baby books-revived. « Back to Group Discussions

[kellybeth]

let's talk books!

which parenting and/or baby books are your favorites? which ones were a waste of money, and which ones do you reference?

i'm not big on forums, that's why i joined a ddc group. so if anyone brings up a books forum. I KNOW it exists. not interested.

i have a lot, but they are all in storage right now, and are all gifts from friends/family.

all of the what to expect when you're expecting, first years, and toddler books, the expecting book seemed outdated and not very informative to me... very common sense.

the girlfriend's guide to pregnancy was funny, and a little more real. read it in a day and i'll probably donate it.

i also have one on kindle, tales of a first time mom, which was more for laughs.

then i got one that i was excited about in the mail yesterday. "eat sleep poop". i opened the book to a random page and it was "facts" on circumcision, which is complete crap. so i am calling it a waste of money and refuse to read it. i'm appalled.

how about you mamas? what books do you have/love/hate?

Edited by kellybeth - 12/24/12 at 2:10pm

[etsdtm99]

the 8th edition (2010, do NOT buy an earlier edition!!) of the womanly art of breastfeeding is amazing - i refer to it, i read the whole thing after my 3rd baby was born and i still got a ton out of it, and it is available on kindle - its not just breastfeeding information, though that is a lot of the focus and the newest edition is an easy read and has good information..
 

that is actually the only parenting/baby/pregnancy book that i've gotten all the way through cover to cover.. 

[odinsmama]

For baby books, I love dr. Sears' baby book. I keep it on hand, then give it to someone who needs it, then buy another copy.

[LadyCatherine185]

For me with my first 2-- The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley (I never tried her method, but it has great information about normal baby's sleep patterns and ideas for "good habits" with babies and sleep- all GENTLE and no crying-it-out, etc) and also Dr. Sears Fussy Baby Book (do you see a trend? I had colicky/fussy babies who did not sleep!) and I loved Dr. Sears The Vaccine Book for info on Vax's.... I have heard that Dr. Sears The Baby Book is great for a general idea of all things baby and attachment parenting. :)

[Adaline'sMama]

This thread came in perfect timing. I just packed up most of my books today to let a girlfriend who is pregnant borrow them. Im kind of a book-a-holic, so this list is huge. One thing about forums- books arent always right. There are women in forums who have researched the things that are written in books and can provide studies and links to show a different side to an authors point. To me, that is an invaluable resource. I personally read books with a bit of skepticisim, and try not to let them overwhelm me and stress me out. I like a wide variety so that I can different viewpoints and opinions:

Pregnancy:

What to Expect: personally, I use it as a reference for what doctors/nurses are going to tell me about at each appointment. I take pretty much everything else in it with a grain of salt. 

From the Hips- Great pregnancy book written by two mamas, but has the opinions of moms of all different classes, races, and backgrounds with different parenting styles

Our Bodies, Ourselves Pregnancy and Childbirth- great book all about what your body is doing

Organic Pregnancy- All about how you cant really eat anything or drink anything because its filling your body up with chemicals. Its good for talking about some toxins that we might not be aware of, but I love my pop tarts :) 

The Caveman's Guide to Pregnancy- DHs favorite. He bought about 5 pregnancy books our first time around, and this is the one he held onto. It has smoothie recipes in it. 

Birth:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth- IMO, great attitude to have going in, but dont expect your birth to be just like the one's of her clients. Also, I hate the word "rushes" being used for "contractions" I like medical terms, and calling them contractions reminds me that actual work is getting done with each one. It's got great stories, and some great tips for pregnancy and labor.

Spiritual Midwifery- Ina May's book from the 70's. Chocked full of more good stories.

The Birth Partner- invaluable resource. DH has taken it to both of our births, and will take it again. It has a medication chart that he has a sticky note in just in case anything happens he can figure out exactly what the drs are talking about and we can make educated decisions based on a great natural childbirth geared book. 

The Husband Coached Childbirth- The Bradley Method Book, DH liked it, and says it was useful for him

BabyCare:

The Baby Book-  I love this one, it's a great reference book.

The Vaccine Book- great reference book.

The No cry sleep solution- pretty good if you can get organized enough to write stuff down.

