The Book

My book, The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby’s First Year was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2015.

There it is! MY book, front and center on the parenting shelves of my bookstore!

In my book, I tackle some of the most important questions we face as new parents. Just as I do on my blog, I focus first and foremost on how science can help clarify our parenting choices for us, helping us to sidestep parenting controversies and make decisions confidently. Not only will you take away a clear understanding of the topics covered in the book, you’ll also learn how to evaluate scientific evidence on your own as your children grow and you encounter new questions.

“Finally, someone has brought some science—and some sense—to the mommy wars. Should be required reading for all new (and old) parents.”

~Emily Oster, PhD, author of Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong—And What You Really Need to Know

Shameless use of cute baby to promote book.

Chapter List:

1. Show Me the Science: A Crash Course in Evidence-Based Parenting
2. Cutting the Umbilical Cord: When Is the Right Time?
3. Of Injections and Eye Goop: Newborn Medical Procedures
4. For Once, Sit Back and Watch: How Newborns Explore, Communicate, and Connect
5. Milk and Motherhood: Breast Milk, Formula, and Feeding in the Real World
6. Where Should Your Baby Sleep? Sleep Safety and the Bed Sharing Debate
7. In Search of a Good Night’s Sleep (Or Something Like It)
8. Vaccines and Your Child: Making a Science-Based Decision
9. Getting Started with Solid Foods: When and How to Begin
10. Eat, Grow, and Learn: The Best Foods for Babies

Just like my blog, you’ll find that I’ve included tons of references throughout my book so that you can follow the science. The book is all new material with very little overlap with my blog.

“This is science-based medicine writing at its best. Callahan doesn’t cherry-pick. She knows how to evaluate the entire body of research and put it into perspective along with practical parenting considerations… If I had three thumbs, I would give this book a 3-thumbs-up recommendation.”

~Harriet Hall, MD, Science-Based Medicine

Here’s what people are saying about The Science of Mom:

Alice Callahan has written a breakthrough book, combining the compassion, warmth, and angst of a mother with the measured reasoning of a scientist. She helps parents not only understand how science works, but how they can access that science to answer their questions. She’s found a way to access the scientist in all of us.

~Paul A. Offit, MD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Yes! An easy-to-read, fascinating, nuanced review of the science behind new parents’ biggest health questions. Many of these issues—infant sleep, breastfeeding, vaccines—have or will hit your ‘Should I panic?’ button. With gentle guidance, Alice Callahan puts your fears to rest.

~Tracy Cutchlow, author of Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science (and What I’ve Learned So Far)

Too many of today’s parents treat science as a weapon, using it to justify some choices and condemn others. Yet, most don’t fully understand what science can and cannot tell us. By giving parents a comprehensive understanding of how science relates to parenting, Alice Callahan has helped us turn this weapon into a tool for peace. Callahan untangles basic scientific concepts, reveals the realities and limitations of research, and advocates for a measured approach to parenting science that eschews absolutes and acknowledges nuance. The Science of Mom is a rare gem in the parenting canon—smart, sensitive, and a lifesaver for a generation of parents caught in the nebulous spider’s web of Internet ‘wisdom.’ 

~Suzanne Barston, author of Bottled Up: How the Way We Feed Babies Has Come to Define Motherhood, and Why It Shouldn’t

Families routinely search for health information. The Science of Mom makes it easy collecting evidence for health decisions and putting it into perspective with a mom-to-mom connection. Callahan’s advice is thoughtful, backed by science and feels fueled of love. She is willing to provide powerful advice when detailing the science and safety of vaccines. Keep this book in arm’s reach as you support your infant for calm and direction.

~Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE, FAAP, Seattle Children’s Hospital, author of Mama Doc Medicine: Finding Calm and Confidence in Parenting, Child Health, and Work-Life Balance

Fascinating! Think of all the controversial, hot-button topics that parents obsess about in a child’s first year—from vaccines and feeding, bed-sharing to sleep training. Weighing the scientific evidence, Callahan offers balanced insights and in-depth answers—a far cry from the oversimplified advice prescribed by many ‘parenting experts.’ The result: a must-have guide that’s substantive and extremely engaging. 

~Jena Pincott, author of Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies? The Surprising Science of Pregnancy

Dr. Callahan isn’t bossy, and isn’t out to tell you what she thinks. Her book tells you what the science says, and explains how we know what we know, and what things we still need to learn more about. There’s humility and warmth, here, which I think parents of newborns will find reassuring.

~Dr. Roy Benaroch, MD, The Pediatric Insider

[Callahan] takes a compassionate, non-preachy approach with a goal of not telling the reader what to do but rather how to seek wise advice and make smart decisions…and to enjoy having a baby, which is what it is all about… ~Live Science

… in Science of Mom, Alice Callahan, PhD combines the critical eye of a scientist with the heart of a mother to create a helpful resource for all people interested in evidence based infant care and parenting. ~Science & Sensibility, Lamaze International

… a timely and necessary book for parents… It will help both moms and dads work together to choose the right parenting methods for them and give them a research-based approach to raising a child. ~Dan Arel, Patheos

… a solid resource for any new parent or parent to be. Callahan does the work of sorting through the science of baby’s first year, so you don’t have to. ~Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, Raise Healthy Eaters

[Callahan’s] compassion and empathy for the difficulties of parenting shine through in every chapter, from breastfeeding to vaccines to feeding to sleeping. ~Tara Haelle, Forbes

More Media Coverage:

• My interview on NPR’s Weekend Edition: ‘Science Of Mom’: Scientist Sorts Through Studies So Parents Don’t Have To
• My interview on CBSNews: “Science of Mom” author on evidence-based parenting
• On Forbes: Five Science-Based Parenting Books You Should Add To Your Library
• Stories about me in The Statesman Journal and The Oregonian
• My Q&A on Brain, Child Magazine and an excerpt of the book (from the chapter on infant feeding)
• My Q&A on Science and Sensibility and podcast interview on Mostly Microbes, both with Anne M. Estes, PhD
• Blogger reviews on Uncommon Motherhood and Kendra Nicole.

You can order my book from any of the following sites:

Johns Hopkins Press (use discount code HNAF for 30% off), Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s, Indigo, Kobo, and Indiebound – or order it through your local independent bookseller.

BabyM and I check over the page proofs for The Science of Mom in February 2015.