The American Institute of Homeopathy Handbook for Parents offers another option for parents who are reluctant to participate in the widespread extreme measures of conventional medicine such as stimulants, antidepressants, and overuse of antibiotics. Step-by-step Edward Shalts, a medical doctor who practices homeopathic medicine, explains what homeopathy is and how it works. He presents a user-friendly overview of acute and chronic issues and shows how parents can deal with them, either on their own for some problems, or in many cases, with a qualified practitioner. This important resource explains the principles of homeopathy, the nature of remedies, and the appropriate time to use homeopathy.

Baby & Childcare the Pure and Natural Way. Kim Davies, $35.95

How to bring up a happy and healthy child, including diet, sleep, natural therapies, developmental milestones, organics, toilet training, early learning, environmental issues, safety, clothing, toys, traditional and alternative medical treatments for common childhood ailments and much more …

This compact guide makes it easy to find the information you need during even the most stressful times. Most importantly, you'll learn how to prevent the most common emergencies that new parents encounter. The Baby Emergency Handbook will help you:

• Learn the best ways to react in almost any emergency
• Know when to seek immediate medical help
• Get faster help in a hospital emergency room
• Tips on keeping your child safe

Be Fit, Be Strong, Be You. Rebecca Kajander & Timothy Culbert, $11.95

Learn how to be fit and healthy — inside and out — with these easy skills, tips and ideas.

The book is also available separately: Be the Boss of Your Pain: Self-Care for Kids. Timothy Culbert & Rebecca Kajander, $11.95 (Ages 8 and up)

Brush Brush Brush! $8.99

Here’s a tooth-brushing rhyme toddlers will love.

Canada’s Toddler Care Book: a Complete Guide from 1 to 5 Years Old. Dr. Jeremy Friedman, Hospital for Sick Children, $34.95

The complete guide to health care, developmental milestones, nutrition, Canada’s Toddler Care Book addresses the common concerns that all parents have about ther toddlers and preschoolers.

The Canadian Paediatric Society Guide to Caring for Your Child from Birth to Age Five. Diane Sacks, Editor, $29.99

This extensive guide empowers parents to make informed decisions about their child’s well-being by laying out the information in an engaging and informative way. Emphasis is placed on health, development, injury prevention and nutrition.

Organized into age-specific sections, the book features a modular format that allows parents or caregivers to jump in and out with just the information they need. This type of easy-to-apply advice will make this a “go to” resource for generations to come.

Caring For Kids: the Complete Canadian Health Guide for Children. Norman Saunders, & Jeremy Friedman, Editors. $29.95

A comprehensive guide to health and wellness for children, written by world-renowned providers of children’s health care and published in co-operation with Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. Caring for Kids: the Complete Canadian Guide to Children’s Health is a comprehensive contemporary guide to health and wellness in children (birth to 10), combining medically sound care with cutting edge research …The book is divided into three main sections:

• The first part deals with some of the more important symptoms that parents must identify and manage — from fever and colic to teething and headaches.
• In the second part, parents will find information on the nature of many specific conditions that affect children (nursing concerns in newborns, shingles, sleep problems, heart murmurs and more). This section seeks to answer three key questions: What is the condition? What can parents expect to happen? How should the problem be treated?
• The third major section of this guide provides a reference to help manage some of the common accidents and emergencies that occur in childhood.

A Child in Pain: What Health Professionals Can Do to Help. Leora Kuttner, $52.95

This comprehensive book is designed to help child health professionals of all disciplines gain understanding and skill in how to approach and treat children’s pain, and help children understand and cope with their own pain. The book examines children’s fears and anxieties that accompany their need for pain relief, and gives health professionals communications skills and words to calm these fears.

Complete Book of Mother & Baby Care from Conception to 3 Years. Canadian Medical Association, $30.00

Authoritative, reassuring and practical this companion for parents on pregnancy, postpartum, infant and toddler care is illustrated with full colour photographs. This very accessible, easy-to-read guide includes a quick reference for emergencies, vital information about childhood illnesses, home safety and first aid.

Craniosacral Therapy for Babies and Small Children. Etienne & Neeto Peirsman, $30.95

In Craniosacral Therapy for Babies and Small Children, the authors approach babies as conscious beings who endure enormous stress during the birth process. They show how CS therapy can help restore the correct alignments in babies' bodies, freeing them to grow and attain their maximum potential without hindrance. The book focuses on what a trained CS therapist can do to remove the blockages that often arise during birth. It addresses both hands-on techniques and awareness of how to interact with a baby and what responses and effects to expect. Based on the authors’ extensive experience, this guide can also be used by parents or caregivers interested in knowing what babies need in order to be whole and healthy.

Dangerous or Safe? Which Foods, Medicines and Chemicals Really Put Your Kids at Risk. Cara Natterson, $32.50 (DVD format, 90 minutes)

There is no doubt that children today are living in an increasingly toxic world. Parents are more worried than ever, and conflicting reports in the media and rumors on the playground can cause even more confusion about which products are perfectly safe and which are harmful, even deadly. Dangerous or Safe provides desperate parents with concrete answers on what foods, chemicals, and medicines pose real danger to kids.

