Das Standardwerk – komplett überarbeitet und erweitert!

Mit einer Million verkauften Exemplaren im deutschsprachigen Raum und der zugehörigen Nr.-1-App ist »Oje, ich wachse!« einer der erfolgreichsten Elternratgeber. Die renommierten Entwicklungspsychologen Dr. Hetty van de Rijt und Dr. Frans X. Plooij fanden heraus, dass jedes Baby in den ersten 14 Monaten acht große »Sprünge« in seiner geistigen Entwicklung durchlebt und dass diese aufregenden, doch oft als Krisenzeiten erlebten Wachstumsphasen immer dem gleichen Rhythmus folgen. Mit diesem Wissen haben sie einer Vielzahl von Eltern geholfen.

Xaviera Plooij, die Tochter von Hetty van de Rijt und Frans X. Plooij, hat »Oje, ich wachse!« nun zusammen mit ihrem Vater von Grund auf überarbeitet und erweitert. Erstmals teilen die Autoren Erkenntnisse zum Eltern-Thema Nr. 1: »Wie Babys schlafen«. Außerdem enthält die Neuausgabe viel mehr interaktive Elemente wie Entdeckungslisten, Übungen und einen persönlichen Sprünge-Kalender zum Ausfüllen. So können Eltern die Welt durch die Augen ihres Babys entdecken und lernen es viel besser kennen. Für den besten Start in ein glückliches Leben! (Thalia)99

I give this book a reluctant 4 stars. The substance is excellent but the presentation is painful.

Many baby books focus on specific issues (e.g., feeding, sleep, discipline) or on general physical development. This is the only book I've seen that focuses on the various stages of mental development for babies and young toddlers.

Each chapter is based around a mental leap which causes a large change in how the child can perceive the world. The structure of each leap is similar, although the timelines vary by leap: a fussy period, where the baby wants to cling to their parent and may often seem to be reverting relative to where they were, is followed by a calm period where the baby is exploring new skills. The book gives ranges of weeks when you can expect each leap to begin. They were surprisingly accurate.

Following these leaps made it easier to understand what skills and perceptive abilities were developing in my child. Each leap came with suggested activities which I have found useful.

Now the bad. First, this book was very mommy-centric, to the point of not just excluding fathers but often portraying them as not really competent when it comes to the care of their child. Second, the book was verbose. Each chapter described a number of symptoms, both of the fussy period and of the calm period. Each of those was accompanied by quotes from real families. The quotes were great, but there were too many of them. One to two per section would have been plenty; sometimes there were a dozen. Additionally, it wasn't until the last chapter when the authors decided to forgo a detailed description of the fussy period -- which was pretty much identical in the earlier chapters.

So read it for the content, but don't feel bad about skimming.

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On loan: Brenda ( )

This was a really interesting overview of the different major developmental milestones that babies go through. I bought their iPhone app so that I can see when my son is about to go into a "wonder week." I agree with other reviewers that it got a bit repetitious. Mostly it was interesting to note how closely my son's behaviors matched with other babies going through these stages. ( )

Recommended by Hilary (4/2015) - also an app

Checked this out from the library and read the introduction through chapter 2; I think it's worth buying to have on hand as a reference.

Quotes

Every big change is closely linked to changes in the developing infant's nervous system, so nature's timing for developmental leaps is actually calculated from the date of conception. (13)

It is impossible to plan having fun with a baby...Gratifying, tender, and funny moments simply happen with babies. (17)

Cuddle, rock, caress, and massage your baby when she is in a good mood...when you know her preferences, you will be able to comfort her later on when she is upset. (23)