Parenting book recommendations please....

[Niddlynono]

I was hoping to get some recommendations for parenting books. I've got DS (3.7) and I'm expecting another boy in June.
When DS was born we didn't adhere to a strict routine which suited us fine at the time but now we're in a different situation and I feel the need for more of a routine this time round...DS is at nursery in the afternoons and DH works very longs hours/weeks so I'll pretty much be on my own to cope with 2 DSs to entertain/feed/bathe/put to bed etc. whilst trying to keep a relatively clean and tidy home.
I'm more of a control freak now than when DS was born and I'm keen to get DS2 into a routine.
Please let me know if there are any books that you'd recommend.
Thanks

Read them all and absolutely swear by The baby Whisperer. There's a good BW website too. We got ds into a brilliant routine and it seems to have worked for all the people I know who have used it. Ds is such a happy boy and a really good sleeper and eater. Good luck.

none coz they drive you round the twist when your baby doesn't do what it says in the book, best advice is probably from the likes of MN tho i do the baby whisperer book and it did help a little, get one from the library before buying one

Hi, don´t babies fall into a routine naturally? I think mine did (??); the only thing I did do was wake up DD at 10pm every night for a last feed that would hopefully go through till morning. I don´t know when I started this but she did sleep through from 6 weeks old. Don´t know if this helped or if it was just because she was a big baby. Someone told me they are only capable of sleeping thru when they reach a certain weight; don´t know if this is true.

Good luck to you; I´m sure you´ll get where you want to be. When needs musts...

"What Mother's Do: Especially When It Looks Like Nothing" by Naomi Stadlen.

Also back the baby whisperer - I needed something to aim for with ds - had 2 yr dd too and couldn't manage to find a routine without her help! - But do read the \link{http://www.babywhisperer.com/smf/index.php?topic=451.msg2157#msg2157\website interview} on sleep too as it answers loads of the questions raised by the book

If you must .. then Dr. Christopher Green because he tells it like it is and with humour!

I thought I should mention that the "What mothers do.." is not at all about routines, rather about accepting the changes and chaotic life of having children. So perhaps not what you're after.

Bex - I am a "Gina Ford with a pinch of reality" supporter. Found the routine helpful, particularly the sleep and feed times.
As someone has already said - maybe a morning in the library reading through a few of them will help you make up your mind.
Good luck

'what to expect' series by H. Murkoff; Eisenberg; Hathaway
helpful for general milestones overview

the baby book by dr sears - attatchement parenting works for me

your baby and child by penelope leach

those last 3 helped me make since of my baby and cope with difficult time prose can be hippy like but i do have strong lentil weaving tendencies
but there is no substitute for your good judgement
best of luck

Another vote for The Baby Whisperer from me.

Doesn't Christopher Green advise parents to tie toddlers' doors with rope so they can't get out of their bedrooms? And doesn't he think a smack is ok now and then? I found his stuff scary. I;d always rather read what a woman has to say - sorry, I know it's inverted sexism, but there you go.

Forgot to say that I did the 'dream feed' at about 11 pm from about 6 weeks and ds selpt through from 8 weeks.

Christohpher Green is not scary.. he is a realist! Toddler Taming used to be my bible... and I'm not a child abuser yet!!

am another gina ford routine fan and am going to use it again with my second due in two months. just dont take it too literally, if you baby needs more sleep than it says etc then give more sleep. all routines should be guidelines :)

Baby Whisperer definitely (both the baby book and the problem solving book) - every thing we tried worked - a common sense approach to everything IMO.

Thanks so much for your comments. I think I'll spend an afternoon in my local bookshop going through the books you've all recommended.

Wish me luck!

I read loads and my advice would be by all means read some but remember all babies are different and if your baby doesn't fit the mold then go with the baby rather than fighting a losing battle

Gina Ford - not bad but a bit prescriptive - also ds needed much more sleep than she says though he tended to sleep at the times she suggested. Also a lot of babies do not sleep through the night as early as she says so you are NOT a failure if your baby doesn't. Her weaning book is really good though - Ds loved most of her recepies which is more than I can say for other baby cook books I bought.

Baby whisperer . This was the most useful to me, the Eat, Activity, Sleep bit was what we used most.

The happiest baby on the block by Harvey Something (Sorry can't remember) - This was fantastic for the first 3 months but not really much use after that.

For general parenting I like Cassandra Jardine's How to Be a Better Parent - especially for your older child.

My favourite book is Kid-wrangling by Kaz Cooke. Loads of information, but more than that very funny. Also mercifully short of bits saying "when I first met Phoebe and Duane their 6 week old daughter Ariadne was obviously very disturbed and I could see that she would definitely have an ASBO/eating disorder/fail her recorder exams by the time she was 10. As soon as her mother started following my patent foot binding/feng shui/opera singing method all was well and within 3 days she had been offered a provisional place at Oxford".

I strongly second MadamePlatypus's suggestion (I've already raved about "Kidwrangling" on another thread!). It's a big book - nearly 800 pages, and covers everything from birth to school. It's got loads on useful info but presented in a completely unbiased, "unpreachy" way. It's also written with a great sense of humour. The author is Australian, but the book has been revised with British references and organisations etc. I highly recommend it.

Dr Christopher Greens books are good and another vote for the Baby Whisperer.

Books are great to dip in and out of and to give ideas and guidelines IMO but dont run your life by them.

Just seen a friend this morning who used Gina Ford's routines for her 1st (very laid back) baby and was a great Gina Ford fan. She had her 2nd baby 3 months ago and on talking to her and hearing about how it was all going I tentatively asked "So, not doing the 'Gina Ford' thing again then?" She just scowled at me and said the book was propping open the door

ooo, sorry, am I allowed to say that?

I think poppies inaline post really highlights what lazycow says. I've got about a million parenting books (well my dp reckons so anyway!) and I use them all at least a little bit. If one says something I disagree with or think is too extreme (read for that difficult!) I read another until I get the sort of answer I want!! ;) The thing about Kidwrangling is that it presents a summary of loads of other books/methods and lets you decide which one suits you. sorry for the shameless plug, but I LOVE this book!

before u buy any, go to the library and see what they have. I bought loads of diff ones and in the end i wished i had only borrowed them coz i ended up doing a combinatoin of all of them!!!

What works for one person might not work for another. I found my 2nd was much nore difficult to put in a routine according to what someone else had suggested. It took a while but he settled intoa routine depending on where we were with ds1

(if that made any sense at all!)