The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care - Legacy

Legacy

Baby and Child Care popularized new ideas about child care in the years following World War II, encouraging flexibility, common sense, affection, and Freudian philosophy. Spock’s reassuring advice gave parents the confidence to use their best judgment to raise their children. Spock also masked Freudian explanations of children’s behavior in plainspoken language to avoid offending his readers, making Freud accessible to mainstream America. In 1959, Look magazine praised Spock, noting that “perhaps no other person has so influenced an entire nation’s ideas about babies…His views have brought naturalness, common sense, reassurance, Sigmund Freud and even joy to parents all over the world.”

Spock’s optimistic book reflects the hopefulness of the post-war period and society’s focus on children. Because post-war affluence helped parents give children more opportunities, parents became more concerned with providing the best for their children. At the same time, the widespread move to the suburbs broke up families, increasing parents’ reliance on experts’ advice over grandparents’ advice.

Although Spock’s reputation has changed over time, Spock continued to be a leading authority on child care until his death. In 1990, LIFE magazine named Spock one of the 100 most important people of the twentieth century. Upon Spock’s death in 1998, The New York Times noted that “babies do not arrive with owner’s manuals…But for three generations of American parents, the next best thing was Baby and Child Care…Dr. Benjamin Spock…breathed humanity and common sense into child-rearing.”