THIS is a long book broken down into months for your your child's age and what he/she should/could be doing at this point in time. I will probably be "currently reading" this until my daughter is four years old!

It's more of a reference book and despite the fact that childrearing is constantly changing, and magazines and the Internet might be more updated (although the What to Expect series is constantly being updated) the information is very pertinent and helpful. My husband and I loved the Expecting and First Year books, too.

Okay, so I haven't really read all of this by any means, but I read the first few chapters pertaining to my daughters age, as well as toilet training, toddler nutrition, and safety. And while I think it's probably a good reference to have on hand (although I haven't really read any of the other toddler books out there yet for comparison), I felt like the authors used the same authoritative tone that I probably used with parents in residency before I had my own kid and realized that it's a lot easier to give advice than to follow it through, especially if your child has no intention of doing whatever it is that you want them to do. I also felt (as did some other reviewers on Amazon that I saw) that there's a strong bias toward cutting off breastfeeding at the first birthday, which was based on opinions that it is no longer nutritionally beneficial and can create enmeshment if prolonged which I don't really think are supported in the literature. I think if the AAP & the WHO both support continued nursing if mutually desired, then the authors of this book should correct that position in their next edition of this book.

Amazing series. Extremely informative.

Ok for a general overview.