Most of you have a doctor or nurse practitioner you can
consult. By glancing at a rash or asking a couple of questions over
the telephone, they may find a solution to a problem
that may not be found by consulting a book. Dr. Spock's Baby And
Child Care is not meant to be used for diagnosis or treatment; it's only
meant to give you a general understanding of children, their troubles, and their
needs. It is true that certain sections of the book offer emergency advice for
those parents who are out of reach of a doctor to have general advice than no
advice at all. An entire chapter has been given to the ever-increasing problems
of divorce, single-parent families, and the difficulties of the stepparent
relationship. There are expanded sections on breast-feeding, the working mother,
injury prevention, and for the first time, pediatric dental health. To encourage
healthier diets, new information on nutrition in infants and children has been
added. A glossary of medical terms has been added to assist parents in the
health care of their children.