Your One-Year-Old: The Fun-Loving, Fussy 12-To 24-Month-Old

I ordered this book based on respect for the Gesell Institute, but found much of the information to be seriously outdated—so much so that the book becomes suspect in the overall, and effectively useless. Childcare seems to have changed more since this 1982 publication than I might have imagined.Some problematic examples are odd but relatively benign, such as detailing the abilities of a child at twenty-one months who, while carrying a cracker in one hand and a pack of her father’s cigarettes in the other hand, dropped a cigarette and determined that if she held the pack between her forearm and body she could pick up the cigarette. But other suggestions seem far out of line with acceptable practices, such as recommending that a fifteen-month-old who objected to his bath be given “safety pins on a shelf at standing height” to play with, to distract him while being bathed.Roughly one-fourth of the book (of the 178 pages) focuses on responses to letters received from parents, wherein there is a disturbing reluctance to respond to parental behaviors such as spanking children, smacking their hands, or even slapping a child across the mouth. One mother’s letter expressing a fear that a male child preferring comfort and attention from his father over that of his mother “may later turn him into a homosexual” is told not to “worry too much about homosexuality,” that “our bet is that your son will grow up to be quite normal.”References to such practices as pinning diapers make the book seem dated, and in the list of recommendations for further reading the most recent book was published in 1981. There is some useful material in this publication, but even that is marred by the skepticism created by the unnerving bits. The book (and I suspect the series overall) would benefit from extensive updating, as has been done with the publications of Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, originally published in the same era. Until that is done, save your money and look elsewhere for up-to-date information on child-rearing.

This book was probably really awesome in 1982 but right now it seems a bit dated in parts. I enjoyed the first 9.5 chapters but it all went down hill from there. In the real stories section there was tacit approval for hitting and spanking which hasn't been shown as effective (see parenting within reason). I kind of wish this book would be updated with more current research then I'd feel it was worth reading it.

Understanding the different phases that each age child goes through help you have more peace in your life...by becoming a more effective parent! Louise Bates Ames has studied real children for years...AND has a successful track record in helping parents & kids!

Despite a lot of outdated ideas, these books haveloads of tried-and-true insights on various ages and phases. Don't take them as gospel, but I would still recommend them to any parent or caregiver.

While the information is wonderful and an extremely well respected researcher in the Child Development profession, I found it harder to read in 2016. I originally discovered this resource while in college, early 1970's, and then bought them all for my first child. I loved it and recommended it to everyone personally and professionally. But I'm surprised to say that although the information remains valid and well done, it is just not as exciting to re-read now that I have my first grandchild. I'm sorry to write this under this circumstance.

As a mom of 18-month-old triplets, I needed reassurance that my kids weren't abnormally difficult to handle. This book provided that. I actually laughed aloud at several parts because I felt like they were describing one of my sons exactly! The authors provide exhausted parents plenty of pats on the back, letting us know that we are not alone in wondering where our sweet little babies went. I liked that the book provided specific examples of typical 18-month-old behavior, because it helped me not get so angry with my kids. I realized that what they are doing is completely normal and me getting mad at them for it is kind of ridiculous. That said, this book was written in the late 70's/early 80's so some of the advice and ideas are outdated. But I'm sure anyone would recognize that and just take the good stuff from it. I'm hoping to read the next book in the series "Your Two Year Old" soon!

My son's daycare provider recommended this series of books when he was little. He's 17 now, and my friend's daughter is almost one, so I ordered this for her. Louise Ames breaks down for you what it's like at each age, what to expect, etc. For me, it helped me understand my son more, have more compassion, know he was "normal" and I was doing things right as a parent. It's important to get reassurance as a parent, especially with your first, and to not have expectations for your child to act a certain way at a certain age but instead understand where they are developmentally and support and encourage them.

This book is outdated. I tried to like it in order to justify the purchase to my husband. I bought it because some reviewer for another baby book recommended this. One way we knew it was outdated (aside from the publication date, LOL) was because it said TV is not entertaining enough to hold a toddler's attention. When this book was written, YouTube and the hundreds of weird animated nursery rhymes did not exist. The world has changed a great deal, and so have kids, parents, expectations and standards. I need a book that shames me for giving my kid too much screen time, and this book doesn't even know what screen time is. Buying this book is like buying a used crib that doesn't meet current safety standards. If you want a useful, research based book about babies written by a PhD, try The Wonder Weeks: http://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Weeks-Stimulate-Development-Predictable/dp/9491882007

It should really be called from 16-24 months, as the primary focus is the second half of the year. Some interesting things, but I find the book outdated, it was written in the early 80's. I think an updated version of the book could potentially be interesting

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