Recommend Parenting Books

[JRPAGV]

Which parenting books do you recommend? Are there any that have worked great for you and your family? Are there any that didn't work for you?

Are the ones you recommend worth buying, or should I check them out from the library?

Here are some that I've read about or seen. What do you think about these? (Please suggest others as well!)

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth
The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp
What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley
The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two by William and Martha Sears
Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk by Linda Acredolo

Thanks so much for your help!

[Mrs. M.]

How to talk so your child will listen and listen so your child will talk by Faber and Mazlish is really great. I would recommend this one to anybody. buy

We also liked Happiest Toddler by Karp. The writing is a bit simple but it has some good points regarding respect and empathy. get from library

[BeachBum]

I have the Karp book and the Sears book that you mentioned. We really have enjoyed both of them quite a bit. I'm glad I own them both.

[Marisa]

I own the Baby Book by Dr. Sears, and I'm glad I do. It's a great all-purpose reference. (It has the Tylenol dosings!) :)

I liked the NCSS, but I'm glad that I borrowed it first, b/c the first time I looked at it I wasn't in the right place to start implementing any kind of plan. I still think it's worth a read, though.

[mom_to_zoe]

I have all of those that you mentioned and I like them. I think Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is invaluable. And I even recommend it to people who are totally opposed to cry-it-out because even though Weissbluth advocates CIO, much of the book is not even about that but just explains the biology of baby's sleep, how much sleep they need and great information about napping.

We did sleep-train our daughter when she was five months old, and the book we used was Dr. Ferber's Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems. I liked that one as well.

[Traciann]

A couple books that I have read that I have found really useful so far:

Happiest Baby on the Block ( so helpful in the newborn period)
Baby 411 From the Authors of Baby Bargains and Ari Brown M.D. ( I love this book as it hits on everything from sleep to feeding, vaccinations, first aid and more.)
Touchpoints The essential refernece by Brazelton

I also have the HSHHC and the Ferber book. We are using the Ferber method, but its outlined really well in the Baby 411 book, so I refer to that more.

[lil_nance]

We use What to Expect the First Year quite a bit. I borrowed Happiest Baby from the library. It was helpful but not worth buying (IMO).

[Megande]

I can't recommend Healthy Sleep Habits enough. We have a wonderful sleeper, but we would have been lost without this book. It can be difficult to read, so I suggest skimming the book before the baby is born and then reading the section for the relevant age once your baby reaches it. If nothing else, knowing that your baby needs to sleep after no more than 2 hours of wakefulness can make a huge difference in your life and the moods of your baby.

Happiest baby was also invaluable to us. It is a pretty easy read, so I think you would be fine getting it from the library. I have heard that the DVD is really helpful too, so you might want to check that out.

[swann]

If you have a Publix grocery store in your area, join their baby club. They sent me a HUGE book from the American Academy of Pediatrics for free. It's called Caring for your Baby and Young Child - Birth to age 5. I've consulted this book the most.

[moderngal]

we love "Happiest Baby..." and "No Cry Sleep Solution."
Also love "The New Basics" by Dr. Michel Cohen.

[Sarah]

Hated the WTE book. Loved Weissbluth. I like the AAP birth to age 5 book, too. All the Sears books are good.

Stay away from the baby whisperer and ezzo, IMO.

[sandt8704]

bumping for more suggestions!

[JRPAGV]

Just wanted to post that I *love* The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two by William and Martha Sears. I don't know what we'd do without it. I highly recommend it.

[magdesilver]

Love weissbluth- I refer to it all the time, it is a great resource/reference on baby sleep!

I also love "Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense" by Ellyn Satter. It doesn't have the best BFing advice, but it is an amazing and wonderful reference for solids feeding and beyond for older babies and toddlers.

I have the "super baby food" book, and I use it as a reference as well. I'm glad I have it, but it does go a bit overboard. It has some really useful info in it and some great recipes though!

[HGMorgann]

I've liked: No Cry Sleep Solution, Dr. Sear's The Family Nutrition Book (good for the whole family) and am reading The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding right now and its has both good parenting and BF information. I also liked What Your Doctor Won't Tell You about Childhood Vaccinations by Dr. Stephanie Cave.