Tried and tested reading material

[JFlo]

Hi All. I'm 37+5 and now on mat leave so wanted to get some reading done in advance of little one arriving! Any books that you could recommend to help through the first year that you found valuable? First baby and no young rellies so I'm a total novice! :)

You won't need these for a while but I loved Playful Parenting and Positive Discipline as a general jives-with-my-instincts approach.

A Gentle First Year has lots of lovely bonding stuff about bathing with your baby and massage and other really lovely stuff that made me feel all warm and fuzzy when I read it in late pregnancy.

I do wish I'd maybe read more practical how-to for newborns but MN and baby centre and other places had lots of immediate advice as "problems" arose.

I read Babycalming before having DC2 and really wish I read it before having DC1!

Trees make the best mobiles is a lovely book.

Thanks! Will be going shopping soon. I've also had The Contented Little Baby Book and the Baby Whisperer recommended. Worth a look?

It depends if you want to bf! Both are notoriously bfing unfriendly, both are on the kellymom list of books to avoid and neither are evidence based.

Up to you then really

My tip would be to borrow them from your local library first rather than buy them. That way, if you don't get on with the style of the advice then you haven't wasted your money. The tone and content of parenting books can be vastly different and you may find one thing gels with your way of thinking over another.

Also, babies tend not to behave in any way that is described in baby books! Beware of any book that tries to tell you that "all babies do this...", "all babies need x, y, z ..." etc.

Good advice from Culture. If you go along to your local la Leche league group they usually have sone good books to loan out