Good baby book

[massagegirl]

I have a few pregnancy/birth books but realise I have nothing about dealing with a new baby/sleep/breast feeding, does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you!

For breastfeeding advice, look in the section here, and make a note of everything Tiktok says - she's brilliant.

Beware of baby books. Most of them are written by people with a single issue agenda (and they push extreme viewpoints - strict routine no matter how distressed the baby gets, or attachment parenting to the exclusion of your own needs as a person, etc. etc. - with no room for compromise allowed). All of them seemed to me to be about making a lot of money out of the uncertainty of new parents and leaving them a guilt ridden mess in the process. The only one I found at all useful was the NHS 0-5 book which they used to give out for free (I think it still exists on line) because it was sensible, and full of an acceptance that different approaches work for different people, a mix-and-match approach is OK, and compromise is fine.

I've read The womanly art of breast feeding which is really good. It really helped me to persevere with BF when I was struggling and is generally helpful about behaviour in the early days.

Thanks ladies. Yeah I wanted to steer clear of the gina ford brigade, I suppose just wanted more of an understanding of what to expect from a newborn but guess I'll learn pretty soon!

I'd say the main things I've learned in the last three weeks are 1. Don't expect much of a pattern/routine early on, 2. The answer to the question 'Are you really still hungry?^ in a breast fed baby is usually 'Yes!' :)

Your baby week by week is good, pretty balanced and realistic. Also really recommend the wonder weeks, even though it's not quite what you were asking for. Helps you make sense of your baby's fussy stages when you can't work out what else is causing them!

I found 'your baby week by week' by Cave and Fertleman (quite cheap on amazon) the most useful of the books I bought/was given. It's not perfect, and I ignored large chunks of it from 17 weeks as they suggested starting weaning. However, it helped me know what to expect in the first weeks with dd1 when I was utterly clueless and I found most of it quite reassuring, except their very optimistic comments on baby's sleeping habits for each week!

I really liked this book out of the many many baby books I bought. I found Penelope Leach had a very balanced accepting approach.
Your Baby and Child

Thank you. All really helpful. Will have a little look on amazon!

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. It's the book I wish I had read!

Mumsnet book 'Babies'

I had a Great Ormon Street one which was totally calm, sensible, agenda-less. It goes up to age 5 and was the only book I read

We've been working our way through "First-time parent" (subtitled "the honest guide that's on your side - what to expect and how to cope brilliantly") by Lucy Atkins. It kept cropping up on the x% of people bought this bit on Amazon when we looked at other books. We really like the writing style, it seems very practical and sensible, no harsh rules. It is structured in topics (prepare, sleep, play, eat, cry for example) rather than week by week.

For breastfeeding I was recommended The Food of Love, which is great and I am currently reading (I have read quite a few books).

Otherwise I found Gina Ford's book quite good and have got The Baby Whisperer on my read list, but I know it is not everyone's cup of tea!

What to Expect the Baby years was fantastic for my first.

Babies by dr somebody green is great (advice like "babies cry. It's ok that they cry"). His toddler taking book is amazing.

Really pragmatic, openminded, non judgy.

Good luck!

I relied on the womanly art of breastfeeding - which goes far beyond breastfeeding, it covers sleeping and feeding too, and is incredibly reassuring - and the MN "babies" book which is hilarious and also incredibly reassuring. I got kindle versions I could read at night one-handed on my iphone which was really useful.

I remember there's a description in the womanly art of breastfeeding of what the second night at home with a new baby is like. DH and I read it on the second night at home with DS, thinking something was terribly wrong, and the book basically described exactly what we were going through and told us not to worry!

And it's still useful - the other day DS (now 17 months) was refusing to eat, so again I opened it up and it had a box entitled "a realistic description of what a toddler eats" which mostly consisted of carpet fluff, ancient raisins eaten out of the bottom of the buggy, a bit of banana, two bites of pasta and lots of milk - and again, it was right on the money! (And it said not to worry, he'll eat when he's hungry again.)

This one: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0743220978

Sorry - cant link from my phone!

Thanks all!

Do you have a good library near you? I worked through all of the baby books in mine before dd was born, was useful to try them all out without having to spend money. I like the womanly art of breast feeding too and anything by dr sears personally.

I've heard The Food of Love by Kate Evans is really good!

Library is good idea. Have just moved and not joined yet. Will waddle down later.

The Baby Whisperer is a book i go back to again and again for referenc, it's wonderful. She is not zealous in her views and advice and you often find what she recommends you naturally do anyway but the reassurance is nice.

When it came time to have my girl on three meals it all got a bit messy so i used Gina Forde's model loosely just to give my day some kind of structure. I don't follow anything else of Gina Forde as I find her a little too strict.

i have been thinking to get the babycare bible www.amazon.co.uk/Babycare-authoritative-source-caring-babies/dp/1904760511/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368179595&sr=8-1&keywords=babycare+bible

has anyone else got this/ read this, any good?

Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding was never off my bedside table in the first weeks of getting bf established.

Just found a couple of the books which have been suggested in the charity shop... Hooray!

I've read tonnes and would really recommend 'Three in a bed' for discussion on various baby care books. Make sure you read a range of things so your ideas aren't biased.