The Happiest Baby on the block- great newborn book- the dvd is on netflix

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding- the LLL book for breastfeeding moms.

Ina Mays guide to breastfeeding- I think its a little easier read than the LLL book

Twin books:

Having Twins- my fave. its more geared towards my way of thinking

Mothering Multiples: LLL book for twins

Ready or not here we come- silly, donated it

When youre expecting twins, triplets, and quads- tons of dietary info

[odinsmama]

A'sMama, great list!
I also was annoyed by the word "rushes" instead of contractions! Thought maybe I was the only one who felt that way about it...

[Amor Rays]

I have four children ages 15,10,8, and 5 and I've been through a lot of parenting books and styles and if you choose to read only one parenting book I highly recommend

"Connection Parenting" by Pam Leo.

It's wonderful, easy to read and easy to use her tools. 

Parenting through connection instead of coersion and with love instead of fear.  It takes attachment parenting beyond the baby and toddler years.  Similar to NVC (nonviolent communication)

[Jenny01]

I just saw this book recommended by a page on Facebook.  Has anyone read it?

Your Amazing Newborn by Marshall Klaus
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/073820188X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=16Z6B3XNT8YKMQQDFFFA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1375922682&pf_rd_i=915398

[kellybeth]

i ordered some books from amazon that peaked my interest from your recommendations.

the ones that i've got so far are:

the baby book by sears--this book is amazing. my fiance was reading through it yesterday and couldn't believe how thorough it is. it makes me want to check out more of their books.

the birth partner by simkin- very informative and we'll be reading it together.

husband-coached childbirth by bradley- i know nothing about the bradley method so this will be an informative read as well.

[odinsmama]

Originally Posted by kellybeth 

the baby book by sears--this book is amazing. my fiance was reading through it yesterday and couldn't believe how thorough it is. it makes me want to check out more of their books.

husband-coached childbirth by bradley- i know nothing about the bradley method so this will be an informative read as well.

There are some great Sears books.  Breastfeeding, vaccines etc.  Even read-to-your-kids books on learning to use the potty and expecting a new baby in the family.  LOVE them!

Husband-coached childbirth has been on my shelf, too, for all my pregnancies and I also love that one.  (The author used to be my next door neighbor!)  DH read the whole thing as well and he turned out to be an AMAZING support, even though I doubted he would be with the first one.  With my second birth, the midwife actually commented on what a great team we were.  Which really meant that he was great at supporting and knowing what I needed because I was not even talking during that labor.

[loveandgarbage]

I also love the Sears books and The Birth Partner. If you have a precipitous labor and can't get to the hospital in time or your midwife can't get to your house, TBP would be VERY helpful.

When I was pregnant with DS1 my aunt got me "Mothers Who Think". It's a collection of essays compiled by the editors at Salon.com. It's just a great collection of personal experiences-- different kinds of mothering, situations, etc. 

[kellybeth]

hey mamas, 

this thread started as a topic of parenting/baby books, but i thought we can discuss our favorite baby books.

are there books that you loved as a child, ones that you've read to your own little ones? are you starting to stash baby books or stalk amazon reviews? 

i'd love to hear!

books that my mother kept all these years that will be out here soon for our little one:

-classic hardback dr. dolittle book that my mom read to me.

-dr. seuss book collection

-madeline collection

-berenstain bears collection

books that i've had in my collection:

-this moose belongs to me-jeffers

-awake to nap (i LOVE nikki mcclure, collect her books myself as well as journals, art prints and postcards)

-so good for little bunnies

-ABC dream-kim krans

-marigold garden

-orla kiely board books

-sendak books

-owl & the pussycat

-the hidden folk

-fujikawa books

-mimi's dada catifesto

-siminovich board books

to get:

-jennifer adams board books

-kate endle board books

-jenny linsky books

let me see some book love lists! 

[kdorrain]

Agree with Adaline'sMama.  I would add:

For Pregnancy/Birth

Pushed by Jennifer Block and

Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer

To keep on hand, I love "How Weaning Happens"  It's not a book on how to wean per se, but really a book of stories on how mamas have or have not wanted to wean and how it did or did not happen for any number of reasons and in any number of ways.  I love it (it actually convinced me to delay weaning my first for a bit).