This handbook covers the first five years of life, discussing each stage - birth, the new-born baby, the first six months, the older baby, the toddler and the pre-school child. A new medical reference section and new research take into account shifts in social attitudes and expectations with information on sleeping difficulties, conflicts between children and work, changing lifestyles and family patterns, divisions of responsibility between mothers and fathers and day care. There are new chapters on pre-school education, inside and outside the home and more information on the mental development of four and five-year-olds. Penelope Leach is author of "Babyhood, Who Cares?", "The Parents' A-Z" and "Six Months: Coming to Terms with Your Baby".