Transforming Infant Wellbeing brings together science and policy to highlight the critical importance of the first 1001 days of infancy: the period from conception to the second birthday. Introduced and edited by Penelope Leach, who uniquely combines academic knowledge of infant development with the ability to write about it for wide audiences, the book has at its heart 25 original articles by acknowledged experts in different aspects of infant health and development. Brought together, they showcase innovative science and best practices to a wide range of readers: to scientific colleagues in different disciplines; to politicians and policy makers; to local authority commissioners and specialist advisors, statutory and voluntary organisations and parents. This book has a two-fold purpose in science and in social policy. First, to collect new papers by leading scientists in a single volume, which ensures they reach a broad audience. Second, by introducing and commenting on the significance of these new findings, the book highlights both the benefits that accrue to society when it acts accordingly, and the costs, financial and social, of our failure to do so. In the last 50 years, interest in infant development and especially maternal and infant mental health has burgeoned. A large number of issues at the forefront of child development research mirror those of yesterday, but the research brought to bear upon them has transformed. Thanks largely to technological and statistical advances, we now know a great deal that researchers of earlier generations could only surmise. However, increasing knowledge of infancy has not been matched by an increasing impact on parents and professionals, politicians and policy makers. Bringing contemporary studies involving pregnancy, birth, infancy and toddlerhood together, along with the undisputed evidential findings that flow from them, large gaps between what is known and what is done become apparent. By focusing on what can be done to fill those gaps, Transforming Infant Wellbeing renders inescapable the need to rethink current priorities. It represents essential reading for researchers, parents and policy makers of infancy.

Transforming Infant Wellbeing brings together science and policy to highlight the critical importance of the first 1001 days of infancy: the period from conception to the second birthday. Introduced and edited by Penelope Leach, who uniquely combines academic knowledge of infant development with the ability to write about it for wide audiences, the book has at its heart 25 original articles by acknowledged experts in different aspects of infant health and development. Brought together, they showcase innovative science and best practices to a wide range of readers: to scientific colleagues in different disciplines; to politicians and policy makers; to local authority commissioners and specialist advisors, statutory and voluntary organisations and parents. This book has a two-fold purpose in science and in social policy. First, to collect new papers by leading scientists in a single volume, which ensures they reach a broad audience. Second, by introducing and commenting on the significance of these new findings, the book highlights both the benefits that accrue to society when it acts accordingly, and the costs, financial and social, of our failure to do so. In the last 50 years, interest in infant development and especially maternal and infant mental health has burgeoned. A large number of issues at the forefront of child development research mirror those of yesterday, but the research brought to bear upon them has transformed. Thanks largely to technological and statistical advances, we now know a great deal that researchers of earlier generations could only surmise. However, increasing knowledge of infancy has not been matched by an increasing impact on parents and professionals, politicians and policy makers. Bringing contemporary studies involving pregnancy, birth, infancy and toddlerhood together, along with the undisputed evidential findings that flow from them, large gaps between what is known and what is done become apparent. By focusing on what can be done to fill those gaps, Transforming Infant Wellbeing renders inescapable the need to rethink current priorities. It represents essential reading for researchers, parents and policy makers of infancy.

Raise young children with their well-being in mind, gaining the confidence to trust your instincts and live by the baby - not by the book. In this new edition of the best-selling guide to childcare, Penelope Leach combines her warmth, wisdom and child psychology expertise with new scientific research on the way that infants react to the world around them. Find guidance on sleeping, feeds, washing and playtime, as well as advice on your baby's physical, intellectual and emotional development through each stage of life, from birth to age five. Learn to respond to your child in a way that will create a happy and harmonious family environment as you communicate and grow together. More than just a guide to childcare, Penelope Leach's supportive approach, anchored in child psychology, is based on the idea that a child's well-being is just as important as any physical need. Explore pages or parenting tips as you explore: - A child's journey from the first few days as a newborn right through to the first days of school - Tips for sleeping, comforting, feeding and teething plus everyday care at each stage - Ideas for playing, learning, muscle power and making sounds Penelope Leach is highly regarded as one of the world's leading writers on parenting. In Your Baby and Child, she effortlessly offers practical childcare advice, perfect for a new generation of parents seeking parental guidance from a trusted child development psychologist, in a down-to-earth writing style.

"Get the lowdown on baby development from pregnancy to newborn to 1-year-old with this comprehensive baby-care book. This parenting guide from child development expert Penelope Leach provides you with all the expert childcare advice you need to help you care for your new baby through the first year. Guidance on practical childcare issues including feeding your baby and how to calm a crying newborn is backed up by key evidence on baby development to help you understand and respond to your baby. Find the answers to all your questions about birth, breastfeeding, baby milestones, and more. The Essential First Year is the only baby book you need for that wonderful first year, or the perfect gift for moms-to-be."