Benjamin Spock Biography

Benjamin McLane Spock was an American pediatrician, most noted as the author of one of the bestselling nonfiction books of all time ‘Baby and Child Care’. The eldest of six children, Spock was raised in the strict, authoritarian style which advocated such methods as forced weaning, initiation of toilet training in infancy, and no playing with infants. From an early age, he used to look after his siblings and developed a keen interest in the field of child rearing, especially psychoanalytic aspects of child development. He was heavily influenced by his training in developmental psychiatry and psychoanalysis which helped him in establishing a different philosophy of parenting that focused as much on family relations as on the raising of a child. His book ‘Baby and Child Care’ which advocated such things as love over coercion, more flexibility in the feeding and care of babies, and more diplomatic approaches to discipline, was an unprecedented success. He was also a leading political activist, a vocal opponent of the war, who raised his voice against the dangers of nuclear testing. But above all, he was a trusted doctor who taught people a new way to think about baby care and parenting. His work influenced how Americans brought up an entire generation of young people. Even today his books are still regarded as a popular source of information for bringing up children.