As you have probably gathered, I am a researcher. There aren't many decisions I make that don't result from some sort of research. In fact, I was trying to buy spray bottles for my homemade cleaner last night, and I was looking at reviews. Yes, reviews for plastic spray bottles.When I got pregnant, I was a research machine. It's a wonder my eyes are still functioning with the amount of reading I did in those nine months. I researched everything from natural birthing to cloth diapers. I knew about epidurals, circumcision, postpartum depression, and vaccines. My baby deserved the best start in life, after all.
The first book I purchased from the Sears Library was The Birth Book. I loved it! It explained everything in great detail and went over natural ways to ease pain which is what I was concerned about. Isn't every pregnant woman? There was so much information in that book, I don't think I retained half of it. As a master researcher, I also bought another book, but quickly found that it wasn't for me. The Birth Book was all I needed.
The second book I purchased was The Vaccine Book. With Baby J's three month appointment approaching, I wanted to be able to make an informed decision, knowing all of the benefits, risks, and ingredients of the substance being injected into my son's body. This book provided me with all of that information and more. What I found particularly helpful was the disclosure of the amount of aluminum in each vaccine.
I then purchased The Baby Book. I got this book because I was running into questions like, when is it advisable to feed baby solids and what should I start with? Also I wanted to delve into attachment parenting a little more and figure out what I could be doing better. Again, the helpful information was plentiful and I can see myself referring to it up until Baby J is a toddler.
My most recent Sears purchase has been The Discipline Book. Baby J is now at the age where temper tantrums are starting to show themselves and we are starting to use the word "no" a lot. I wanted to be proactive and research a gentle discipline method, as well as one that coincided with the attachment parenting that we have been practicing for the past 8 1/2 months. There are so many great ideas in this book!There are so many reasons why I love these books. So as not to go on and on about my infatuation, I will list my top five reasons and call it a day.
1.) The Sears' family takes a natural approach but understands the necessity for medication as well.
This is something that resonates with me, deeply. I am a natural minded mom and will, for the most part, try a natural remedy before a medicinal one. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I like knowing that that's OK and I'm not a horrible mother for accepting that fact. See this post to understand how I came to that conclusion.
2.) They disclose both sides of the argument, not just theirs.
This is especially true of The Vaccine Book. I loved how Dr. Bob told the postives and negatives of each vaccine. He then stated if he thought the particular vaccine was necessary and at what age he would recommend dispensing it.
3.) They use real life examples from raising their children as well as documented cases in their practices.
I don't know about you, but I think raising eight children (three of whom became doctors themselves) is pretty impressive. They share their successes and failures, in order to provide guidance in a way that is not "preachy", but lovingly shared from the heart. They also took meticulous notes on the majority of their parents and share a general consensus about what they have seen in their practice. I'm ususally a "show me the facts and research" kind of person (and there is a lot of that in these books) but there is something to be said about sharing the human experience with one another. Sometimes you just know.
4.) They cover a wide range of subjects. There is something for everyone in each book.
The Birth Book covered things such as: how to have a natural birth and how to chose anesthesia that would work for the individual, and how to avoid a c-section and how to deal with it if you have one.
The Discipline Book covers: how to discipline if you have practiced attachment parenting and how to discipline if you haven't practiced it. It has a special section for fathers and goes into detail about discipline at each stage in your child's life.
5.) There is an underlying theme in all of the books: follow your heart.
This is probably my favorite aspect of the books. A lot of authors, doctors, and family members feel that their way is best and try to convince the reader/listener that they need to do what worked for them. I am so happy to hear how you made your child succesful, but don't expect me to follow your advice if it doesn't feel right in my heart. Out of all of the research I do, the final decision is left up to my heart. That intuition that only mothers and fathers are blessed to have is my final decision maker.
So if you see me making a lot of references to the Sears books and website, these five reasons (and more) are why!
