The Simplest Baby Book in the World

“New parents are often overwhelmed with advice from conflicting sources or huge manuals; to help parents adjust and acquire the essential knowledge and tools, designer Gross, physician Jeremy F. Shapiro, and doula/sleep trainer/newborn care specialist Gabriella Terhes Karlsson have created this simple, effective, heavily illustrated one-stop resource. The book is divided into sections on sleep, health, diapers, play, safety, transportation, and more; each section begins with a big-picture overview, then lays out a plan with directions, basic facts, and information on key supplies like waterproof mattress covers and diaper pails (with helpful advice on how to choose the right ones). Quick tips and “Daddy Hacks” provide helpful extra information and work-arounds. Two-tone line drawings break up the text, giving the book a user-friendly feel. On the book’s website, users can download free lists, schedule forms, and shopping recommendations; a blog and support community offer more resources. VERDICT Expectant and new parents will have an excellent starting place here –Barbara Bibel

S.M. Gross didn’t know much about raising kids as a new dad and didn’t have a strong support group. He found the available information from books, websites, blogs, videos, etc., to be too dense, overwhelming and not simple enough for today’s needs. Through conversations with moms, dads, nurses, doctors, nannies, and more, he distilled caring for a new baby down to the essentials. He realized that if he had this challenge, other new parents must too. And that’s where the idea for Simplest Baby came from, to share this collective knowledge in a way that new parents can get the solutions they need quickly and easily. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Jeremy Shapiro was raised in West Los Angeles, completed his undergraduate education at UC San Diego, earning a B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and a B.A. in Political Science. Dr. Jeremy returned to Los Angeles, where he earned a Master’s degree in Public Health/Epidemiology at UCLA and then completed his medical degree at the Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School in 2001. Following medical school, he returned again to L.A. to complete his internship and residency training in pediatrics at the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA and has been a full-time pediatrician at Boulevard Pediatrics over the past 16 years. Along with cultivating relationships with his patients and their families, Dr. Jeremy has also maintained a public health focus throughout his career. He previously served as a medical advisor and writer for one of the nation’s largest online health-related social networking sites and has been an active member on the Board of the Medical Staffat Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center where he previously held the position of Chief of the Department of Pediatrics and currently serves as the Chief of the Medical Staff.

Gabriella Terhes Karlsson is a Los Angeles based Newborn Care Specialist/ Postpartum Doula/Sleep Trainer. For over a decade she has helped numerous families, making a difference in their lives. Gabriella works closely with families in the “post-recovery period” (the time after giving birth), which can be the most challenging and demanding time for any new parents. She provides guidance and support to new parents who suffer from sleepless nights, postnatal depression, and teaches them the basics of how to care for their new baby. As a newborn care specialist, she has helped new families by helping them settle into a new routine, reassuring them about uncertainties and answering any questions they may have about their new bundle of joy. Gabriella provides consultations to new parents with age appropriate daytime scheduling, techniques for better sleep, emotional support, sleep conditioning and sleep training methods. Gabriella was born in Szeged, Hungary and is a certified Newborn Care Specialist and Postpartum Doula.

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