The Smart Parent's Guide: Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, and Accidents

This is an outstanding, well-written medical guide for parents. It is written in layman's language but comes from knowledgeable medical sources. I purchased this for my children for use in dealing with my grandchildren's medical illnesses and care. I can't recommend it highly enough! If you are a parent, grandparent, or work with children, you will find this book to be a valuable resource!

I had the opportunity to put the Smart Parent's Guide into action the other evening. My 11-year-old took a tumble on her rollerblades on our driveway and fractured her forearm. The sight of her quickly-swelling, yet noodle-like-looking right arm really freaked me out--and her too! Amazingly, all the info from The Smart Parent's Guide came flooding into my head, especially the part about staying calm and calling 911 rather than trying a crazy drive to the ER. It also helped me in insisting at the ER that her arm be "reduced" (medical lingo for popping the bone back into place) by an orthopedic specialist, not just any ER doc. For added fun, my daughter's classmate arrived about an hour later at the ER with a potentially broken finger. I used my Smart Parent smarts to keep her mom calm too. It was 6th grade girls' night at the ER, I guess. Four and half hours later, after conscious sedation for the arm reduction (wish they could have consciously sedated me too!), we arrived home with a big soft cast and a big bottle of Tylenol with codeine. Again, Smart Parent to the rescue now as I am having my daughter see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon for next steps. Probably a hard cast for about 6 weeks or so. And now for the fun of having a kid in a cast. Kid in cast = Mom in cast. Bathing 11-year-old. Dressing 11-year-old. Helping type 11-year-old's papers and homework. Trying to convince 11-year-old's little sister that she doesn't "want" a cast too. Truly, this book helped a lot! Don't wait for an emergency to read up now.

I purchased two copies of this book. One for my daughter's house and one for mine. My first grandchild will arrive around june 24th and I want to be ready. I imagine it will not only provide us with useful information but it will also avoid the possibility of any arguments between my daughter and I . For some reason after a certain age, it is much easier to take advise from other people than your parents especially your Mother. I haven't cared for an infant for 32 years and I am sure that many advances and theories have changed since then so I expect to learn many new things from this book. I recommend it highly for those middle of the night questions that need an answer.As well as for reassurance that you are doing the right thing.

The Smart Parent's Guide provides all the practical tips (for ensuring your child gets the best medical care) that other kids health books leave out. It will help you to get the most out of your child's checkups (what questions are important to ask; how to get your doctor to tell you what you want to know; which of the many "facts" about your child's health are really true.) I was also impressed with the sections on when to use and not use medications, when is it really an emergency, how to tell if you child's doctor is doing a good job, and especially found helpful the chapter on ways to keep your child healthy. This book is loaded with ideas and methods that will make you a savvy parent. And it is all written with the keen insight of a mother who is also a pediatrician. As a parent and a pediatrician myself, I enjoyed The Smart Parent's Guide and would recommend this book to all my friends and to the parents of all my patients.

Purchased this book after watching a segment on Today show last week on avoiding mistakes in a pediatricians office. Dr seemed like real mother who was speaking from the heart, this sparked my interest in reading this book. The advise on knowing how to choose the right emergency room down to how to get the best care in a hopsital. There were more issues addressed in this book then one could sit and speak to their doctor about. Think new parents or any parents should read this book. Not boring or lengthy.(Print is not small which makes it easy to follow also)A great resource to have in the house or read prior to having your baby!!! :)