Baby and Parenting Books

kcrocetto27 · December 2016

Hi All,

I'm just wondering if anyone has started reading baby/parenting books and if you have any "must reads"? I am specifically looking for the following:

1) Resource book for the first year
2) Something about parenting the whole child and/or encouraging creative and critical thinking early on
3) Possibly something for my husband for a father's point of view, but not the stereotypical super masculine stuff
4) Possibly something that will help me understand myself and my own body after birth etc.

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thank you!!!

theweevee · December 2016

**listening**

mamaelle27 · December 2016

I liked What to Expect When You're Expecting. It's an easy read and also easy to reference if you have specific questions. There's also What to Expect the First Year if you want to follow along month by month. I found they both gave good advice without being too technical or too extreme.

Poppy2014 · December 2016

What to expect the first year was really useful; my two go to books that I recommend to everyone are Baby Wise (for sleeping) and Child of Mine (for feeding). I could not have survived my first year without either of these.

Jendink · December 2016

If you want some comic relief Jenny McCarthy has belly laughs that's hilarious! I didn't really like what to expect. It was just blah for me. There is a baby 411 book out there that's great once baby is here. Has every question you could think of and an answer.

Mtnmommy · December 2016

Baby Wise, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Happiest Baby on the Block, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. I borrowed little bits from each book to help set up a good routine, and how to adjust it as DD got older. I also really liked the Happiest Toddler on the Block to set the stage for how to begin talking to her about her choices. That also gives good ideas on how to teach things that are difficult for children to understand like patience and communication.

halfthetree · December 2016

1) Dr. Sears has an excellent book called The Baby Book. The No Cry Gentle Sleep Solution is good too.
2) Unconditional Parenting, The Conscious Parent, Peaceful Parenting
3) Not sure, I would just have him read some blogs in supporting the postpartum mother. I have a bunch bookmarked for clients, you should be able to find lots! He should also very aware of the symptoms and ways to approach you if he thinks you might be suffering from postpartum depression and/or anxiety, and help you get the help you might not think you need.
4) Not sure on the postpartum end, but I always always emphasize that postpartum is the first full year. It takes 1 year for a mother to come back to "normal". Incontinence after the first couple weeks is NOT normal, pelvic floor therapy is good for every mom.
Postpartum Doulas are a thing.... just a heads up!

ellie111227 · December 2016

The Birth Partner is great for dads, especially if you are planning on an unmedicated birth as Plan A. It's really important for dad to understand what you are going to go through and how to (and that he needs to!) support you. Retro Baby is good for first year parenting. This isn't a book, but the website Aha Parenting has really good short articles that are easy to when also trying to care a baby or toddler. Good for moms and dads both.

kcrocetto27 · December 2016

Thank you!

c1tym0m22 · December 2016

A little late here, but I found The Wonder Weeks book (there's also an app) to be super helpful in the first 18 months. For early on, Heading Home with Your Newborn was great. I'll also second Happiest Baby on the Block - useful for understanding how to calm a little one.

Xath · December 2016

Happiest Baby on the Block was a wonder book for us. There are also youtube videos of the techniques if you're too sleep-crazed once baby gets here.

The hospital also gave me a book on breastfeeding that had a lot of good tips and tricks in it. All in all, I found that the hospital classes were better for my learning style than the books.

lmudra · December 2016

Happiest Baby on the Block saved our life and made total sense. I love how it gave the science behind why the methods work.

helloaustin123 · December 2016

Happiest baby on the block (they also have a DVD!), Babywise (followed this with my first and lifesaver), wonder weeks app for after they are born to track leaps. My LO is 13 months now and I'm starting to read love and logic early parenting book.

alm52386 · December 2016

My friend gave me nearly a dozen books! I started Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy and it's pretty funny. Not sure if there's actually any advice in it or not but it's good for a laugh! I also have What to Expect When You're Expecting and I got The First Year as a free kindle download from Amazon when I did my registry!

ellie111227 · December 2016

Seconding the book Heading Home With Your Newborn

BelhurstBride · December 2016

halfthetree said:

1) Dr. Sears has an excellent book called The Baby Book. The No Cry Gentle Sleep Solution is good too.
2) Unconditional Parenting, The Conscious Parent, Peaceful Parenting

These are all favorites of mine, as well. Wonder Weeks was another I liked.

silliegirlie143 · December 2016

I'm with Halfthetree on The Baby Book by Dr Sears
It was/is my favorite resource for the 1st year questions

sls · December 2016

Preparing for Childbirth: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin - I was one of those women afraid of childbirth. This calmed me down and got me looking forward (if somewhat nervously) to labor and delivery. This is the only book I'd say is mandatory reading if you're not, like, a midwife/doula already.

First 1.5 years: The Wonder Weeks by Hetty Vanderijt - Repetitive but super helpful in specific new skills to watch for. You could probably get away with getting just the app of the same name--I got both. And the timing was pretty accurate as to when to expect the brain "leap" (which results in fussy/grumpy/clinginess).

PURPLE crying/The myth of colic: https://purplecrying.info/ - Will keep you sane when purple crying peaks around 3-4 months old.

