The market is flooded with infant and juvenile products, child care and parenting books, and many other products that boast about their benefits for you and your child. Unfortunately, most of the products are an unnecessary waste of money. These days, parents tend to buy hoards of books that often contradict each other and are confusing. We have listed books and other items that our office feels are helpful to most parents, as well as items that are unnecessary in most cases.

Recommended Books

• "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child"
• "Caring for Your School-Age Child"
• "Caring for Your Adolescent" - A series of books written by the American Academy of Pediatrics that provides guidance on key emotional, physical, and behavioral issues for all age groups.
• "Guide to Your Child's Nutrition" - This book from the American Academy of Pediatrics provides guidance and information about healthy eating habits for your child, including special diets and dietary requirements.
• "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" - This very informative book written by Dr. Richard Ferber provides guidance for many sleep related issues that arise from infancy through childhood.
  
• "The Nursing Mother's Companion" - This book, written by Kathleen Huggins, RN, MS and Lactation Consultant, can be a great resource for breastfeeding mothers. All aspects including trouble shooting and weaning are covered.
  
• "Feed Me, I'm Yours" - This cookbook, written by Vicki Lansky, has over 200 recipes for feeding your child for the first 2 years of life.

Items and products that are NOT recommended and/or necessary

• Side-sleeping supports — wedges used to keep infant in side-lying position are no longer needed since babies should sleep on their backs
  
• Walkers — they are never safe!
  
• Ear Thermometers — expensive and inaccurate, especially in children under 3 years
  
• Ear Infection Detectors — ear infections are diagnosed by a physical exam from your pediatrician or nurse practitioner, use of these detectors may cause the parents to overlook a serious illness in their child