Baby books: your recommendations/warnings

[merrygiant]

I am a new mum to 5 wo DS and am currently looking to get a babycare/parenting book. I've read and enjoyed 3 in a bed and want something along those lines philosophy-wise. Or something that is practical and straight forward - the wonder weeks looked interesting.

Just wanted any recommendations or thoughts about baby books you've enjoyed or would warn me about.

Thanks in advance

I loved Babies by Christopher green, and his follow up Toddler Taming.

He got me with the reminder that babies cry. It's what they do. And it's ok that they do!

Wonder Weeks is great, but is about baby development rather than baby care or parenting. The Dr Sears books are loosely in the attachment parenting camp. For a basic, and quite funny, 'how-to' I really liked Lucy Atkin's First Time Parent.

I was given one book that I really didn't like called The Baby Book: How to Enjoy Year One. Full of outdated advice delivered in a matronly way and suggests putting babies on the most ridiculous, rigid routine.

I second Lucy Atkins' First Time Parent. At the end of year one of DS's life I was flicking through it and realised how sensible it was. I also found Libby Purves' How Not to be a Perfect Mother a very good read.

The book I hated and wished I'd never laid eyes on was The Baby Whisperer. In particular, the page where she includes a table with a column for the baby's age, then another column with how much sleep they need to be getting in a 24 hour period in order to develop properly.

DS never slept as much as she thought he should for his age, and it used to stress me HUGELY because I was convinced his development was being compromised.

He's 4 now and still only needs 10 and a half hours sleep per night, hasn't napped since he was 20 months and is absolutely fine.

On a more positive note, What Mothers Do is a great read.

The mumsnet book is good it's sane rational advice written by mums. Avoid Gina Ford like the plague. She has no clue what so ever

i liked:
www.amazon.co.uk/What-Every-Parent-Needs-Know/dp/1405320362/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374185833&sr=1-1&keywords=what+every+parent+needs+to+know
and
www.amazon.co.uk/BabyCalm-Calmer-Babies-Happier-Parents/dp/0749958286/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374185893&sr=1-1&keywords=baby+calm

I haven't read many baby books but didn't like the baby whisperer or a jo frost toddler book. The best parenting books I have read are Playful Parenting by I think Larry Cohen (could have got the author wrong) and Raising boys by Steve Biddulph.

The Mumsnet one is informative and also very entertaining. Unlike many of the other books, it makes you realise there's more than one way to do most things.

Thanks everyone. Its hard to know which 'camp' some books fall into - if you don't already know, they don't always make it obvious. I'd heard good things about William Sears. I guess the trick is to buy a few nd take what i like from each?

The thing that has worked for me is to try and choose books that are written by someone who is a parent and the book is evidence based. That rules out baby whisperer, gina ford and Jo frost.

Dr sears is very good. I like the website askdrsears too. The book I loved when dd was little was Babycalming by Caroline Deacon. Really wish I'd read it before having dc1.

There's a good list of books to avoid if you are bfing here