Hello all! I have been reading books on pregnancy- now I am looking for any recommendations on once the child is born..what to do! FIrst months, or first years.... Please advise. I need to become educated! THank you so much for your time.
Thanks people! You are wonderful! GReat suggestions! THe two most recommended books were "What to Expect..the First year," and Dr. Sears- the Baby Book."
The BEST book is Baby 411. It is excellent and has everything you need! I read it while I was pregnant and then refrenced it once my son was born. I gave it as a gift to a friend of mine as well and she absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it!!
What to Expect the First Year and Baby 411 are great books to have as an easy reference for simply questions about daily life for the first year. I found them very helpful..
my favorite go to book for the first few months was Baby 411. I found it extremely helpful in explaining what to expect for those first weeks and beyond. my daughter is now 16 months and I'm reading What to Expect, the Toddler Years, which seems to be a good reference tool.
Good luck!!
The Portable Pediatrician. Has been my parenting bible for going on 4 years now. Down to earth, witty, honest, and straightforward. I give it at every baby shower I attend.
I loved the "What to Expect" series as if outlines what they might be or should be doing at each milestone age (1 mth, 2 mths, etc). I also have heard good things about Dr. Sears book. I used to read them while breastfeeding to help fill the time. Good luck with your new baby and Congrats!!
The Baby Book by Dr. Sears
Hi C.,
I highly recommend The Baby Book by Dr Sears, and any of his parenting books.
Good luck!
I like "Baby's first year week by week" it gives you activities and games to play that will help the development of the baby.
hi C.. i strongly recommend the Girlfriends Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood by Vicki Iovine. the what to expect books are good for answering practical questions, but i find them to be scary and too textbook. they are a great reference, you should have it on hand, but if you are looking for something to really read that will make you feel understood and talk about the things that are on your mind with an honest feel and a good sense of humor, definitely go for Lovine.
The Dr. Sears Baby Book--it's the only book I ever used and needed!
What to Expect The First Year and you might as well get What to Expect The Toddler Years now, so you have it ready. The first yr goes by fast :-)
If you're planning on breastfeeding, The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins is an excellent resource. I used it so much for both of my babies. It's used by lactation consultants, so some of the hospitals give you part of it (a chapter or 2) in a small booklet, but the whole book is so useful to have on hand when you have your baby home and have questions about nursing.
Hi C.,
I really enjoyed "Heading Home with Your Newborn" and if you are going to nurse, "New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding" both are published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Enjoy and congrats!
We live by "What to Expect... the First Year"!
Congratulations!
First of all, congratulations! What to expect the first year was really helpful. It was categorized by months and the info was easy to look up. The girlfriends guide was funny, but info wasn't as easily /quickly found.
dr. sears books, especially the baby sleep book.
As recommended by my pediatrician friend and my mom friends, I bought, used, and now suggest the American Association of Pediatrics book which goes from birth to five years old. It is the best book I read and gives you lots of information and choices. I started reading before I had my first so I could decide what I wanted to do about many things. I highly recommend it.
What to expect the first years is pretty good. I used it if I ran into problems. But the best training your gonna get is "on the job". Plus once that baby is here, your not gonna have a whole lot of time for reading. And most likely you'll be to tired to even hold up the book.
Get What to Expect the First Year. I've found it very helpful. I have a 9.5 month old boy.
The Baby Book by Dr. Sears is great! I would also recommend a book for your postpartum care - such as Natural Health after Birth by Aviva Romm. Best of luck to you!
Definitely read the "Baby Whisperer." That's about the baby and parenting but you can and should start reading it before s/he is born so that you get certain things right as they begin. -N
Like many others who have posted, I found "What to Expect the First Year" very helpful.
Also, I recently bought a book written by a woman I know, Pam Allyn, called "What to Read When" which deals with reading to, with and for your child. It is broken down into age appropriate and situation appropriate books. It is a wonderful resource for any parent who is interested in raising a child to have a lifelong love of books. It's really wonderful.
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Whisperer-Vol-1/dp/B00005V9IR/...
The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg is a must have for sleeping and schedules.
Good luck
D.
The book-- On Becoming Babywise by Dr. Gary Ezzo is amazing. It shows you how to set up a schedule for your baby/child which puts YOU in control of everything (when they go to sleep, when they wake up, when they nap, etc). We used the book for both of our kids and it is amazing. Both kids take two hour naps during the day (3 yrs. and 12 mo.) and go to bed at 8 pm. Gary Ezzo has a line of books..the first one focuses on babies, then the second focuses on toddlers, etc. You would probably want the baby one because it shows you how to set everything up. Amazing.
My favorite is "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears. The no cry sleep solution is a great sleep book, and if you choose to breastfeed, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.
C.
you should read healthy sleep habits, healthy child by marc weissbluth. i would also go to growingchild.com and sign up for their 2 year news letter. each month you get a newsletter with info that pertains to your child at their specific age. it's great.
