Looking for The Wonder Weeks

Apparently this miracle book is way backordered on Amazon, and the Rodale Store doesn't carry it anymore. Which makes no sense, since Rodale is the publisher.

I sent them an email asking about it, and got a very clipped email telling me to go to Amazon. And then no reply to my reply.

If you'd like to help figure out why we can't order the Wonder Weeks anymore, please send an email to readerservice@rodale.com asking them to do another printing of the Wonder Weeks by Vanderijt and Plooij (ISBN 1579546455). Maybe if they get a bunch of emails about it they won't ignore us.

Comments

[Mary McKay]

If someone is looking for one right now, eBay has a couple of the Wonder Weeks.

[enu]

Nothing terribly unusual or sinister of a book going out of print - it's purely a business decision. No call for them to be rude to you, though! That's _bad_ business.

Copies are available via the search at

http://used.addall.com

[Kathleen]

For Canadian folks out there, it is available on www.chapters.ca

[Crystal]

I haven't read WW, but I have "Child Behavior" by the Gesell Institute and it has some similar writings about particular weeks of development (and goes beyond the first year). There is also some information on cyh.com that some may find helpful, too.

[chahn]

I ended up ordering my copy from one of the third party sellers on Amazon after waiting 6 weeks only to have Amazon cancel my order because they couldn't get the book. I think it was "Smoky Mountain Books" or something like that.

[Nancy]

I bought my copy used on Amazon about a month ago -- it arrived promptly, in perfect condition.

[Lubna]

I ordered mine recently from http://www.half.com. At the time, it was on sale for about $15, but now I see the price has been jacked waaaaay up. But the book is SO worth it!

[Reese]

Emailed them

[cheesefairy]

I found a used copy at Abe Books (http://www.abebooks.com) - a fantastic online used bookstore. I think I paid $8 (+ shipping - IMO it's worth paying for the faster shipping) for my copy. Annnnd - apparently I got quite a deal because I just had a quick look and there are a few copies available at $30 or so.

I highly recommend Abe Books, though; I've bought lots of stuff through them and they've *never* not had what I'm looking for.

[jennifer]

Looks like I got it just in time. I found it used on Amazon about two weeks ago for $4.
If you can find it, get it, totally worth it.

[Cassie]

I've emailed them. It definitely needs to stay in print -- I've recommended it to all of my mum friends and I can't possibly lend my copy out to all of them at once!

[Melissa]

I sent an email too. I also had a hard time getting it from Amazon and ended up going through a 3rd party seller (found on Amazon). Managed to get it and read through it moments before the 9 month regression hit at 8 1/2 months (the worst in my opinion, that we are still at the tail end of and trying to recover from).

A lovely book and highly recommended to everyone who thinks it is only their kid that is going through something horrible and/or intentionally trying to torture his/her parents.

[Jen in Redwood City, CA]

I was unable to find a used copy but Google found it for sale on this site (http://www.newviewpublications.com/?keywords=wonder+weeks). I ordered on May 25 but haven't received it yet. I called the company and they told me it was in stock, just waiting to ship.

[Melanie]

I tried to order this for my brother and his partner, but Amazon.com kept telling me it had been delayed for most of her pregnancy. In the end, Amazon.ca (the Canadian site) had it in stock, so I used them.

[Maura]

Please don't forget the library! Even if your local branch doesn't carry it, you can always order it from another branch OR ask a librarian to order it for your library! (A plug for the library from a librarian...)

[carmie]

I dunno, Maura. I go to one of the best public libraries in the country and they're still trying to get it for me after a year. Le sigh.

[lydia]

The book got a "not recommended" review from Library Journal, which is probably why a lot of libraries haven't bought it.

I got it recently from an Amazon third party seller. I'm not sure I love it. I mean, I find the idea behind it wonderful. I think they're right on about the weeks they discuss, and it's incredibly helpful and affirming to know that they exist and why. Truly. But one could convey that information much more concisely...lots of the book is filler, for me.

That said, though, I'm really glad I found out about it through this site and took a look. So yes, continue to publicize the book if you like it and contact the publisher and ask for a reprinting. And while we're at it, let's ask for a revision of the index (it's just...not very good).

[Brooke]

Yeah, I wouldn't buy it again. I mean, if I had it to do over. A lot of filler, a little "if you don't do this, your child will never xyz." Also the expectation that a 9 month old WILL be walking was weird. In sum, eh.

But, maybe I can sell ours on Amazon. As soon as we unpack.

