As parents, we know a lot - and hopefully everything - about our children. Foods they like to eat, clothes they love to wear, favorite toys and activities, little quirks and dislikes, tons of important and mundane details. Personally, I can write a book about my kids preferences. I am their mom and I feel I know them best. There are times, however, when this wealth of information needs to be shared with another person. What to do when we have to leave our precious kids with someone? How do we convey the bits and pieces of knowledge we have in our heads - without forgetting, for example, that our preschooler drinks milk at breakfast from the purple cup and our toddler takes a nap with the brown teddy bear, and no matter what they say, they cannot watch this movie five times? What about the crucial and possibly life-saving knowledge about allergies, doctors, and the nearest hospital? Where is your authorization to treat a minor form? Say what??

I came across one book that lets you sit down and answer all these questions, then leave your family member / babysitter / nanny the information they need to best take care of your child. By the Book: How to Take Care of MY Kids is an invaluable tool for any parent who needs to communicate with a child care provider in an organized, detailed manner. Its mission - according to the their website - is "putting the parent, the caregiver and the child all on the same page". The authors accomplish that by providing a comprehensive resource that focuses on all questions parents need to discuss with caregivers - without having to write them down every single time.

By the Book is divided into five sections:

• The Basics;
• The Caregiver's Notes;
• Help! It's an Emergency;
• All Things Medical;
• Parents Only.

Each section deals with a different aspect of childcare. Some items are best suited for the sitter who occasionally spends a few hours with your child. Other topics are geared towards the full-time nanny. You can customize the book to fit your specific situation. As your child grows and things change, you can update the book with new information. The authors recommend that parents take the time to complete the forms provided in the book well before having to step out the door, and also go over the information with the caregiver.

I especially liked the daily routine pages, the likes and dislikes pages, as well as the discipline tools and the caregiver's notes that let parents know how their children spent their time with the caregiver. The medical and emergency sections are a very helpful tool to prepare your nanny or babysitter deal with emergencies.

You can find out more about By the Book and purchase it at their website. It is available for $19.95 as a hardbound edition, or as an eBook for $9.95. In addition, you can also buy cover and tabs only, as well as section refills.

Karen Berg from Karmel Publishing, who is also one of the two authors, has generously provided a coupon code for the readers of Just Another New Blog. It is BTBK7757 (case-sensitive) and will give you a 25% discount on the hardbound edition.

In addition, two lucky winners will receive an eBook of By the Book: How to Take Care of MY Kids!

To enter, browse inside the book here and let me know something you learned about the book or its authors, or which section(s) sounds most applicable to your situation. Please include your email address if not visible in your blogger profile.

For extra entries, you can do one or all of the following - please leave a separate comment for each:

• follow my blog (see right sidebar);
• subscribe to my feed by e-mail (see right sidebar);
• blog about this giveaway linking to this post and to By the Book and get 2 entries;
• email three people about this giveaway and copy me;
• follow me on twitter and leave your twitter name;
• follow Karen on twitter;
  
• tweet about this giveaway and comment with the link to your tweet – you can do this once a day;
• add my blog to your Technorati favorites (click on link or see right sidebar);
• enter another one of my giveaways and leave a comment you did;
  
• buy the book before the giveaway closes and get three extra entries.

The deadline to enter is May 9, 2009, 11:59pm EST. A winner will be randomly selected and notified by e-mail. You will have 72 hours to get back to me, or another winner will be chosen.