Favorite Parenting/Tips Books?

[MommytoAydin]

I was wondering what are some of your favorite parenting books or books that give you tons of tips or what to expect, etc.? What are some books you cannot live without?

I found What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff extremely helpful. All the chapters were so relevant when my son was first born, it's an excellent reference book. I also love the So Easy Baby Food kit, it allows me to make fresh organic food for my 6 month old in such a short time.

[Juds2008]

I liked Healthy Sleep, Happy Child because my older daughter would not go to sleep anywhere but in our bed. Our pediatrician recommended this book and it saved my marriage. We also had no sleep problems when our second daughter was born. Now they are both great sleepers in their own beds.

[therogueparent]

Two of my favorites are "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and "Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads."

The Happiest Baby on the Block (http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/) talks about the five S's which help you baby get to sleep: Swaddling, side/stomach, shushing, swinging, and sucking. It's awesome and helped me in SOOO many ways.

Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads. (http://www.beprepared.net/) is more of a fun read for the new dad. I got this as a gift before our daughter was born and was very good.

I've also put a review of each book on my blog at The Rogue Parent (http://www.therogueparent.com/blog/).

[Abbysmom1121]

I have had the best luck with the book: On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo. My little Abby sleeps through the night at 6 months (and has since month 1), and she is an absolute delight. She is the happiest baby I have ever seen. The books warns you that if you follow the recommendations, people will tell you you are the luckiest parents on earth (not knowing luck has nothing to do with it!!!)

I am now on the second book in the Becoming Babywise series "Parenting your pretoddler Five to Fifteen months".

I would highly recommend this book to everyone I meet. Very positive way to bring up baby!

[Wendy Hoag]

I've got to agree on babywise! It gave me some great info on how much babys need to sleep at different ages, a schedule that helped me to figure out what baby's needs were and really taught me alot about paying attention to baby's signs, crys and needs. Huge self confidence builder for new parents.

[neenmachine]

I really like the Your One Year Old, Your Two Year Old ..., series by Ames and Ilg. They are a bit dated, but the age based behaviors that authors describe are timeless and still apply. Because they focus on a specific age range the information is very helpful and relevant.

Stop by and visit me at Parenting Tips (http://neenmachine.com) at NeenMachine.com

[lily_bee]

I highly recommend baby411 (saw this on The Today show). Baby 411 is exactly that. Any kind of info you need it's in there, and it's broken down into subjects, like sleeping, feeding - breastfeeding and solid feedings, illnesses, vaccinations, there's one subject called "the other end" which deals with poop issues, etc. And it is all very easy to maneuver through and it is very specific. It's a great reference book.

[kaiya23]

I read Babywise. The pattern of wake, eat, play, sleep was in the plan, and my daughter did it herself. Their ideas about sleep and getting the baby to sleep by letting her cry and keeping a strict time schedule did not work for us. My daughter spent a week in the NICU where they had monitors on her...she could sleep on her belly. When we brought her home, she would not stay asleep on her back or on her side, no matter the level of swaddling and propping we tried. At five weeks, she was napping on her side and fell over onto her belly. She slept for two straight hours. After that, she slept throught the night. And I mean 6-8 hours. By the time she started eating cereal (4 mo?) she didn't take a before bed bottle anymore. The size of her bottles went up, but she went straight in three hour increments...6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3, 6, and to bed. I didn't have to do anything from Babywise on purpose. And now, if we're out past dinner time, or her bedtime, she adjusts, does not fuss. And people tell me I have such a good happy baby.

As for my book recommendation...The Baby Book by Dr. Sears and Dr. Sears. Big and fat, it told me what different symptoms meant, when to call a doctor, when to expect developmental steps, different techniques for raising kids.

[HarperKsMommy]

What to Expect When Expecting,Baby Bargains,Pregnacy Guidebook,

[HarperKsMommy]

Your Pregnacy Week By Week, What to Expect the Toddler Years[for when hes past one]

[jesleemc]

absolutely baby 411. it's just very straightforward and practical. plus it's just a little more fun to read than some of the others i also used. and it covers EVERYTHING!