Editing Benjamin Spock (section)

==Books==
In 1946, Spock published ''[[The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care]]'', which became a best-seller. Its message to parents is "You know more than you think you do."<ref name=bbc/> By 1998, it had sold more than 50 million copies, and had been translated into 42 languages.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=CNN/> According to the ''New York Times'', ''Baby and Child Care'' was, throughout its first 52 years, the second-best-selling book, next to the [[Bible]].<ref name=NYT062898>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/20/us/final-advice-from-dr-spock-eat-only-all-your-vegetables.html|first=Jane E.|last=Brody|title= Final Advice From Dr. Spock: Eat Only All Your Vegetables|work=The New York Times|date=June 20, 1998|access-date=August 14, 2022}}</ref> According to [[List of best-selling books|other sources]], it was among best-sellers, albeit not second-best-selling.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Spock advocated ideas about parenting that were considered out of the mainstream. Over time, his books helped to bring about major change. Previously, experts (such as [[Truby King]]) had told parents babies needed to learn to sleep on a regular schedule, and that picking them up and holding them when they cried would only teach them to cry more and not to sleep through the night (a notion that borrows from [[behaviorism]]). They were told{{citation needed|date=June 2011}} to feed their children on a regular schedule, and that they should not pick them up, kiss them, or hug them, because that would not prepare them to be strong, independent individuals in a harsh world. In contrast, Spock encouraged parents to show affection for their children and to see them as individuals.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Gunderman, Richard B.|date=2019|title=A Portrait of Pediatric Leadership: Dr. Benjamin Spock|journal=Journal of Pediatric Radiology|volume=49|issue=9|pages=1130-1131|doi=10.1007/s00247-019-04446-w|hdl=1805/22065|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

By the late 1960s, however, Spock's opposition to the Vietnam War had damaged his reputation. The 1968 edition of ''Baby and Child Care'' sold half as many copies of the prior edition.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Later in life, Spock wrote ''Dr. Spock on Vietnam'' and co-wrote an autobiography entitled ''Spock on Spock'' (with wife Mary Morgan Spock), in which he stated his attitude toward aging: ''Delay and Deny''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Spock|first=Benjamin|date=1989 |title=Spock on Spock |url= |location=New York |publisher=Pantheon Books |page=254 |isbn=0394578139}}</ref>

In the seventh edition of ''Baby and Child Care'' published shortly after he died, Spock advocated for a bold change in children's diets, recommending children switch to a [[Veganism|vegan]] diet after age 2.<ref name=NYT063098>Jane E. Brody, ''PERSONAL HEALTH; Feeding Children off the Spock Menu'', ''The New York Times'', June 30, 1998. p. F7.</ref> Spock himself had switched to an all-plant diet in 1991 after a series of illnesses that left him weak and unable to walk unaided. After making the dietary change, he lost 50 pounds, regained his ability to walk and became healthier overall. The revised edition stated children on an all-plant diet will reduce their risk of developing heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain diet-related cancers.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Dunham, Laurie|author2=Kollar, Linda M.|date=January 2006|title=Vegetarian Eating for Children and Adolescents|journal=Journal of Pediatric Health Care|volume=20|issue=1|pages=27–34|doi=10.1016/j.pedhc.2005.08.012|pmid=16399477|issn=0891-5245}}</ref> However, Spock's recommendations were criticized as being irresponsible towards children's health and children's ability to sustain normal growth, which has been aided with minerals such as calcium, riboflavin, vitamin D, iron, zinc and at times protein.<ref name=NYT062898/>

Spock's approach to childhood nutrition was criticized by a number of experts, including co-author Boston pediatrician Steven J. Parker,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/06/25/dr-spocks-irresponsible-legacy/|author=Beck, Joan|title=Dr. Spock's Irresponsible Legacy|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=June 25, 1998}}</ref> as too extreme and likely to result in nutritional deficiencies unless it was carefully planned and executed, which would be difficult for working parents.<ref name=NYT062898/> T. Berry Brazelton, Boston City Hospital pediatrician who specialized in child behavior (and longtime admirer and friend of Dr. Spock), called the dietary recommendations "absolutely insane."<ref name=NYT062898/> Neal Barnard, president of Physicians for Responsible Medicine, a Washington organization advocating strict vegetarian diets, acknowledged he drafted the nutrition section in the 1998 edition of ''Baby and Child Care,'' but said Spock edited it to give it "his personal touch."<ref name=NYT062898/> It was acknowledged that in Spock's final years, he had strokes, bouts with pneumonia and a heart attack.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-17-mn-31991-story.html|title=Baby Doctor for the Millions Dies|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 17, 1998|accessdate=May 5, 2021}}</ref>