July 14
BABY BOOK DAY
On this day in 1946, Dr. Benjamin Spock’s Baby and Child Care was first published. The book quickly became one of the most widely-discussed books ever published -- and one of the most widely sold. In fact, Dr. Spock’s baby book sold more copies than any book other than the Bible.
Over three generations of parents have reared their children according to Dr. Spock’s philosophy of sparing the rod and trying to understand a child’s needs. “I wanted to be supportive of parents rather than to scold them,” Dr. Spock once commented. “The book set out very deliberately to counteract some of the rigidities of pediatric tradition, particularly in infant feeding. It emphasized the importance of great differences between individual babies, of the need for flexibility and of the lack of necessity to worry constantly about spoiling.”
Dr. Benjamin Spock died Sunday, March 15, 1998. If he was still with us, we’re sure his best advice would be to read Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care.
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
No portion of these files may be reproduced without the express, written permission of 440 International Inc.
