"Which?" Guide to Children's Health ("Which?" Consumer Guides) - Softcover

Brown, Harry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0852026552 ISBN 13: 9780852026557

Publisher: Which? Books, 1997

Synopsis

Good health in childhood sets us up for life. This guide shows how parents can help to ensure that their child has the best start possible, looking at development, eating habits, exercise, immunmizations, health checks, as well as providing an A-Z of common illnesses and advice on what to do in a crisis. The text also covers: pre-natal care and the first 12 months; caring for teeth and gums; behavioural and emotional problems; accident prevention and first aid; and how to get the best for your child from your GP and other medical professionals, both in and outside the NHS.

About this title

Review

Any book about children's health has to be worthy of consideration and this one is no exception.

In fact, it is a publication that will inform--and interest--all parents with its easy-to-read style and well-structured layout.

Its biggest strength is that medical jargon is helpfully translated into everyday language that most people will be able to understand.

Just about any condition that could affect a child's health appears to be covered here and explained in a simple manner.

Not surprisingly, particularly worrying contemporary diseases and infections, such as meningitis, are featured prominently and given the space their seriousness merits.

Also useful is the accident prevention and first aid chapter towards the end of the book, plus the compilation of addresses concerning children's help groups, although the list is by no means exhaustive.

The editor, Dr Harry Brown, has included a section about how to get the best treatment for your child, whether it be inside or outside the NHS. And, like the Men's Health version in The Which? series, it contains an A-Z of illnesses and symptoms.

You may get the impression while reading this book that its authors are sometimes being patronising and that some of the advice offered is obvious. But it is surely not intentional and, that aside, there is certainly much more to admire about the publication than to dislike. --Carole Butterworth

Edition details

• Publisher: Which? Books
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0852026552
• ISBN 13: 9780852026557
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288