In Britain, class differences in children’s health remain wide, and it is often assumed that an important contributory factor is class differences in the attitudes and behaviours of mothers. Originally published in 1986, Keeping Children Healthy draws on an empirical study to throw light on mothers’ actual health care of their young children and to consider what differences, if any, there are between groups of mothers.

The book is about how women care for their children’s health: what they think matters, what they actually do, and what affects their actions. Throughout, mothers’ perspectives are considered in the light of the social and material context of their family lives: their income, their housing, the neighbourhood, the network of friends and relatives, access to services, and the quality of services available. The author shows that mothers have a highly responsible approach to child health care, and high standards for good health in children, despite the fact that socially disadvantaged mothers have to contend with many constraints in caring for their children as they wish.

A central aspect of the book is the question of whom mothers turn to for help, and what they consider to be the role of professionals in helping them in their child care work. Indeed, the book provides essential and illuminating reading for all those who have professional dealings with the parents of young children such as doctors, social workers, health visitors and teachers and the policy makers and administrators who plan and run health and day care services. Parents who work continuously to ensure their children’s health will find much to recognize and much to think about in this book.