#BlogTour #Excerpt: The Baby Detective by Sarah Norris @Baby_Detective @annecater @orionbooks #TheBabyDetective #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

The only parenting book that offers a unique, step-by-step guide to enable parents to solve baby care problems for themselves.

The Baby Detective is the only book of the parenting genre to develop a unique, step-by-step investigative process that will enable parents to solve their own baby care problems. It puts them firmly back in the driving seat, giving them the tools to do away with sometimes conflicting and confusing expert advice, and to face parenting challenges using their own intuition.

Drawing on case studies of Sarah’s previous clients, the book is based around her unique principle of AIM, in which parents are guided through the process of Assessing a problematic situation, Investigating the possible causes and Modifying behaviour in order to resolve it. It provides insight in to how and why environment, biology and personality interact to affect your baby, as well as suggesting numerous tips and strategies for remedying problems.

The Baby Detective is available in all formats now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

Excerpt:

Excerpt from the Foreword of The Baby Detective Book, By Sarah Norris (published with Orion Books)

Over the last 25 years I’ve helped hundreds of families doing a job that I love, but recently I’ve begun to experience frustration at the plight of many families who lack confidence in their baby care capabilities.
They seem to be struggling to cope with dubious advice, lack of positive support, contradictory approaches, universal solutions that claim to fit all babies and promise perfection and, most perplexing of all, the professional, media and social media criticism, judgement and intimidation that is all too rife.
One of my main aims with clients is to alleviate this pressure and stress, and that is what I am intending to do with my book, The Baby Detective.
During my time as a maternity nurse, I have seen every aspect of baby care carried out in every possible way by people with different personalities, lifestyles and ages, from different social classes, income brackets and cultures. I have come to the conclusion that, though there are a few ways of getting it wrong, there are many more ways of getting it right.
There are plenty of books and experts who will tell you that they have ‘the answer’, the holy grail of parenting, the one way that will work, the one routine you should follow or the parenting method that will solve all your problems.
But, like the gambler who thinks he has a fool-proof system to beat the casinos, they are deceiving both themselves and you.
You are unique; your family is unique and your baby is unique, which means your parenting will also be unique.
These external ‘expert’ voices often do not recognise or value this uniqueness.
There is no ‘best way’ – just the most appropriate approach for you and your baby, for that particular moment or situation, or sometimes simply a practical coping mechanism for that exhausted moment after no sleep, a baby with colic and visitors who have stayed too long.
There is also, most definitely, no ‘perfect parenting’.
This is an image often created by us, born of a totally understand able desire to be good parents. The redeeming truth is that this idea of unattainable perfection is also totally unnecessary: nothing and no one around you is perfect, so let it go, along with all the negative emotions that go with it such as guilt, stress, worry, confusion, despair, anger, self-recrimination and regret. The wonderful fact is that, for the first four weeks, babies want only four things from you. They want:
• a full tummy
• lots of cuddles
• lots of sleep
• freedom from discomfort and pain
. . . and that’s it. After three or four weeks, you can start adding more stimulation and interaction into the mix. This is the basic recipe for the first three months. What’s even more wonderful is that babies don’t really mind who is providing all these things, which takes the pressure off mums and means that dads, partners, relatives, friends, nurses, can all help provide what baby needs, and you can accept this help without any fear of damaging the bonding process in any way whatsoever.
My Baby Detective Book differs from many other baby care books in that it does not suggest you can be a perfect parent, dictate which parenting style is best or tell you the ‘right way’ to care for your baby.
Instead, the approach will be to guide you through an investigative process that will help you identify when something is going wrong, what the problem is, why it is happening, and will provide you with the information you need in order to devise and implement realistic solutions that suit you, your baby and your whole family.
You will learn how to AIM: that is, Assess, Investigate and Modify your baby’s and your own behaviour.
All you need in order to do this is to keep an open mind, have faith in yourself and trust the process that is developed in the following pages.
At the end, you will be a confident, competent parent capable of recognising and meeting your baby’s needs and adjusting every aspect of baby care to solve current and future problems and meet every new challenge.
This confidence will allow you to relax and enjoy your journey with your baby instead of wasting time being worried and stressed.
You will not need to rely on books or experts, because you will be the expert on your own baby – you will write your own book.

About The Author:

Sarah Norris is one of the most accomplished and experienced maternity nurses in the UK. She is an expert in her field, and has cared for over 250 babies during career, which has spanned over two decades. She has worked for celebrity couples including Sienna Miller and Tom Sturridge, Jessica and James Purefoy, and a number of the Guinness family. Getting her message out to as many families as possible is Sarah’s passion and life’s work.