The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care

The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care
	First edition
Author	Benjamin Spock
Language	English
Subject	Child care
Publisher	Duell, Sloan and Pearce (New York City)
Publication date	14 July 1946
Publication place	USA
Pages	527 (1st edition)
OCLC	61584207

The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care is a book by American pediatrician Benjamin Spock and one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century, selling 500,000 copies in the six months after its initial publication in 1946 and 50 million by the time of Spock's death in 1998.^[1] As of 2011, the book had been translated into 39 languages.^[2]

Spock and his manual helped revolutionize child-rearing methods for the post-World War II generation. Mothers heavily relied on Spock's advice and appreciated his friendly, reassuring tone.^[3] Spock emphasizes in his book that, above all, parents should have confidence in their abilities and trust their instincts. The famous first line of the book reads, "Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."^[4]

^ Thomas Maier, Dr. Spock: An American Life (New York: Basic Books, 2003), 462.
^ Louise Hidalgo, "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care at 65," BBC World Service, 23 August 2011.
^ Maier, 142.
^ Benjamin Spock, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, 1946).

[1] Thomas Maier, Dr. Spock: An American Life (New York: Basic Books, 2003), 462.

[2] Louise Hidalgo, "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care at 65," BBC World Service, 23 August 2011.

[Maier,_142-3] Maier, 142.

[4] Benjamin Spock, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, 1946).

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