Extreme Parenting is a solid source of support for parents of children with long-term illnesses. The guide is packed with practical advice, models of exploration and lists of action points, and will empower parents to be good advocates for their children. It also provides health professionals with invaluable insights into the demands of living with chronic illness.

Get a Healthy Weight for Your Child: a Parent's Guide to Better Eating and Exercise. Brian McCrindle & James Wengle, the Hospital for Sick Children. $24.95

The Healthy Weight Program helps parents to help their children make the necessary changes in nutrition and lifestyle so they can become physically healthy and fit. The program benefits children who are not at a healthy weight, who are at risk of becoming overweight, or who just eat poorly and are physically unfit, regardless of their age.

Getting Your Kids Active: How to Have Active, Healthy Kids. Claire Gillman, $28.95

Getting the whole family involved is the best way to make sure your kids stay fit, active and healthy for a lifetime.

Good Sports: Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing and More. Jack Prelutsky & Chris Raschka, $21.95

Celebrate the joy of playing sports and having fun! Whether it’s baseball or soccer, boys or girls, winning or losing, excelling or being a happy klutz these short and happy rhymes sing the praises of all-year-round games.

Green Babies, Sage Moms: the Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby. Lynda Fassa, $16.50

A practical guide for new mothers in raising a "green" family-and doing it simply and inexpensively. Filled with necessary and convenient advice that takes the reader from the first months of pregnancy and beyond, this indispensable book explains:

• The safest ways to get the house ready for the baby
• The best baby gear-from clothes to crib mattresses
• Organic recipes for health-conscious breastfeeding moms
• How to throw a green baby shower
• The best solutions for storing breast milk safely
• How to keep play areas safe from chemicals
• How to handle the diaper dilemma: wash vs. toss
• And much more!

Healing the World’s Children: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Child Health in the Twentieth Century. Edited by Cynthia Comacchio, Janet Golden & George Weisz, $32.95

A collection of essays, historical and contemporary, on the health and healing of children around the world during the last 100 years.

Healthy Mother, Healthy Child: Creating Whole Families from the Inside Out. Elizabeth Irvine, $21.95

ICU nurse, yoga instructor and mother Elizabeth Irvine offers practical tips and a positive philosophy that will help your entire family build physical and emotional health that will last a lifetime.

The Holistic Baby Guide: Alternative Care for Common Health Problems. Randall Neustaedter, $22.95

This comprehensive handbook is filled with safe and effective holistic treatments for colds, digestive problems, allergies, asthma, and other health issues babies and toddlers commonly experience in their first years of life. An invaluable reference that belongs on every parent's bookshelf, The Holistic Baby Guide offers simple and natural remedies for treating the symptoms of common ailments. It also provides a fully integrated plan for building your baby's immune system to prevent chronic medical problems and ensure your baby's good health.

• What immunizations does my child need?
• How safe are vaccines?
• What can I do to prevent and control infections in my child?
• When should my child take antibiotics?
• When should antibiotics be avoided?
• When is my child contagious?
• How do I keep my newborn protected?

Iris Has a Virus. Arlene Alda, illustrated by Lisa Desimini, $20.99

Iris is sick and she feels pretty bad. Her imagination runs wild when Dr. Sally tells her she has a bug!

Luna and the Big Blur: a Story for Children Who Wear Glasses. Shirley Day, illustrated Don Morris, $12.95 (ages 4-8)

Massaging Your Baby: the Joy of Touch Time. Elaine Fogel Schneider, $19.95

Effective techniques for a healthier, happier, more relaxed child (and parent!)

The Moose with Loose Poops. Charlotte Cowan, Illustrated by Penelope Neal, $19.95 (ages 2-7)

This clear and child-friendly explanation of gastroenteritis shares the misery of tummy aches, vomiting and diarrhea. The book includes a guide for parents on how to help their young child when they are sick with a “tummy bug”.

MY BODY: a Fun Way to Find Out All the Facts about Your Body! Angela Royston & Sally Hewitt, $19.95 (ages 5-9)

What does your liver do? How do your lungs work? Which foods are good for your brain? What causes teeth to decay????

Find out all the facts in this amazing, picture-packed guide to the human body!!

Natural Baby and Childcare: Practical Medical Advice and Holistic Wisdom for Raising Healthy Children from Birth to Adolescence. Lauren Felder, $25.00

This well-rounded book shows parents how to complement conventional medicine with alternative treatments such as homeopathy, essential oils, and herbal medicine. It includes a simple reference guide with natural remedies for any disease or injury. Natural Baby and Childcare focuses on providing parents with the information and guidance necessary to share natural wellness with their children.

Naturally Healthy Babies and Children: a Commonsense Guide to Herbal Remedies, Nutrition and Health. Aviva Jill Romm. Forward by William Sears, $22.95

This book takes a holistic approach to healthy childcare that integrates hygiene, alternative and complementary care with practical and informative advice. From preventative care to healing techniques to advice on when to call a doctor, this is a comprehensive handbook for parents of newborns through pre-adolescents.

