You Are Your Child's First Teacher

It's a little bit dated in parts, but the basic information is excellent.

Love her philosophy or rather Steiner's! Great for first time parents, teachers, students.

A MUST READ for ALL parents! Mothers AND FATHERS! Common sense. Reading this book should be a prerequisite of parenthood.

This book is a wonderful introduction to raising your child in a holistic manner in accordance to their developmental stages. I found this book to be easy-to-read, and approachable. Rahima Baldwin certainly believes that every parent has the best intentions for their child(ren) and willingly admits her own stumbling blocks and imperfections in her journey to raising her family. Reading this book was akin to having a conversation with another slightly-more-experienced parent and was in no way preachy or condescending. In summary, a lovely book; I highly recommend it! Also, the product arrived as-advertised.

Great srevice

Expected something different but not amazons faultFriend had the book and I thought it had other information in it

The title of this book is a little misleading if you are expecting (as I was) to learn about ways to develop your child's intellect and/or communication skills. Rather, the author takes a broader approach, that you are your child's teacher in all matters of life. Moreover, you best serve your child not by trying to "instruct" them but by giving them the space to develop in their own time and manner, without undue influence from other sources.As a full-time mother, I found a lot that was thought provoking in this book. It is quite repetitive and tends to feel like a promotion for Rudolph Steiner schooling. At times I found this a bit much. However it is nice to find a book that says that you are doing a good job just by being there for your child. I was also intrigued by the idea that I should be doing less, not more for my son. That children need space to do their own thing and to observe what you do as an adult more than they need you crawling round on the floor with them or taking them to gymbaroo classes.I take from this book a few ideas of things to try and the reassurance that there are some things that I don't need to worry about. I am sure that I will read it again as my son gets older. It is a very readable book and one that I would recommend to any thoughtful parent.

I *mostly* liked this book and struggled with whether to give it 3 or 4 stars. It's a philosophy of childrearing that is insightful, meaningful and very compassionate. I think anyone could benefit from reading it and would recommend it as reading for anyone considering becoming a parent or a teacher, though it probably would not be the first book I would recommend.I like that the author writes from her conscience and isn't afraid of offending, yet manages to be gentle and non-offensive in doing so. On pages 144 and 145, the author says, "If you can possibly stay home with your baby for the first year, please do so. In fact, it is better to stay home for the first three years!" I agree with this statement and like the non-accusatory fashion in which it is phrased. Far from being derogatory towards working mothers, the author calls for across-the-board support for ALL PARENTS, regardless of job status, and acknowledges how very difficult it is to balance family with career. She doesn't offer an easy way out like so many authors do.I very much enjoyed the gentle, compassionate, pro-human-being tone of the entire book and I think it has some very valuable things to say.Yet I can't, in good conscience, give it 4 stars. Be forewarned that it is infused with Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner material. Some of that stuff is just too weird and cultish for me to consciously recommend. The "weird stuff" is interspersed throughout the book along with the useful parts. For example, on page 122 in a discussion about toddlers and books, "it is beneficial to read only one book at a sitting because each book has its own atmosphere, and mixing them can clutter the child's soul, especially at bedtime." HUH? The parts about "soul" sound more like a freaky religious message than a philosophy of childrearing, and the book is full of them. I wouldn't really worry about cluttering my child's soul.As an aside, the index is badly organized. I had to practically reread the whole book in order to find the examples I used for this review!Despite serious reservations about the weird religiosity in this book, still, I would recommend it to anyone who works with small children. It's a valuable point of view that will give you good ideas about how to understand and work with your child rather than trying to push your child into adulthood before he/she is ready. This is a good book.

Great thanks!

I picked this book up at a friends house and after a quick read through, I knew it would be a great friend to have on the shelf, for those time when I feel I need a little inspiration or support in parenting. Would recommend. Product arrived in time in perfect condition.

I really enjoyed reading it! Simple, well-written and inspiring, valuable for a new parent like me. I would recommend it to those looking for a book on easy/ waldorfish parenting

Best book for anyone looking after, teaching or parenting children

Having read the usual load of childcare books, I read this and will not need to read another (for a bit). As well as some carefully thought out practical advice (weaning, toilet training), it offers reassurance and soothes the furrowed parental brow with its calm and relaxed tone. It is thin on presciptive advice for problems but good on encouraging you as parents to use your instinct, trust your intuition and start watching your children as opposed to constantly feeling the need to intervene and educate. For example, it explains why childcare can be so exhausting and that its not all to do with getting everything done but also to do with your enormous amount of energy (or life force as described in the book) into your little one. It prompts you to be a little more discerning about how to choose toys and throw out the ones you suspected were pretty rubbish anyway. I am not in anyway spriritual and this book does veer off occasionally into the realms of the 'other worldliness' of children but hey - it alerts you to you their different ways of seeing the world, and the importance of not stifling their imagination and desire to experience the world in the way that a 1 or 2 year old, or 4 year old or 6 year old wants to.