From One Child to Two: What to Expect, how to Cope, and how to Enjoy Your Growing Family »

Judy Dunn is Distinguished Professor of Human Development at Pennsylvania State University and the recent recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. An international authority on childhood development, she has written extensively on the subject of sibling relationships.

Most mothers and fathers are surprised at how different parenthood feels when the second child arrives. Even before the birth, a host of new questions arises: can you possibly love a second child as much as the first? Is it better to have them close in age or farther apart? What about sibling rivalry?

In From One Child to Two, Judy Dunn gives parents all the information, emotional support, and reassurance they need to handle the stress — and relish the joys — of raising two children. An internationally recognized expert in the field of sibling relations, Dunn draws on her own decade-long study of siblings at home, as well as from extensive interviews and observations of parents and children.
— How the second pregnancy differs from the first
— How and when to break the news to the first child
— How to manage the days surrounding the birth, the hospital visit, and the crucial first month
— Being prepared for your firstborn's reaction to the new sibling by age group — toddlers, preschoolers, or children in early elementary school
— How to cope with the new demands on your marriage
— The major milestones that families face together — the changing role of fathers and grandparents, managing new schedules, and coping with parental burnout
— Sibling rivalry: what to do about fighting, when to intervene, and when it's supposed to get better!

Whether you're contemplating a second child, expecting one any day, or trying to cope with the changing dynamics of your newly expanded family, From One Child to Two is an indispensable guide. Filled with common sense, down-to-earth, and eminently practical advice, this is the one parenting book that you will refer to again and again.

Library Journal

Dunn's book is designed to ease the transition through the arrival-of-a-second-child trauma. This anxiety may be exacerbated by the current trend toward having a second child when the firstborn is older, which calls for different skills from those needed for two under two. Dunn (human development, Pennsylvania State Univ.) includes ways of preparing the family for the baby, advising on changes due to pregnancy and on organizing the household, anticipating changes in the firstborn's behavior, and discussing sibling rivalry and the special case of twins. Dunn (Separate Lives, BasicBks., 1990. reprint, 1992) pretty much debunks the idea that it's a good thing to bring an older child into the delivery room or even that birth order is extremely significant. This practical work from an expert on siblings will be very helpful in all public library parenting collections.-Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, Pa.