This was a fascinating read. The author relates the parenting practices of different cultures around the world and talks about how certain parenting styles are due to the biology of human babies. As a simple example, babies were designed to be breastfed, biologically speaking. But in Western cultures, we’ve decided to diverge from those biologically-based practices to gain more convenience and independence from the traditionally more intimate parent-infant relationship. I like how the author says that there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as we’re aware of the trade-offs of choosing that different path. Babies will continue to be just fine, as long as they’re not completely neglected. But for me, the book reaffirmed certain parenting choices we’ve already made:

• Breastfeed on cue for at least one year (although the book convinced me to try for two years due to the biology of baby development)
• Share the bed with our children for at least the first couple of years (co-sleeping has been shown to prevent SIDS, for example)
• Respond to cries quickly (because crying doesn’t just indicate hunger or a full diaper but also the baby’s developmental need for touch)
• Carry the baby as much as possible (to help with on-cue breastfeeding and responding to cries quickly)

These happen to be the choices my family has made so far, but I recognize that in some cases the trade-offs for the other side of each choice make sense for certain families. I think this book does an excellent job of giving you a full picture of each parenting choice so that you can make an informed decision. The book was a little slow-going for me at first, but once I got to the chapter comparing cultures, it really picked up and was very interesting.