[paola]

I got it from Amazon France ( I live in Italy) after a 2 week wait. Was desperate to read it as my little one, who started sleeping the entire night from 6 weeks old, was suddenly behaving like a normal baby(!) and I wondered why. Has anyone ever had this experience that after a developmental spurt baby's sleep actually gets worse and stays bad. She is 5 months old and has been sleeping poorly since 16 weeks. Could she be hitting the next DS a week or so earlier?? To get back to the point, I didn't find the book particularly interesting either. Very repetitive ( I mean I am up to week 26 and they have already menting 'Shaken baby syndrome' 3 times) and no bibliography or information about the Authrs ( except in weeny print on the back cover)

[enu]

I have a sneaking suspicion that parents whose babies track the stages the book details think it is brilliant and parents whose babies bobble to the beat of a different drummer.... don't.
I had one baby who was relentlessly smiley and content for her entire babyhood and literally only woke in the night one night after she was a couple weeks old - and that because she was puking all night, and another baby who was pretty much not content, but it's not like she flipped back and forward between fussiness and good cheer, either.
They didn't follow the mandated growth spurts, either. I felt like most of the child development books I read were talking out of their *sses. I have since met a lot of moms who swear by them, so I'll concede the majority of babies do follow certain trends, OTOH, if yours doesn't, reading all these books just makes you feel baffled, and (depending on the writer's style) a total-loser-mom. It's like having the instructions for the TSR-329i and trying to clear a jam on the TN-2900ex using them.
One thing my firstborn taught me, very quickly, was that babies are just as much individuals as anyone else, and there is a huge variety of possible personalities, temperments, styles and paths that even an infant can exhibit. But that's one of the pure wonders of having a baby....

[Erin]

I also recommend checking the library. Even if your system doesn't haven't, a nearby one might. I was able to do a direct loan from one of the counties adjacent to our city.

I'm glad I didn't purchase the book. I found it quite repetitive, and because my baby doesn't really follow the timing they suggest, it's not terribly useful in that respect. I also thought the authors were way off with expectations for certain ages.

But while I'm glad I didn't spend money on it, it was definitely worthwhile to skim through it. The take-home message (that developmental spurts might make your baby fussy and clingy and mess up your baby's sleep--but it's only a phase) was good to know, and I was relieved that these stages make other mothers frustrated, too (some even more crazed than me!). It was also nice to get some new ideas for songs and little games to play with my baby. Some of them are obvious, but when I'm frazzled, I need some reminders.

I think the whole thing could be condensed into a neat little booklet.

[Liza]

What a productive thing to do!

I "ordered" it from Amazon when my son was 9 months and I first read about it here. At just shy of 13 months, I canceled the order because why? They were clearly never going to send it to me.

I'll send an email.

[Heath]

I agree with other commenters - though my baby has actually hit the stages at the projected times, all I really needed to know was what he was learning (and maybe how I could help/watch him learn it!) and when it would happen. It did seem like all but the first few pages of each chapter was pure repeat, and it could easily have been condensed into booklet form. And it also felt unnecessarily negative at times (lots of "I can barely stand my baby right now! He's so clingy and annoying!" from the mom-quotes.)

Maybe I'll sell my copy on Amazon - it sounds like lots of you have gotten great help from it!

[Diane]

A quick search on WorldCat shows only 142 libraries have it worldwide. You may have some luck with interlibrary loan, but it's still going to be tough to get your hands on.

If you're interested in buying it (or know someone who is), there are a handful of sellers on Alibris.com. This is a great resource any time you're looking for something out of print.

[Megan]

I'll sell mine on Amazon. I bought it on recommendations from this site and others and was way underwhelmed. The negativity from the mothers quoted really freaked me out! I get that babies can be frustrating (case in point: my 17-month-old STILL doesn't sleep through the night), but still!

[hedra]

I reviewed it for Karen Gromada ("Mothering Multiples", who was considering including it as a resource on her website) and mentioned the main drawback, IMHO, is that the book was written by researchers, not writers. So there's a lot of 'data' and then some analysis. The data includes moms doing things that are really pretty miserable for all concerned, and because they were doing research, they couldn't just TELL the moms at that point what was going on. GAH! Kind of painful at times. I could never do that kind of research, I'd always be telling people what we'd already found out...

