The Wonder Weeks: Eight Predictable, Age-linked Leaps in Your Baby's Mental Development Paperback – March 29, 2010

This book literally saved my sanity! My son had had some medical problems up until about 8 months old, causing him to not sleep well. At around 8 months old he recovered, and, after a bit of work, started sleeping BEAUTIFULLY. Just like I kept hearing he was supposed to sleep. This lasted until he was 9 months old. Then, out of nowhere, the peaceful going to sleep and staying asleep stopped. He would cry, he would scream. He would wake up often in the middle of the night. He became less cooperative and much more clingy. I didn't know what to do. I thought this sudden shift in sleep pattern and behavior was caused by something I had done. The pediatrician was NO help when I explained the problem. Desperate for answers, I began searching the web. After typing in "9 mo old not sleeping," I found the website [...]. This site talked about sleep regressions, explaining that babies' sleep does not progress in a linear fashion; they have sleep setbacks when they hit developmental milestones. The website recommended this book for further information. I ordered it right away. This wonderful, wonderful, book explains that babies go through a variety of developmental milestones; some you can see, and some you can't. Crawling, for example, is a milestone you can see. Understanding patterns, unless you know what to look for, is a milestone your baby will hit that you won't see. When babies hit these milestones, at weeks 5, 8, 12, 19, 26, 37, 46, and 55, their sleep is effected and they tend to become more fussy and clingy. The good/bad news is that you can't really do anything about it, but their behavior and poor sleep is not your fault. It is a natural occurrence in each child's life. This book is broken up into chapters for each week. Each chapter lists the weeks fussy signs, soothing tips, sleeping tips, what you can do to help, what milestone is being reached, and top toys for that wonder week. Parent comments are listed too. While the fussy signs are usually the same, and it would be repetitive to read the book cover to cover, as much of what to expect is the same week to week, this format allows the parent with an older baby to pick up and read the chapter pertaining to his/her baby's age without having to read the entire book the entire way through. I, for example, didn't get this book until my son was 9 months old. Being so terribly sleep deprived, the last thing I needed was to have to read an entire book. Also, it is nice to have a refresher of fussy signs for each week.This book should be required reading for all pediatricians!

Finally, this book is available in the US. I've been relying on a bare-bones (bullet list) translation from the Dutch version. And relying on it A LOT.Every parent I know has wondered at some time what happened to their baby, why they are so clingy all of a sudden, why they cry for apparently no reason, why they stopped sleeping well, why they stopped eating well, why suddenly nobody but Mommy will do... who took their nice baby and replaced it with THIS baby? And whose fault is it? "Did I spoil him," they ask, or "Should I punish her?" Will I get better results if I stop responding to all these senseless demands? They look for answers, and get all sorts of advice from others, much of it less than helpful - but they don't know what is going on, so they can't filter the advice effectively.This book has the answers to all those whys, and the reassurance that you are neither crazy nor at fault.My patience expanded dramatically when I realized that it wasn't ME, it wasn't my fault, it was just a stage of development for my son. It helped to know that he was actually scared and needed me, and was not pretending or manipulating me. It helped to be able to look forward to the genuinely exciting new knowledge and abilities at the end of the stage. It helped to know that if I supported him, the phase would progress and end. I felt sane, and normal, and knew that other moms went through the same thing. PHEW! :)I've passed the info on to countless other parents, all of whom have wished that the book was available in the US. I even contacted the publisher of the version in New Zealand, but no luck. Now, this PRICELESS resource is here, and the second I found out, I bought my copy. You won't regret getting your own. Get it before baby is born, so you can catch those early "Wonder Weeks" and start getting in tune with how they grow, how their brains develop, and what it means for you. Get it anytime your child is fussy, clingy, frustrated, or has disrupted sleep or eating patterns. Get it if you or some parent you know is pulling out their hair, worried that they've spoiled their infant, or desperate to understand what is going on inside that wonderful and challenging little head.This is honestly the most useful info I've read on the first year (and a bit) of baby's life. Wonderful stuff!

I really wish I'd had this book from the beginning! It's a fascinating insight into what is going on inside your baby's head.It's easy when your baby is fed, slept, cuddled and played with to become a little frustrated if he's still uncharacteristically fussy. It really helps to be able to anticipate a fussy phase -- I actually prefer fussy "time frame," since our little guy just seems to have a few more off days and isn't really fussy all the time. When he's unusually fussy in that time frame, instead of just becoming frustrated and giving myself a hard time that I'm not meeting his needs, I can look for specific new things he is learning.I agree with other reviewers that just knowing what is going on is incredibly helpful. Also, knowing that it will end soon and that this fussiness is your baby's way of coping with increased mental capacity and awareness really gives me a great deal of perspective. Actually, knowing it will end soon is probably the most helpful :)I also like that the authors emphasize that your child will *not* do all the new things listed, but to pay attention to what (s)he is interested in for clues to the emerging personality. I have enjoyed their suggestions for games to play to help your child learn to use their new mental capabilities.I have acquired a large library related to child/infant care and this is the best book I have invested in thus far. No other book has had such practical information that really contributed to lowering my stress level as a first-time parent.