Book Review: "Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care"

Book Review: "Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care" by Sally Fallon Morell and Thomas S. Cowan, MD

Review by Michelle McCaslin, APRN

When embarking on the great responsibility and honor of parenthood a "How-to" book would be ideal to help new and experienced parents when making choices regarding their child's health. Morrell and Cowan have written a book that is just that. The book is carefully written with information that spans from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy then to infant/child care while also touching on the mother's health during the lactation or breastfeeding stage.

This book focuses on how proper nutrition based choices of what to eat and drink can be beneficial and have a profound effect in health for the mom and baby. Dr. Weston A. Price is a leading authority on nutrition whose research is used throughout the book. Other important topics that are usually a concern to parents such as vaccinations, fluoride, and even certain diagnostics such an ultrasound and other tests/labs done during pregnancy are also discussed. A few chapters are devoted to recipes and additional resources.

One of the first chapters called "Preparing for Your Baby" explains the importance of nutritional changes prior to conception to ensure a healthy pregnancy for mom and baby. The following chapter continues with the nutrition for the pregnant mother and also gives insight on certain tests and diagnostics done during this time. Morrell and Cowan are careful in stating their personal views; instead they give the reader information on how certain diagnostics are done and how they affect the developing baby along with research to help parents make informed decisions.

The emphasis on Weston A. Price's philosophies and research is the basis of the book and should give the reader a strong foundation of understanding nutrition in order to make healthy choices. There are other parts of the book that I found helpful and interesting such as frequent highlights, mini-guides, tidbits, and summaries, which are apart from the main text.

Some of these highlighted topics are somewhat controversial and informative.  Some examples are: "Bad Advice in Baby Books", "Flu Shots during Pregnancy", "Raw Milk versus Pasteurized", "Holistic Treatments for Morning Sickness", "Menus for Nutrient-Dense Meals", "Homemade Whey for Homemade Infant Formula" and  "Cheerios: A Bad Strategy for Baby".

The Appendix I titled "Therapy Instructions" at the end of the book explains the different compresses used as remedies for various ailments parents can come across while raising children. My favorites were a Mustard Compress that helps with chest congestion and also an Onion Compress that helps draw out fluid in ears.

Several parts of the book have topics in common with other pregnancy/parenting books like the explanation of stages of pregnancy, and child development milestones; but on the whole this book is unique in its focus on nutrition and an "Alternative or Holistic" approach. This is a great book that I will refer to in practice, suggest to friends and family, and recommend to our clients at Alternatives.

 

-Michelle McCaslin, APRN