The New Basics: A-to-Z Baby & Child Care for the Modern Parent. Michel Cohen, $18.99

"Dr. Michel Cohen, named by the New York Post as the hip, ‘must-have’ pediatrician, has an important message for parents: Don't worry so much! In an easy-reference alphabetical format, The New Basics clearly lays out the concerns you may face as a parent and explains how to solve them - without fuss, without stress and without harming your child by using unnecessary medicines or interventions. With sensitivity and love, Dr. Michel describes proven techniques for keeping your children healthy and happy without driving yourself crazy."

New Medicine Complete Family Health Guide. David Peters, $29.95

Integrating complementary, alternative and conventional medicine, this is a comprehensive and balanced guide to the best treatments for you and your family.

A Parent’s Guide to Developmental Delays: Recognizing & Coping with Missed Milestones in Speech, Movement, Learning and Other Areas. Laurie LeComer, $21.00

Developmental delays often go undetected until an alert and caring parent recognizes there’s a problem. In A Parent's Guide to Developmental Delays, special education expert and consultant Laurie LeComer provides essential information for any parent with a child who might have cognitive, physical, or emotional delays. Using real-life examples and case studies along with checklists, exercises, and other hands-on advice, the book covers a range of delays and disorders and how to get the assessment, care and support that will make a difference in a child’s life.

The Politics of Breastfeeding: When Breasts Are Bad For Business, 3rd Edition. Gabrielle Palmer, $22.95

In her powerful book Gabrielle Palmer describes how big business uses subtle techniques to pressure parents to use alternatives to breastmilk. The infant feeding product companies’ thirst for profit systematically undermines mothers’ confidence in their ability to breastfeed their babies and puts infants at risk world-wide.

An essential and inspirational eye-opener, The Politics of Breastfeeding challenges our complacency about how we feed our children and radically reappraises a subject which concerns not only mothers, but everyone: man or woman, parent or childless, old or young. Revealing and thought provoking, The Politics of Breastfeeding exposes infant feeding as one of the most important public health issues of our time.

Sneaky Fitness: Fun, Foolproof Ways to Slip Fitness into Your Child's Everyday Life. Missy Chase Lapine & Larysa Didio, $25.00

Sneaky strategies for fitting in more exercise and calorie-burning activities into their child’s daily routine, including:

• Age-appropriate exercises and games to get any resistant little exerciser up and moving (with targeted chapters for preschoolers, grade-school kids and ‘tweens)
• Tips on specific toys and games that encourage exercise
• More healthy (and sneaky) recipes for fueling newly-active kids

Strong Kids Healthy Kids: the Revolutionary Program for Increasing Your Child’s Fitness in 30 Minutes a Week. Frederick Hahn, $28.50

If you think your kids would enjoy using weights or exercise routines then this is the book for your family. Personal trainer Frederick Hahn shows parents how to help their kids exercise and train for health, sports, strength, endurance and fun — safely and with respect for their age and size.

The joy and energy of movement can be seen in these lovely pages showing kids and adults running, walking, climbing, jumping, swimming and more!

When Your Child Is Sick: a Home Guide for Parents. Paul Munk & Bernard Valman, $25.00

This illustrated quick-reference guide for Canadian parents takes parents through step-by-step charts that enable them to identify problems and make informed decisions about children's symptoms and treatment, including self-help measures they can use to relieve their children's ailment. Over 40 charts direct parents to appropriate sections in the book, where there is in-depth information about childhood illnesses, advice on appropriate self-help treatment, and explanations of any medical tests and treatments that may be necessary. An essential handbook for every parent.

Your Child’s Health. Barton Schmitt, $27.00

Newly revised and updated, this fast, precise and authoritative guide helps new and experienced parents with over 300 pediatric topics, such as:

• When to call your child's physician
• What to do in case of burns, bites, stings, poisoning, choking, and injuries
• Step-by-step instructions on dealing with fever, infections, allergies, rashes, earaches, croup and other common ailments
• Health Promotion from birth through adolescence
• Essential advice on newborn baby care, nutrition, cholesterol testing, immunizations, and sex education

Your Family Health Organizer: Record Parents' and Kids' Medical Information All in One Place. Jodie Pappas, $24.95

A 3-ring organizer for the entire family's vital medical data, this remarkably user-friendly organizer ensures that accurate medical records for every member of the family, especially children, are carefully filed and readily available. Your Family Health Organizer has a separate section for each family member. The organizer provides space for recording all the family's medical information, including:

• Identification profiles, allowing for fingerprints of each person for security and safety
• Medications prescribed and any reactions to them
• Wellness checkups, immunizations, doctor's appointments
• Tracking information for each child's growth and other milestones
• Tracking information for baby teeth, dental appointments and results
• Dates and other details of hospital stays

This organizer accommodates two parents and as many as three children. More profiles can be ordered. Convenient plastic zippered pockets allow for filing of all insurance cards, appointment cards and other loose items.