Natural Baby and Childcare: Practical Medical Advice and Holistic Wisdom for Raising Healthy Children

Natural Baby is just the reference book I was looking for. I have a 1.5-year-old son and would have benefited from this reading from when he was first born. Luckily I have another on the way and am much more educated on the subject of babies! My Mom is very much into conventional medicine (just give him Tylenol and he will be fine) which is not where I am at this point in time. So this book and its teachings are just the thing I need for support of a holistic approach to raising my children. Her book is very detailed. It has everything you need to know about vaccinations, childhood ailments, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, homeopathy, and much more. I thought I was up on most natural and non-intrusive ways to raise my children.Then I found the section on what clothes are made of and what is in the plastic that makes up the toys he plays with as well as the pacifier that goes in his mouth and on and on and on. It is nice to know there is a Doctor out there that is attuned to how the body, mind and spirit all work together. I like the fact she has two children of her own and the remedies in this book have been tried and proven. My son bumped his mouth a few months back and with his new teeth got a fat lip. I used the remedy Arnica Montana that I had on hand (luckily, thanks to this book) and the swelling went down almost immediately.Thank you Dr. Feder for such a comprehensive book that I will get for people for Christmas presents... The info is much appreciated :)

I am a nurse and therefore can definitely see the benefits modern/conventional medicine can offer, however I also believe that the human body has the innate capacity to come back to equilibrium with minimal interference. So, this book seemed right up my alley. I am reading in sections based on what I want to gain in the here and now, so much of the information I'm taking away at the moment pertains to preparing for baby's arrival. With that said, I haven't tried any of the suggested homeopathic therapies indicated for various ailments. I will say, that this book provides valuable information, some of which you've likely heard elsewhere (homeopathic treatments withstanding) but best of all is that it provides evidence-based reasoning for recommendations made. The author also presents you with your options then informs you of her own choices and those of her clients and why, allowing you to consider other viewpoints and reasoning while you navigate your own. This book is also an extremely easy read. Scan through the table of contents, pick your chapter or section, and enjoy! I would, without a doubt, invest in this book all over again!

I LOVE this book. Dr. Feder covers everything you need to know about caring for babies and children holistically. She is also an MD as well as a certified homeopath which pleases me to know that she can simply explain two sides of the story, and two treatment options without bias. I have chosen not to vaccinate my children, and I feel even more comfortable with my decision after reading her book. She explains the pros and cons of vaccinations clearly, and parents who choose to vaccinate should feel at ease as well. I have used homeopathic remedies for all treatments for my son (2 1/2) and they work faster, and are safer to use than anything our non-holistic pediatrican can give. I highly recommend this for any parent. Her website is also very useful. [...]

I purchased this book mainly to learn about treating common childhood illnesses using homeopathic medicine. This book does a good and comprehensive job of laying out common childhood illnesses and their conventional treatment vs. their homeopathic treatment. I also liked her general explanation on childhood vaccination although her scientific research worries me a little especially when she lists "autism" as a side effect of the MMR vaccine which hasn't been scientifically proven yet. The other reason I am giving this book only four stars is because the author is a little militant about breastfeeding and co-sleeping. Since I didn't purchase the book for those issues it didn't bother me but (even though I chose to breastfeed my children) I found the tone of the book to be almost accusatory if you choose not to breasfeed or co-sleep with your children.

This book is fantastic! She covers a huge variety of topics and is very approachable. "Natural Baby" might make you think it is granola crunchy and biased, but everything is backed up with fact and you don't get a crunchy vibe. My favorite part is her recommendations for treatment to all of the ailments in the second part of the book. Shortly after receiving my copy my 2 year old caught a cold, and after dosing her the homeopathic remedies recommended and trying the poultice, she was better in a day. I would recommend this book to everyone!! It will help you build your childrens' immune systems and save you so many trips to the doctor for minor ailments that can be treated at home

Just flipping through this book in general, I was amazed at how much information was packed into it and I like how the information is organized in it. All I have to do is look up how old my baby is in the book and it gives me lots of info of what foods to start introducing and how; what growth or learning developments my baby should accomplish; and a whole lot more useful information that isn't always ready at hand in other books or online in raising a baby naturally. I especially like the medicinal references in the back of the book so that I can make home remedies instead of using preservative-filled products from the store.

I like the idea that this book lists common illness and remedies for treatment , but I find them not useful. Example common remedie in this book for fewer, cough or immune system strengthening after vaccination is gemmotherapy such as black currant and briar rose. I looked up components of those, briar rose and black currant each are made of 40% alcohol. Why sedate infant or toddler with alcohol ?! Otherwise I felt that author was fairly balanced on feeding (breastfeeding and formula), on vaccination and sleeping arrangement .

The perfect balance between natural remedies and traditional, mainstream medicine.