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1-Page Summary of What to Expect the First Year

Overview

What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff with Sharon Mazel is a guide for new parents. It answers questions about how to make sure that your newborns get a healthy start in life, as well as other concerns and issues.

Parents have to make countless decisions, from figuring out how to change a diaper and hold the baby correctly, to interpreting their baby’s cries. Parents also need to learn new skills such as changing diapers and holding the baby properly. They must create an environment that is safe for their babies when they start walking around. Baby-proofing helps keep them safe while exploring the world around them. They must figure out what gear will be helpful, like diaper pails or strollers. It is important for parents to know which physical symptoms are worrisome enough to call a doctor about—for example, blood in spit up could mean cracked nipples but might not be serious so it’s best not worry too much about it if you see this happen with your own child.

With so much to navigate, parents seek guidance from their pediatrician and any online resources they can find. They sometimes face confusion about their choices because of conflicting advice. It’s important for new parents to have a solid understanding of what to expect in the first year of life and a resource they can consult as needed. The most important thing for parents is that love will be there for their child even if it’s not always easy.

What to Expect the First Year, which has sold more than 11 million copies, was published in 1989.

Key Takeaways

The first year of a baby’s life is critical to their brain development. Breast milk provides babies with the nutrients they need and antibodies that help strengthen their immunity. Parents gain expertise about their child through constant contact with them, which helps parents understand what they need. Babies develop at different rates, but all children go through similar stages of growth and progress in the same ways. Establishing regular bedtime routines is important because it helps parents get into a routine as well as teaches kids how to regulate themselves throughout the day.

Babies should be put on their backs to sleep for the first year of life so they won’t die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Parents should choose the child care that works best for their family. Crying is a way babies communicate with adults.

Key Takeaway 1: The first 12 months are critical to a baby’s brain development.

Studies show that 90% of a child’s brain development occurs by the age of 3. The most crucial developments happen in the first year, so it is important to provide physical contact and love to children during this time. Parents should hold them often and hug them because they need these actions to develop their social skills.

Science supports the idea that nurturing is critical to brain development. In a study, researchers found that children who were in orphanages for at least eight months had higher levels of stress hormones than those who were adopted by four months old. This was because Romanian orphanages did not provide basic care and nurturing, which contributed to higher cortisol levels.

In 2005, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison found that infants who were orphaned and deprived of parental care had lower levels of oxytocin and vasopressin peptides. However, even though those children went on to live in family homes, they still had low levels of those critical hormones. The lead researcher said that this environment change did not override all the effects from early neglect.