When I initially found this info, I used a bullet-list version that was translated from some other language into English (badly), for years, until they finally published it in English. I also got the ONE copy that was at that point available on interlibrary loan, and (because it was out of print) photocopied the entire darn book (for my use, obviously). And then it came out in English, WOO! I'm sorry it is going out of print, but maybe I can include the 'bullet list' version in the book I'm writing... just people will have to wait a couple years while my youngest get past 4 years old and my DH finishes his licensing exams. And then there's finding a publisher, etc., etc. (that is, looooong wait...)

I also know at least two parents whose kids (in one case, just one of their kids) don't 'follow the pattern' reliably. They 'didn't get the memo', LOL! But one of the moms found the IDEA very useful (the recommended bullet-point/pamphelet version), because she did what I recommend for the 'later' stages - if it seemed like it might be a fussy stage, she treated it like a fussy stage. The most important thing for her was that it said 'DO NOT BLAME EITHER YOU OR THE BABY' - all this is normal, just roll with it!

I think that was the most important thing for me, too - just realizing that this kind of backsliding/regression/craziness was, in fact, what babies were SUPPOSED to do. Yeah, most of them hit the marks like clockwork, but no, some don't, and some seem to sail through all the stages without any blips at all, while others seem to fuss through all the stages without remarkable worsening or getting better, or connect two or more stages with a long ongoing fussy pattern, and then a few others seem to have development patterns of their own invention. :shrug:

Still love it for the ability to reassure moms that they're not crazy, they didn't do anything wrong, they don't have to change the things they believe in to make things work out - just wait. Trust the child. Trust yourself. Those messages are really useful (and some people need more 'stories' to help those sink in, others do not).

[Jen in Redwood City, CA]

Update to yesterday's comment, in case anyone was thinking of ordering from New View Publications: the book arrived today June 8 via USPS Priority Mail (ordered on their site May 25).

[Alicia]

If anyone is looking in Canada, I bought a copy at Indigo a few weeks ago, there were lots of copies on the shelf. Noticed it in a few other Indigos since then, too.

[arb]

I will sell mine on Amazon soon. I agree with those above who found it repetitive. I also found the mother quotes had an unpleasant edge to them, but I chalked it up to poor translation. And I am really glad to hear someone else say they found the age expectations way off! I think even if my daughter hadn't been a very late walker, I still would have marvelled at 46-week olds kicking and throwing balls, jumping, sweeping the floor, dusting, brushing hair and teeth, and using a potty. Still, a useful concept.

[megsmith]

One more family with a thumbs down verdict of this book... the main thing that we found helpful was the timeline indicating "thundercloud" periods and "sunshine" periods": our daughter really did seem to go through challenging and easy phases at the times that they told us to expect them. Apart from that, I agree with some of the other detractors above: I found the book repetative, the 'filler' comments from mothers (all mothers, I think) largely a chorus of downers, and, ultimately, the authors' explanation of developmental stages not as illuminating as I had hoped.

I guess I'll be putting my copy up for sale on Amazon.

[rebecca]

www.alibris.com is another good source for used books. :)

i have this on my list, but based on the comments i might skip it... i get a little wound up still when we aren't tracking to milestones exactly. must learn to relax... :)

[Nikki]

Wow, who knew WW was such a sought after book? I stumbled upon it in Borders one day when my first son was a couple months old. With him, that book was fantastic - it seemed to explain so much of what was going on with him. With my second son, I haven't even cracked the book open let alone kept track of what week we're on :) Now if things are going badly one week I think "this too shall pass" and when things return to "normal" I think "huh, must've been a wonder week last week." Haha! The benefit of experience, I guess...

[Rodale Readers' Service]

Because of limited demand for this book, it is unlikely to go back for another print run. However, you can request it as Print-on-Demand, if your local bookstore has that capability.

Rodale Inc.
Readers' Service

[beachbum]

The Wonder Weeks is CURRENTLY on auction on Ebay! It has 2 more days left, and at the moment is only up to $40.00.

[Amelie]

It looks like a new edition is available on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Wonder-predictable-age-linked-development-characterized/dp/9079208019/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204562526&sr=8-2
I just ordered it, will see if it works! (it does say in stock...)

[Maria]

I borrowed this book from the library last week. After reading about it on this site I checked out Amazon. The cheapest it was listed was $125!!! I have found the book helpful in sorting out my baby's fussiness due to teething and fussiness due to not quite crawling yet (51/2 months old). Although repetitive, I found it helpful to see that these fussy phases do pass and we could have a somewhat content and calm period before the next one begins. I recomend it.