Product Description

PERFECT FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS, CAREGIVERS AND PARENTS ALIKE, this book is a user-friendly, non-technical guide to a child’s development, beginning before birth through age eight. This is an easy-to-use tool for evaluating developmental milestones, growth patterns, daily routines, and activities. These authors are both experienced in teaching, child care issues, and have authored professional references on the topic of child development.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #461217 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Amazon.com Review
One of the many side effects of becoming a parent is the ever-larger stack of books about children that it's all too difficult to find time to finish reading. By the Ages is one quick-reference manual that cuts to the chase and supplies parents with basic, helpful information about what parents can expect from their child's social, intellectual, and physical development from the first few months after conception through the eighth year. At once fascinating and pragmatic, the majority of the book is presented in lists and bullet points that manage to balance thoroughness with brevity.

The first two chapters are a mini course in developmental psychology, complete with multiple-choice tests at the end. Explaining everything from age-level expectancies to the interrelatedness of development areas, these 35 pages define important terms, provide examples, and explain a few basics, like why it's flat-out impossible to toilet train an infant. Further chapters are separated by age; if you're the parent of a 2-year-old with another child approaching age 5, you'll know exactly which pages to head for first. This book is as well-designed for caregivers as it is for parents; the "special tips" section in each chapter is addressed to both, and suggests ideas like strategically planting a toddler's favorite toys throughout a room to help encourage crawling. Also included for each age is a short list of what a typical day might bring: how much sleep to expect, how many calories are needed, and what sort of general behaviors a caregiver might expect. Whether you're an expectant first-time parent or are well on your way to sending your child off to kindergarten, this little manual is full of simple guidelines that even the busiest parents have time to check out. --Jill Lightner

About the Author
Lynn R. Marotz, Ph.D., R.N., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Life at the University of Kansas. She also serves as the Associate Director of the university's Child Development Center. Ms. Marotz is co-chair of the Higher Education Consortium on Early Childhood Education. She is a member of the Stakeholder's Advisory Committee/Early Childhood Council, Kansas State Board of Education. She is also a member of the Kansas Early Care and Education Professional Development Initiative, as well as a member of the Early Childhood Professional Preparation Initiative. She is a council member for the Gateway's to Early Childhood Careers Project and serves as a board member for the Douglas County Child Development Association (NAEYC Affiliate). In 1998, she was a visiting scholar at Arizona State University and is a former finalist for University Employee of the Year (1997).

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book for New Parents!
Other than the scary clown hair on the baby on the cover--this is a really helpful guide to a new baby's cognitive and physical development! It's much more practical than some of the other more popular titles that I have read. The information is very clear, concise and extremely well organized. It breaks a baby's developmental stages down into 3-month blocks, which makes more sense to me than the month-by-month formats of other books--since babies all develop at a slightly different pace. I highly recommend this title for all parents who are interested in better understanding how their baby is developing!