The Portable Pediatrician (Sears Parenting Library)

This book is worth its weight in gold. We’ve been using it for more than 10 years, and this is the first thing I buy for any friend who is expecting. It has saved us many a trip to the ER in the middle of the night. It has everything you need to know about rashes, fevers, stomach bugs, first aid, every possible illness (except COVID), and how to not panic. When our child gets sick or injured, I tell my husband, “Go get The Book!” because we know it will tell us everything we need to know. It includes great info on development and the range of what’s considered normal, and what requires a doctor visit. The associated Web site for Dr. Sears has photos of rashes (very useful) and more details of items covered in the book. If you buy only one book for your parenting library, make it this one.

This book is a must-have! When my 4 month old got his first cold that included a fever, cough, sore throat and sinus congestion I needed help and of course it was in the middle of the night when I wouldn't have been able to reach his pediatrician. This book told me everything I needed to know to put my mind at ease. I knew when to visit the doctor and when to worry. A few weeks later, my baby started getting yellow drainage coming from his eyes. I immediately thought of conjunctivitis. Because of the thorough description in the book I was able to rule it out. When speaking with the Doctor I was already well informed from reading this book that I was able to have a good and detailed conversation with him. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a child. I also have The Baby Book and The Vaccine Book. Both also great.

Babies never change, but the times change, and so do theories and interventions. I bought this for my daughter when she had her first baby, and I found it very helpful for me, as well, to stay up with current interventions, too. Now when I sit for my granddaughter and I question something, I can look it up first before I bring it to the attention of her mom and have a little more credibility when I talk to her if I can show her "what the book says". The book has great cross-references and doesn't go into too much detail. Just enough information is better than too much information, and this book really fine tunes what is important and when to seek more advice from the child's pediatrician. I highly recommend it!

This book is definitely a wonderful tool to have when you have children in the house. The index or glossary is so easy to use, and each section for each issue (whether it's burns, sprains, etc) give tips on what to look for, homemade fixes, what to do if homemade fixes don't work, what you need to see in order to call your physician/make an ER run. Nowadays, it's so easy to look up information online - but finding reliable sources can be challenging. This is a tool you can always have on hand, that you know offers quality/dependable advice.

I only gave this 4 stores because the medical portion of the book is very good. I would have liked to have seen pictures of different rashes, etc. since a description might not always match up in your head with what is actually on the child. The Sears family app. coined the term attachment parenting, they do push that in this book. At one point suggesting trying to breast feed while the child is in a car seat and the car is driving. That's skill.

As one who avidly devours anything about health, I would say this book is a basic Must Read, especially if you are where I was just a few short months ago. Pregnant, nervous, and paranoid, I found an article in Baby Talk magazine about Dr. Sears & decided to look into his books. I must say, this book has really made feel much less frightened of parenthood & has given me good peace of mind. I am a firm believer in Holistic & Preventative medicine, Dr. Sears gives you all the tools you need to retain a happy, healthy child! My son is two months old now & I can rest assured that when the time comes to care for him while he is sick, I will be prepared! Until then, I practice preventing him from falling ill & I am so happy I know how!

Ordered the book for our NJ daughter who has her first baby; book arrived while we were visiting; every time I looked for the book, someone was reading it; a dozen subjects got researched in the 8 days we were there from cradle cap to charts on wt/height to diaper rash to allergy reactions to foods a nursing mom might have to avoid. This book will not languish on a shelf; not only is it a great go-to helper for when a new parent wants answers immediately, but will be abundant reference material as our grandson grows up. We all considered it a great buy!

It is not easy to find a baby book that is comprehensive yet simple and easy to use. This is it. AND, it is pro attachment parenting but gives all perspectives on controversial issues such as breastfeeding, cosleeping, getting baby to sleep, soothing baby. We use it a lot and love that it gives us the information we need to CHOOSE how we want to be with our baby (i.e. no cry sleep vs cry it out, co-sleeping vs crib, etc). Empowering & encouraging!!

Excellent book. Every parent should have.

Very old edition