Spectacular-Day 12: If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay by Lara Zibners

Whenever either of my boys get a fever, a rash, or they bump their heads, of course I worry, and I often times look online or in books to determine the severity of their illness or injury, and if a call to the doctor or 911 is necessary. Thanks to If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay: How to Know if Your Child's Injury or Illness Is Really an Emergency, by Lara Zibners MD (ARV $14.99, Hachette Book Group), I now have a helpful resource that has helped to make me a better informed parent when it comes to a variety of possible childhood ailments.

As an Emergency Room pediatrician, Dr. Lara Zibners has seen it all. She's cared for a portion of the 25 million children in the U.S. who are taken to the ER each year-and she knows that more than 50% of these visits may be unnecessary. IF YOUR KID EATS THIS BOOK, EVERYTHING WILL STILL BE OKAY shows parents when they may need to take action, and when they might be able to just go back to bed and call their doctor in the morning. With sections such as "In the Diaper" and "His Noggin and the Nervous System," Dr. Zibners covers every part of the body and offers sound advice (for example, did you know that oil is the best remedy for dissolving superglue between body parts?), all while maintaining a lively and often hilarious tone… This book focuses on the truly important questions, like how to keep her from electrocuting herself in the first place. Not every child has a pediatrician with specialized emergency room experience living in her home. But this book just might be the next best thing.

Zibners covers everything from head trauma to insect bites. She describes various types of injuries and illnesses, and signs and symptoms to watch for in which it would be imperative to call 911, and others where it should be okay to wait until the morning to call your doctor. Whether it’s a broken bone, a bruise, or a breathing issue, Zibners explains in terms easy enough for anyone to understand, offering lots of practical advice and tips.

Since I received this book, I’ve already referred to it many times. My most recent use of the book was to look up symptoms Little Music Man recently had. They were described in the book as being a possible sinus infection, and this was subsequently confirmed by the pediatrician.

Zibners also shares her own experiences with her patients and what to expect if you do have to take a child to the ER. The instances of humor throughout the book provided some much needed comic-relief, because at times I felt the book made me a little more paranoid (since I am, of course, a worry-wart).

If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay is a helpful book that can help you determine whether or not an injury or incident warrants a call to 911 or a trip to the ER.

However, despite Zibners' advice and expertise, she does acknowledge that the book is not a substitute for specific medical advice. You should still contact your doctor, or even 911, if you ever have any concerns. Trust your gut! It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Shop: To purchase If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay, click here to find a retailer near you.

Win: Five lucky winners will each receive a copy of If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay!

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***
Congratulations to ethnically ambiguous, Effie, ColleenMarie82, Mama Kat, Carrie M!

• To enter, view If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay in the OpenBook reader below, check out the table of contents, and comment on which chapter you think you’ll be referring to the most (please specify chapter title, not just chapter 1, 2, etc.).
• You’ll get one extra entry each if you do any of the following (be sure to leave a comment for each “entry”):
  1)Blog about this giveaway and link back to Sage and Savvy and If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay
  2)Subscribe to my feed
  3)Add my button to your sidebar
  4)Follow me on Twitter (leave your Twitter name in your comment)
  5)Add my Spectacular banner to your sidebar
• You’ll get three extra entries if you leave a comment on my first blogiversary post, noting which is your favorite product featured on Sage and Savvy within the past year (through 6/12/09) and why. Leave a comment for each extra entry in this giveaway post, noting SSS1 in your first extra entry, SSS2 in your second extra entry, SSS3 in your third extra entry.
• The deadline for entries is July 1, 2009, 11:59pm HST.
• If you submitted an eligible entry and it is chosen by random.org as the winner, you will be notified via email on July 2, 2009 (make sure your email address is in your profile or comment) and will have 3 days to accept.
• Valid for US addresses only.
  Good luck!
  

Thank you to Hachette Book Group for providing the product(s) for review and/or giveaway.

7:41 AM Posted in: Benbella Books,Everything Will Still Be Okay,giveaways,hachette book group,If Your Kid Eats This Book,Lara Zibners,reviews
Gem is a Hawaii Mom Blogger who posts reviews and giveaways, and blogs about life in Hawaii as a mom of 3 boys, including one with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. She loves to travel, bake, and eat anything with chocolate.