Your child’s first few years are a wild ride. This book is your essential guide to the key stages of early childhood development, with comprehensive information on infant and toddler health from top Mayo Clinic pediatric experts with real-life parenting experience.

Inside, you'll find expert recommendations and practical insights to help you care for your infant and toddler with confidence, from sleep routines and safety tips to family media use and mental health (yours!). Month-by-month chapters cover your child's growth and movement, as well as their sensory, mental, and social development.
 
You’ll also find guidance on:

• Bonding with your new baby
• Bathing and comforting your child
• Feeding your baby and toddler as they grow
• Diapering and toilet learning
• Finding a pediatrician and healthcare for your child
• Childcare, traveling and emergency care
• Challenges for parents and other family members in the transition to life with a new baby
• Special circumstances such as adoption, caring for multiples, premature babies, autism spectrum disorder and more

 
In this revised third edition, key updates address the questions and issues facing today's parents. To help you make the best decisions for your family, you'll find information on screen time, vaccines, new devices, and parental depression and anxiety. Other additions help you navigate toddler nap transitions, picky eating, big feelings, and behavior issues.

From birth to your child's third birthday, this guide is your trusted companion through the great adventure of infant- and toddlerhood.

Mayo Clinic Parenting Guides provide trusted expertise for every step of your journey.

Kelsey Klaas, M.D., is a pediatrician in the division of General Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester, Minnesota. She currently serves as the associate pediatric clerkship director for the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and as an advisor for the Mayo Medical School Advisory Program. Dr. Klaas’s practice focuses on children with complex health conditions, like dysautonomia, POTS, neurodevelopmental disorders, and types of genetic disorders. She lives in Rochester, Minnesota with her husband and two young children.