Parenting Books

blueskies17 · July 2017

Let's talk baby/parenting books...

Share your favorites or books on your to-read list!

blueskies17 · July 2017

While I don't plan to follow any book to the letter, I love reading about different parenting styles. I've just finished reading Bringing Up Bébé and it strongly resonated with me and the type of parent I aspire to be. I definitely didn't expect that when I started reading it!

breezybee · July 2017

Great topic @blueskies17. I just posed this question to the MOM's thread. The ladies there also recommended Bringing Up Bebe, as well as Happiest Baby on the Block and the No Cry Sleep Solution. I plan to look into all of those.

blueskies17 · July 2017

@breezybee Nice, I just started reading Happiest Baby on the Block! (I've been binge reading while traveling haha). I'll have to check out No cry sleep solution as well.

anewadventure · July 2017

I do recommend Bringing up Bebe, interestingly I read it during my first pregnancy and again recently and it resonated in different ways, since the first time I had no hands-on parenting experience and this time I have a toddler.

If you can manage to choke down the tone of the book, I really do recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Weissbluth. Fair warning, the way he writes it is really in your face. And you should definitely read it BEFORE you are in the depths of sleep deprivation and desperation, at which point you can go back and re-read key sections. This book is actually required reading by my pediatrician. Even if you don't follow everything he says, I think it is helpful to educate yourself.

I personally DON'T care for any of the "What to Expect..." books on any topic. For pregnancy, the Mayo Clinic Guide is far better. There are also pregnancy guides for those of you more into natural childbirth topics and the like. This dislike extends to their books on infants and young children.

Happiest Baby on the Block can also be really summarized into bullet points. If nothing else, watch the youtube videos on his "method" for soothing an infant in the first three months. This really worked for us.

I've enjoyed reading different parenting books in the sense that there isn't one specific "method" or "approach" that I follow. I like to read different opinions and see what speaks to me. You do have to be careful because any random jackass can write a book. I have heard really bad things about Babywise but since I avoided it I can't speak directly about it.

For toddlers, I really like RIE books by Lansbury and others based on Magda Gerber's teachings. Some of it is a bit "woo woo" for me but some of it I really like. I really like "How Toddlers Thrive" by Tovah Klein. I adored "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk" by Faber and Mazlish. I'm currently reading "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" by Kindlon and Thompson.

peachy13 · July 2017

I read "Happiest Baby on the Block" recently and didn't get a ton out of it to be honest. It was basically about what to do if your baby is still crying even though he/she has been fed, changed, and cuddled. The author suggests swaddling, swaying/swinging, shhh'ing, sucking, and side/stomach position (moving the baby to his/her side or tummy) to calm them down.

I also did not learn anything from "What to Expect when You're Expecting."

Up next I'm hoping to read:

"Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg
"Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids" by Laura Markham
"Ina May's Guide to Childbirth"
"Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding"

ilikestars089 · July 2017

I know it's super controversial but I had a friend (mom of 5) swear by Babywise, which is one of the many sleep training methods out there, so I read/skimmed it last pregnancy. I liked some of the general ideas but I don't think I could follow it very strictly.

I was really concerned about sleep and schedules before I had a newborn but afterwards I was kind of in survival mode and luckily my DS1 was an exceptionally wonderful sleeper. If he would have had trouble with sleep I would have read a lot more literature about it.

ETA: +1 to all of Ina May's books/documentaries about her methods. Also +1 to the "What to Expect" books being extremely unhelpful.

cait5413 · July 2017

Happiest Baby on the Block works, but you really don't need a whole book. As @peachy13 mentioned, it's fairly simple.

I read what to expect with my first and enjoyed it, but I know a lot of people don't like it. If you're planning on breastfeeding, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding from the La Leche League is very helpful. I also had the Mayo Clinic guide and Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn, but that last one was just OK.

ameliabedelia-2 · July 2017

I second Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. DD was a really terrible sleeper and was still up 4-5 times a night by 8 months. We decided we needed a more structured solution for sleep training and it actually worked for us.

missphil · July 2017

Happiest baby on the block is the most redundant book everrrrrrr. I was bored to tears and couldn't get past the second chapter. Just find the 20 min video online and that's seriously all you need. The book is just so needlessly repetitive.

I recommend authors Janet Lansbury, Adele Fabre, Laura Markham, Robin Einzig, Daniel Siegel. All respectful parenting basically.

Take any sleep book with a grain of salt because not all babies behave in a textbook way. Watch and listen and get to know your baby.

sjis · July 2017

I've read a number of books including 'Bringing up Bebé', Happiest baby on the block, healthy sleep habits, etc. Those are fine and all and contain some good advice and useful information, but like @missphil said, take it with a grain of salt. Before DD was born I had a vision of how I'd parent, but then I met DD.

That being said, the book I keep on coming back to is 'Buddhism for Mothers' by Sarah Naphtali. I'm in no way a religious person but I found this book so helpful in being mindful, less angry, more present. A lot of books focus on how to nurture children, not on how to nurture yourself as a mother.

mrsorigami · July 2017

This isn't so much a parenting book but I really liked Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford. It really helped put things into a better perspective for me with my first baby.

failuretofly · July 2017

I read Secrets of the Baby Whisperer when I had enough with DS's sleep issues... It seriously revolutionized how we approached sleep, and now he sleeps through and goes down without so much as a whimper. I've gone back to it each time we've have a regression and it has worked. I will definitely be re-reading the newborn section closer to when this babe comes. I'm the kind of person who if I don't have a 'plan' or a step by step guide of 'what to do' I get REALLY stressed, and when it comes to sleep, makes it SO much worse because baby feeds off your stress. So even if it just made me less stressed, it was worth it!

I also enjoyed Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, however found her Breastfeeding book boring.

skc040512 · July 2017

I read "Parenting by the Book" when pregnant with DD1 and found it to be super helpful. I'm now reading "Making the Terrible Twos Terrific" by the same author and it's really changed the way we approach our daughter. Note, both of these books are written from a Christian perspective. However, about 90% of the parenting methods are the exact same as Bringing up Bebe (which I also enjoyed). If you're looking for a Biblical perspective, I highly recommend the others, too.

Tennis11785 · July 2017

I bought the audio book (I spend a lot of time in the car) for Bringing Up Bebe. I'm only a chapter in, but I'm interested to hear what she has to say. Thanks to everyone who recommended!

Oh and I totally LOL when she discussed going online to chat with strangers in forums arranged by birth months and how un-French that was. Looks like I'm failing in the French way already (and I'm OK with that! )

thatlauragirl · July 2017

I bought The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding after someone on this board recommended it and so far I'm really enjoying it!

jackiesmom324 · July 2017

I got the book Expecting Fatherhood for my husband and we listened to it on a long car ride

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