The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care: The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child

Care

The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care

©2011 eNotes.com, Inc. or its Licensors. Please see copyright information at the end of this document.

The Work
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care has been an indispensable guide for parents since its first
publication in 1946; it covers many aspects of health, behavior, and family in organized and readable style.
Dr. Benjamin Spock periodically updated the text to reflect advances in medicine (such as the eradication of
polio and other childhood diseases) and changes in society (including the rise in divorce rates, the prevalence
of single parents and blended families, and women’s struggle for equality).

Spock’s text has been highly influential and widely copied. His famous first line, “You know more than you
think you do,” reassures parents of their competence. He encourages parents to trust themselves and decries
rigidity in scheduling and discipline. Parents, he says, should be reasonable, friendly, and consistent with
children. Particularly in recent editions, women’s issues are discussed: equality of boys and girls, working
mothers, and coparenting.

The book was at times controversial; Spock was accused of advocating permissiveness. Others criticized the
book’s status as a bible for parents, bemoaning its influence on generations of children. On the other hand,
many parents believe that the book increased their confidence; especially for women, Spock’s assertion that it
was acceptable to be irritated or impatient on occasion debunked myths about the “perfect parent.” He also
urged parents to be active in politics and their communities, to make their children’s world better.

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The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care 1