Parental anxiety has reached epidemic proportions. We feel an overwhelming need to protect and fix our baby from the moment of birth, yet we often do not know what to do. We get frustrated and stressed, and when this overwhelms us, the whole family is at risk.

How can we catch stress early before parenting habits are first created?

Dr Leon Levitt is an experienced GP and obstetrician, with great success in easing the path for parents through these early months and years. With practical examples from his practice, he presents important principles, rules and strategies to better navigate and enjoy the journey.

He offers a complete paradigm shift in approach to babies. The newborn baby’s progressive, neurological development is completely different from the baby after four months, and therefore requires a different parental mindset.

For the baby in the first four months, the golden rule is First Calm Down. Dr Levitt describes the true goals of parenting and gives practical approaches to colic, reflux, feeding and sleep. This child behaves according to inherited automatic reflexes, so the parents are freed from the need to ‘fix’ the distressed baby, and can learn to meet the baby’s needs in the moment.

Seven strategies are explored, encouraging parents to withdraw from the specific issue with their baby and instead use one or more of these broad approaches to bring back calmness, control and joy.

The book concludes with a guide to common medical issues parents have with their baby.