Parenting, Inc.: How We Are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780805089240)

An entire industry preys on parental anxiety . . . Paul tries to lead us out of the catastrophization of childhood.--The New York Times Book Review

Parenting coaches, ergonomic strollers, music classes, sleep consultants, luxury diaper creams, a never-ending rotation of DVDs that will make a baby smarter, socially adept, and bilingual before age three. Time-strapped, anxious parents hoping to provide the best for their baby are the perfect mark for the parenting industry.

In Parenting, Inc., Pamela Paul investigates the whirligig of marketing hype, peer pressure, and easy consumerism that spins parents into purchasing overpriced products and raising overprotected, overstimulated, and over-provided-for children. Paul shows how the parenting industry has persuaded parents that they cannot trust their children's health, happiness, and success to themselves. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at the baby business so that any parent can decode the claims--and discover shockingly unuseful products and surprisingly effective services.

Paul's book leads the way for every parent who wants to escape the spiral of fear, guilt, competition, and consumption that characterizes modern American parenthood.

Author: Pamela Paul
ISBN-10: 0805089241
ISBN-13: 9780805089240
Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
Language: English
Published: 03/31/2009
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 6.00h x 9.00w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 07/12/2009 pg. 20