Ready, Set, Baby!
The Watch and Learn Guide to Your Baby’s First Year
Maureen Connolly, Author and Producer
Open Air Publishing
Reviewed by Lori Bitter
Raising my children in the early eighties meant I had precious few resources for learning how to be a new mom. I had a paperback edition of Dr. Spock and a lot of pamphlets from my OB’s office. What I would have done to have had at my disposal the collection of experts in Ready, Set, Baby! The Watch and Learn Guide to Your Baby’s First Year!
Award-winning author, editor, and producer Maureen Connolly has assembled a nationally recognized panel of experts in pediatrics, breastfeeding, car seats, gentle sleep, baby care, and more to create the ultimate guide to a baby’s first year of life. Connolly is currently executive editor / co-executive producer at KnowMore.TV and a former associate producer of The Dr. Oz Show. As a health, wellness, and parenting writer, Connolly has contributed to Parenting, REDBOOK, Babytalk, and BabyCenter.com, and other publications and is the co-author of The Essential C-Section Guide and co-editor of Unbuttoned (a breastfeeding anthology).
Connolly’s collaborators on Ready, Set, Baby! include Benjamin Klinger, MD (primary care physician and professor); Alisa Beer, MD (pediatrician); Laura Tichler (Certified Childbirth Educator); Heather Kelly (lactation specialist and childbirth educator); Brooke Nalle (pediatric sleep consultant and coach).
The fact that Ready, Set, Baby! is an e-book makes it a richer experience, providing expert demonstrations, links to each of the experts and additional content, and actual reviews of products. The writing is smart, concise, and deep. The car seat section, for example, covers not only options for two seats versus one in the first year but also tips for taking baby in a taxi, on the subway, and on a train. Actual brands and models are presented with their pros and cons. Each expert shares additional tips, like why the cute, padded extras for the car seat void the seat’s warranty, which most parents do not know! As a new Grandmom who had to relearn car seats, the information on how to install it in my car was worth the price of the book ($9.99 on iTunes).
Every section, from breastfeeding to swaddling to solid food, is explored in a caring, thorough, and professional manner and includes bonus videos and demonstrations (more than 80 videos altogether!) to illustrate key points. This information is not delivered in a “you are doing it wrong” manner. The experts are relatable, honest, and parents of young children themselves. Each expert has an individual style that makes you feel like you have a team of personal coaches in your corner that you can call on at a moment’s notice.
I will give this book to the expectant and new moms on my gift list — whether the precious new arrival is her first child or fifth. This information is so detailed and fresh that any mom of an infant will find value. I am also sharing this book with all of my first-time grandmother friends! So much has changed since our children were infants. The safety information and approaches to baby care provided me with new insights, and I have a better understanding of the new approaches to parenting that my daughter is learning. That’s a win-win for our entire family!
Visit the Ready, Set, Baby! website to watch a video demonstration of this interactive e-book