Sleeping: The Sleep Sense Program by Dana Obleman - This is NO CRY sleep training. I followed it to the letter starting at 10 weeks old, enforced it consistently, and my 2yo has never had any problems with sleep that last longer than a few weeks--to which we continuously applied the method (except when sick/teething). I'm planning on co-sleeping until 3-4 months this time, but then we're doing this again, assuming we don't go insane with twins.

Potty Training: Oh Crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki - Um, we're still working on this, but the method makes sense to me.

tjvan · December 2016

Glad you guys found The Baby Book useful. I'm reading it now and learning a ton!

Jendink · December 2016

I'll second the wonder weeks app! It's fantastic!!!

ellie111227 · December 2016

@sls that purple crying website could have saved me so much angst/guilt with dd. Thanks for posting that.

alm52386 · December 2016

Yes the purple crying website is great! We went over it in our shaken baby training for school.

Kelliek327 · December 2016

Brain Rules for Baby was an excellent book for understanding your baby's development and how to encourage it. Also, if you plan to sleep train further down the road or even are curious what it's all about, Ferber's book "Solving your child's sleep problems" is excellent at explaining the logic behind it all and how to approach it.

sparrow-2 · December 2016

Has anyone heard of the book "Well Adjusted Babies: A chiropractic guide for holistic parenting from pregnancy through early childhood" ? I saw it at my chiro's office last week and while the title alone might not have caught me, the contents did, including a lot about @kcrocetto27 our bodies during and after pregnancy.

I've had recommended to me: The Whole Child, Everyday Blessings, Mindful Motherhood and I read All Joy and No Fun this summer (great for both mom and dad or mom and mom/dad and dad). My sister and her partner just had a baby in October and they've gotten a lot of mileage out of Bringing up Bebe and the Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior - Beyond the basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood (they especially like the E.A.S.Y. plan the author recommends - and they are not ones for formulaic schedules.)

virginiaunicorn11 · December 2016

I loved Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and also the Wonder Weeks app.

My son was terrible sleeper, so in his first 8 months, I literally read every sleep and parenting book in the library and online. It made me nuts, and I vowed never to read another parenting book. Life's all about balance, and clearly I tipped the scales on that...but be careful with too much reading, if you're the type that gets stressed. If I had to do it all over again, I would put the books down and just accept my kid for who he is.

alm52386 · December 2016

I just ordered Ina May's Guide to Childbirth! I'm excited to read it! I'm debating natural birth vs epidural.

sls · December 2016

alm52386 said:

I just ordered Ina May's Guide to Childbirth! I'm excited to read it! I'm debating natural birth vs epidural.

After reading Ina May's, I preferred natural, too, but I ended up getting an epidural at the end because after 3 days of being induced, I was so drained. Like @virginiaunicorn11 said about reading, it's all about balance. Plus nobody gets an award for suffering. I decided on natural because I was more worried about hemmroids, tearing, etc. Eh, I tore; I have hemmroids--but those started before I gave birth anyway. I'll try again for natural, so as not to make anything worse, but *shrug*. We will just see.

BelhurstBride · December 2016

virginiaunicorn11 said:My son was terrible sleeper, so in his first 8 months, I literally read every sleep and parenting book in the library and online. It made me nuts, and I vowed never to read another parenting book. Life's all about balance, and clearly I tipped the scales on that...but be careful with too much reading, if you're the type that gets stressed. If I had to do it all over again, I would put the books down and just accept my kid for who he is.

This was me as a FTM to a miserable infant. I decided that if I was going to do sleep training I wanted to be fully informed from all sides. While I don't regret reading the books, I ultimately didn't use 99% of them. I went with what I thought DD1 was trying to tell me she needed. (Which was to be with me.) I guess reading the books just helped me to realize that my gut was right and that she'd outgrow it.

And now this child, who HATED the outside world for the first 18 months of life cried last night when her class was finished performing at the Christmas concert because she wasn't done being on stage yet. How I've gone from a child who was overwhelmed by life to being a major source of overwhelming vivacity I'll never understand, but it's taught me who's in control. (And it ain't me!)

jennas312 · December 2016

I bought myself the mayoclinic book and I just got my husband this one for Christmas. Pretty funny! I hope he reads some of it.

lizerspitz · December 2016

I'm currently reading Bringing Up Bebe. It far more narrative, less advice-y and almost more of a travel memoir but it's the speed I want right now. It's focus is French parenting philosophies from an American perspective.

Elyse1384 · December 2016

I enjoyed reading pregnancy books as I wanted to understand what was happening with my body and the baby, but to be honest I didn't really "use" a book after the baby was born. Trust me... I had many and I read them, but nothing really worked for DS. Just my opinion, but as there isn't a one size fits all book about adults, there isn't a one size fits all for babies (eg sleep training). I say that more as a note that it is OK if you try something with LO and it doesn't work. Follow your instinct and do what is best for your family. What works for one child might not work for another. Don't get discouraged if you're trying to follow guidance from a book or article and things don't go swimmingly. I take little tidbits from various sources (articles, books, family, friends) and adapt to what works for my household.

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