For nearly sixty years, from the 1940s to the end of the twentieth century, Dr. Benjamin Spock was the pediatrician to whom parents turned for guidance about a wide variety of child-rearing issues. The popularity of his first book, Baby and Child Care, brought national and international recognition to Dr. Spock for his sound, practical advice and gentle voice. It became the most widely read book on child care ever written.
Today, decades later, it is still the most respected parenting book in the world; and Dr. Spock’s other books have been equally celebrated. Although he is gone, millions of parents continue to “consult” him by virtue of his writings. Why such popularity and success? I think there are three major reasons.
First, his range of subjects was comprehensive, addressing parents’ concerns about both physical health (for example, nutrition, safety, immunizations, early signs of illness, and home remedies) and psychological health (normal development, parent and sibling relationships, the different experiences of mothers and fathers, the effects of work outside the home on family life, and many others).
Second, a hallmark of his writing is that Dr. Spock “spoke” to parents. Mothers and fathers often wrote to him with some variation of “When I read your book, it is as if you are sitting at my kitchen table talking and listening to me.” His focus was always on the parent; he wrote with the assumption that parents are capable, wise, and open to understanding the development and needs of their children. “Trust yourself” was a theme that guided all of his advice to parents.
The third reason, I believe, for the preeminent place Dr. Spock continues to hold among parents is his respect for change and diversity. He recognized that the way we raise children reflects a culture’s values, and that some of our values and perspectives on children and family change over time. Characteristically, he did not tell us “the right way to do it.” He recognized the inherent value of diversity in families and communities. In every position he took, he respected that diversity.
This book derives from a series of articles published in two magazines, Redbook (1985-1992) and Parenting (1992-1998). The articles have been edited, catalogued, and published in two volumes.
Dr. Spock’s The First Two Years addresses the major concerns of new parents, from planning for the arrival of a new baby to problems with sleep, toilet training, and temper tantrums in the second year. The first chapter introduces the idea that babies have a remarkable ability to communicate with parents and others immediately after birth, and aims to improve our ability to respond to and interact with them. In the second chapter, Dr. Spock answers specific concerns raised by parents, from a floppy, misshapen head after birth to a baby’s breathing patterns, jaundice, spitting-up, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
From his experience in pediatric practice, Dr. Spock recognized the importance of quality communication and trust between parents and a child’s doctor. In the section “Choosing a doctor for your baby” he encourages both parents and doctors to work at building this alliance and provides some specific guidelines.
The next section is a how-to-guide that covers feeding (breast and formula feeding), baby equipment for the home, preparing the older sibling for the arrival of the new baby, and circumcision. Infant nutrition is then discussed in detail, followed by a section on teething, colds, and ear infections. In each case, Dr. Spock helps parents to see the emotional side of a new experience for a baby, from the introduction of solid foods and weaning from breast milk (or a bottle) to teething and colds.
Special attention is given to developmental events in the first two years that may have an impact on parent-child relationships, including the baby’s response to a stranger, the use of a comforter (including pacifiers and thumb sucking), sleep variations, and toilet training. The final chapters on discipline, temper tantrums, and spoiling explore perhaps the most challenging moments of parenting in the second year of life.
The second book, Dr. Spock’s The School Years, explores current trends in our society that affect families, including the effects of media violence on children and teens, parents’ work outside the home, child care, peer pressure, adolescent sexuality, and many more. The complete table of contents can be found at the end of this volume.
During the year prior to his recent death, Dr. Spock and I met several times each week. With his wife, Mary Morgan, he had moved from the colder climate of his beloved Maine to southern California, a more gentle climate at a time of declining health. Sitting in his patio surrounded by many plants, colorful flowers, a large aquarium and a canyon view covered with green chaparral, we talked about children. Together, we reviewed the seventh edition of Baby and Child Care. I was amazed at his enthusiasm. At ninety-four years of age, with a weakening physical body, he found the intellectual and emotional strength to engage and be engaged in a dialogue about ideas that remained important to him. Ways to encourage and sustain breast-feeding, eliminating the traditional use of powder for diaper rashes, aspects of his new recommendation for a vegetarian diet, and new approaches to problems with bed-wetting are just a few of the subjects we discussed. Dr. Spock’s thoughtful responses were consistently laced with his clinical experiences and the ideas and suggestions he gleaned from the many parents who wrote to him.
When I read the essays collected in this book I hear that voice. It is a voice that comes from an informed and thoughtful mind, a voice that speaks directly to parents—with confidence in your wish to be a good parent. He trusted and respected your intelligence and good intentions. It is my hope that this book captures the knowledge and wisdom of a superb pediatrician who dedicated his life to the emotional and physical health of children.
THE FIRST TWO YEARS