The Vital Touch: How Intimate Contact with Your Baby Leads to Happier, Healthier Development

By Sharon Heller

Book Overview

Using a lively array of anthropological and sociological sources, The Vital Touch presents a provocative examination of the reasons why, now more than ever, we need to make consistent physical connections with our infants and children.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805053549
• ISBN13: 9780805053548
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

BEST baby behavior book ever!

I thought I would write a review that was more current. I taught childbirth/baby classes for 30 years and worked as a certified lactation consultant. I read this book back then to add to my own knowledge. Out of the dozens of book that I have read on the subject, THIS ONE HAS BEEN THE BEST!! It really helps one to understand what an infant needs, what it is asking for, and why . It is contrary to what Americans have felt about infant behaviors, that an infant should learn to be independent and have self control. Infants are immature, poorly organized humans who require parents to surround them with nurturing love and touch until they can do it for themselves. Want to solve a lot of the common American baby problems? .... Read this book and apply its concepts and both you and baby will be happier and more content. It also is a great help to successful breastfeeding. THese days I search the used books stores to find copies to give along with every baby gift I give.

My favorite parenting book!

I am a psychologist, specializing in work with children and families. I'm currently not working, because I'm staying at home with my two daugthers. I have read countless books on the subject of babies, children, families, etc., and have found this book to be the most incredible I've ever read. I truly believe this book will make a difference in your life, and the lives of your children. It's worth every penny, and then some.

Keep your child close and comforted.

I read this book while pregnant with my first child three years ago. It's eye-opening to contrast the United States with other cultures that promote almost constant contact with their babies. The author shows how our society's emphasis on placing our babies in "containers" (strollers, pumpkin seats, swings, etc.) instead of holding them more often, leads to sensory deprived, more isolated children. There is information on the benefits of the close contact of breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and helping your children become securely attached (think Dr. Sears.) This book is a wonderful comparison between the laid-back childrearing practices of most of the rest of the world and prudish America. You won't want to put your baby down after reading about the wonderful benefits of the vital touch.

There may never be a more profound or amazing book...

Breathe a sigh of relief and never second guess yourself or your loving, instinctual, attachment feelings again. If you've ever wondered which of the "expert" parenting methods are the "right" ones, read "The Vital Touch" not just for one more insight, but to follow the one expert that counts -- you.

this has enlightened us as parents!

how exciting it is to find a book that supports your "maternal instinct" as a way of parenting,when there are so many experts out there trying to guide us on dealing with common american childcare problems such as sleeping through the night and colic,whereas in sharon hellers book she compares our society with that of less advanced more primitive cultures and she finds that fussiness & colic & sleep problems are in fact as american as apple pie.this book has enlightend us as parents to do what we feel is important (massage,parental touch) all supported quite favorably according to the research done by sharon heller as having a profoundly positive affect on our infants. this is a "must read' for any parent.

This is the most important parenting guide I have ever read.

The Vital Touch affirms every nurturing instinct within me. Heller's convictions have given me the courage to parent "from the heart" and to care for my child in ways that are counter cultural within the United States. She brings wisdom from families, villages, cultures around the world to us so that we might rely on healthy and loving alternatives to the American absolute values of independence and self-reliance. She gives new parents permission to create an environment of tender care, interdependence, safety and reassurance for our infants and toddlers that will enable and empower them to become confident, self-assured, peaceful adults. I recommend this marvelous book to every parent (and grandparent) of a young child.