Feed the Baby Hummus: Pediatrician-backed Secrets from Cultures Around the World

Whether this is your first baby or you’ve been down this path before, chances are good you have questions. There is just so much to know, and it seems everyone has different opinions! Pediatrician Lisa Lewis offers her own advice in Feed the Baby Hummus, an easy-to-read collection of tidbits advised by her based on years of medical experience and her keen interest in parenting traditions from other cultures. This book explores all the big topics: feeding, sleeping, pacifiers, baby gear, names, support, and more. She offers the standard advice with regards to postpartum depression, and she toes the party line when it comes to vaccines and circumcision. Much of her advice is good, but not all; she incorrectly tells readers to “pump and dump” their milk for a full 24 hours after drinking, and some readers may be frustrated by the number of times she pushes formula supplementation for breastfeeding families. What makes this book stand out are the occasional sections about parenting traditions and techniques from other cultures: Asian cultures use turmeric in baby food for its health and inflammation-reducing properties; in China, parents sometimes request fabric from other prosperous families and make a baby garment with the pieces; in some European countries, babies regularly nap outside, even in very cold weather. This is a fun book with mostly good information, but don’t rely on it 100%.