'Your Baby's First Year' guidebook traces baby's developmental milestones

They helped you survive the first 40 weeks.

Now, the best-selling authors of "Your Pregnancy, Week by Week" have released an updated version of a book to help you during the next 52 weeks of your baby's life.

It's titled "Your Baby's First Year, Week by Week" and is a concise and easy-to-understand guidebook for each week of your baby's life.

Busy parents will find a wealth of information they can absorb in small snippets according to the age of their child.

The only confusing thing is trying to remember, as your baby gets older, what week of life he or she fits into.

Dr. Glade B. Curtis, who penned "Your Baby's First Year" with Judith Schuler, said he believes his book stands apart from others on the market because of how it presents the necessary information for parents.

Each chapter has details about developmental milestones for your baby, physical growth and the general care of a child. Updates include information about autism, vaccinations, sleeping with parents and details on feeding.

"It's helpful for people to have information to give them some sort of guidelines and mileposts," said Curtis, who practiced obstetrics and gynecology for nearly 20 years in Utah.

While he is not trained as a pediatrician, Curtis said he has studied early child development and believed he had the resources and skill to put together a book about a baby's first year of life.

Together, he and Schuler have written 18 books about pregnancy, delivery, childbirth and child care.

"We are good at researching and distilling and putting together information and getting input from other people, as well," said Curtis, who now works for the Utah Department of Health.

His experience shows. When compared to other child-care books on the market, "Your Baby's First Year, Week by Week" has a wealth of information. You won't just learn general facts about how your baby should be moving and growing — the weekly format allows you to learn in great detail how your child should be acting, moving and growing.

Curtis, however, is careful to note that his book shouldn't be a substitute for a pediatrician's care. It's a guidebook and a reference tool and should be used to help parents learn more about their child.

"Parents should be involved in the health of their child and shouldn't be afraid to ask questions," Curtis said.

Above all, he encourages parents to love their babies and enjoy their time as parents.

"It's gone before you know it," said Curtis, who is the father of five. "Rely on your instincts, and enjoy your kids while you've got them."

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