if you acknowledge the data, you might be inclined to diminish its relevance or ignore a larger consensus of data. We try to help by representing the entire cherry tree, if you will, in each chapter. We also focus on evidence from research, not anecdotes (even though we share a few from our own lives). As a common saying goes, the plural of “anecdote” is not data.
Some kinds of research carry greater weight than others. The gold standard is the randomized controlled trial, in which neither researchers nor patients know who’s receiving what intervention. This study design is intended to erase many of the problems of bias. Other kinds of clinical research include retrospective studies, taking a look back at already collected data and seeing what patterns emerge. But because these investigations weren’t controlled or planned ahead of time, the evidence they yield will be subject to caveats. And then some scientific publications aren’t based on original work at all but instead synthesize existing findings in a subject area. These systematic reviews and meta-analyses are great for getting a perspective of the state of the science, but because the authors select what to search for and include, they can be subject to bias too. The best ones give an assessment of the bias in the studies they evaluate and rate the evidence on a standardized scale. For this reason, we frequently describe the types of studies we’re discussing.
Finally, accept the fact that you (and we) probably are overestimating how much you (and we) know and understand. No matter how nice and unassuming you might be or how supersmart you are, you and the rest of us are all subject to superiority bias, known as the Dunning–Kruger effect. In short, it’s our tendency to overrate ourselves while underrating others. Remember how we find ourselves making comparisons to the Joneses and judging each other’s parenting styles, our own most favorably? We’re Dunning–Kruger-ing all over the place when we do that. If most of us are average parents, then most of us are not superior to other parents. What most of us are, though, is hoping to be the best parent we can be in the only situation that matters: for our children. You’re the only parent you need to worry about, and we want this book to help you be the best evidence-based parent you can be.
We hope this book will save you from the danger of Dunning–Kruger, but we also hope it helps you navigate some of the knottiest parenting questions we face today. Our goal is to place the strongest evidence in front of you, explained in a way you can understand, so that you can accurately decide what’s best for you and your family.
A Note on Terminology
We are aware of the developmental distinctions between the embryo and the fetus. In some cases, we use both terms when both stages are relevant, but in others, for brevity and to avoid repetition, we default to “fetus” or “fetal.” The word “data” is treated as a plural noun because it represents two or more pieces of information from a study. The term “birth defect” carries obvious negative onnotations, and we have sought to diminish the possibility of adding stigma by instead using the term “congenital anomaly.”
Most helpful customer reviews
85 of 89 people found the following review helpful.
Dispelling myths about pregnancy and raising a child
By Michael the Skeptic
Note: I received a pre-release copy of this book, on which this review is based. It is possible that there have been some editorial or other changes in the released version.
There are innumerable myths and tropes about raising children. My mother used to tell me to not go into the pool until 30 minutes (or some random number) after I ate; and she always told me I'd catch the flu or a cold if I didn't put on a jacket during winter. Of course, neither are science based, and neither are "facts."
But those were innocuous little myths. I don't like being all that cold, so putting on a coat isn't the worst thing ever.
Unfortunately, some myths about parenting and raising children are dangerous. The whole "vaccines cause XYZ" myths that have infected the internet have caused some drops in vaccination, especially amongst those who should know better. And this is where this book becomes a valuable tool for "science based parenting."
Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham are notable science authors who have focused on topics that are important today. Dr. Willingham has written extensively about autism, I don't think I'm exaggerating to say that she is one of the top science journalist with respect to autism and autism related issues. Ms. Haelle writes extensively about parenting issues, from vaccinations to breast feeding.
Both use extensive citations and scientific knowledge in their writing. What they write often represents the best thinking in a field. Not that I advocate for the Argument from Authority, but when an authority uses real scientific evidence, the authority becomes the expert.
The Informed Parent continues their writing tradition. Yes, the book is "science-y." But it is my opinion that science should not be scary. It should do what it's supposed to do, answer questions through a logical manner about our natural universe. Or how we raise our children.
Haelle and Willingham jump right into the fray with their first chapter, basically on what a mother needs to do for her developing fetus. For example, Vitamin D is all the rage in the supplement world. But, generally there isn't an issue with vitamin D levels in the developed world. And, high quality medical research has shown us that vitamin D supplementation has no effect on maternal or newborn outcomes.
I could spend two hours writing about every topic they covered, but it is literally from A to Z on the list of issues. I think you could read this book cover to cover and use it as a resource, or just use it as a well sourced and written encyclopedia of issues regarding pregnancy, birth and raising the child.
As a vaccine advocate, my favorite part of the book is all about vaccines. They look at schedules, rumors, history, myths, science, and just about any consideration one might have about vaccines. They do it in a Q&A format partially, so you can read, without all of the yelling and screaming on the internet, the scientific facts about vaccines.
This is one of the best books about parenting. I remember my wife reading the semi-official manual of pregnancy, "What to Expect when you're Expecting." If this book were available back then, I would have given her this one too. Because we had a short, but intense, set of arguments regarding vaccinating our daughters, and I lacked a lot of information that I have now, especially from a book like this one. Yeah, our daughters are fully vaccinated.
I generally don't review books, because I usually read them months after they came out, and no one wants to read a six month old review. But in this case, I was excited about this book. I'm glad I got to read it. And if you're expecting or have an infant, get this book. It can help you relax and do the right things.
67 of 71 people found the following review helpful.
A must read for first time parents, a great "continuing education" for seasoned parents
By GennaH
When you are the mother of a large family, it's easy to be skeptical about how much you are going to learn from any new book about babies. This book is, beyond a doubt, an exception to that rule. Ms. Haelle and Dr. Willingham do a phenomenal job covering a breadth of topics that is nearly overwhelming. From drinking in pregnancy to home birth and beyond, the authors take the most important points present in the literature and make them accessible to the savvy parent who wants more information than is often given.
If there was one improvement I would have suggested, I feel that the authors could have encouraged greater wariness regarding home birth. As someone whose home birth midwife committed negligence, I wish that more detail had been given in terms of properly vetting care providers. However it is one area of disagreement in an otherwise excellent book.
47 of 50 people found the following review helpful.
Evidence based parenting
By Nicole Hubbell
If you want to make informed parenting decisions based on what the scientific evidence says, this is the book for you!
This will be my go-to book recommendation for new parents from now on. It doesn't get any better than evidence based!
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