What to expect v's Contented baby

[pigleychez]

First time mum here wanting to buy a book about babys first year and thought id ask for opnions here.

What to Expect the First Year by Arlene Eisenberg

or

The Contented Baby's First Year: A Month-by-month Guide to Your Baby's Development
by Gina Ford

Anyone read/got either of these?

wouldn't buy anything gina ford personally.

What to expect - but be warned, you'll read the first few months religiously then won't look at it again!

Both dreadful IMO. Will make you paranoid or excessively proud. And no information you couldn't get from common sense or reasonably intelligent friends. MN much better!

Agree that MN is better but I had WTE before I found MN and I always liked it, it doesn't seem to come from any one extreme perspective and is very comprehensive in what it covers. I've just given mine away otherwise you could have had it!

The Social Baby. google it.

pigley, I think you live near me. in west sussex?

I hated every book that I bought/read. The type of baby that you have will depend so much on the personality that is hard-wired into your little one, and the books just can't cater for that kind of individuality. MN is much better!

There is a third way!
I still love the Penelope Leach Baby & Child book. Very child/baby friendly, very low-key. Also excellent reminder that you don't need massively stimulating expensive toys and IQ builders. Some simple wooden spoons, clothes-peg mobiles and bob's your uncle.
Honestly, it knocks socks off Gina Ford books, which are really really unfriendly and lacking in joy when it comes to looking at the wonderful first years. What to expect seems a bit haynes-manualesque to me.
So: this is the one

www.amazon.com/Your-Baby-Child-Birth-Revised/dp/0375700005

Dont bother with Gina Ford though she is a very nice and lovely lady.

she will have you in a routine from 6am til 7pm in a darkened room and the baby must only nap in bed. (or something)

ask US what you need to know and we promise to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

and bear in mind that a lot of these experts do not have children of their own.

What to Expect - but take a pinch of salt with it.

The Contented Baby would be fine if you happen to have a baby who read it in the womb and agreed with it - if you have a random, hippy baby like most of us do, it'll be soul destroying - like trying to fit the the circle shape into the star shaped hole in the shape sorter.

Anything by Deborah Jackson is a good read - even if you don't agree with her, she'll make you thing.

And Penelope Leath for practical stuff.

Leach, I mean

Thanks for all the fab quick replys.

I love using MN and always ask for advice on here--- Hence the book post Just wondering if ill have enough time when babys tiny to come online.

Fingerwoman- Yeah im West Sussex- Crawley.. Where abouts are you?

What to expect the first year was very helpful to me. Good section on illness too (although you have to allow for the american terms and brand names).

I didn't use MN then though but tbh I have looked at it tonight to remind myself the protocol for checking for a suspected concussion - much quicker than phoning NHS direct, out of hours docs or logging on to MN.

What to expect the toddler years isn't as helpful IMO but 'the first years' was great. I have loaned it to other pregnant mums since I bought it and each one ended up buying their own copy.

durrr... - that reads really badly, sorry!

It should have read that I referred to the book tonight for concussion info not MN

I found Miriam Stoppard's First-Time Parents very helpful before having DS, it covers the basic stuff like how to change a nappy and bath your baby etc.

I had What To Expect but never did more than flick through it, as I saw quite a few things I didn't agree with (eg it is against co-sleeping, says baby should be in its own room from early on, etc).

GF definitely not my cup of tea either.

Pigleychez, you will have plenty of time to MN when your baby is tiny -- especially if you are breastfeeding!

One under each top leg of the cot for when baby has a cold.

What to expect gives some good factual advice but please please ignore the sections on sleeping and breastfeeding

"after six months of age the baby should sleep by himself, just shut in room and leave to cry"

"b/feeding should stop after nine months of age, after that it's more for the mother's benefit"

emkana - I don't remember those bits I must have just blanked them!

I didn't get that vibe either emkana - nor the anti-co-sleeping - I obviously filtered it strongly to fit with what I was doing anyway!

yep, emkana is right about the sleep and feed things. very didactic and wrong.

Maybe they've changed bits in newer editions?

Deffo said so in my version though. Nearly made my hormonal self cry after I had my PFB and loved co-sleeping with her.

same pigley, we ought to meet up. I know hatrick too, think you're due same time as her?

To be fair, I am just checking my copy of WTE and it does say "Breastfeeding should continue, ideally, for at least the first year of life". Am looking for what it says about sleep...

Here's WTE on sleep (this is in the section on the first month)...

"Babies sleep better when they are in a room of their own...

So unless you're planning on co-sleeping and/or can stop yourself from picking up your baby at any toss or turn, keep baby in his or her own room, if possible."

This obviously contravenes the advice on preventing Sids.