Lots of expectant moms bury their noses in pregnancy and childbirth books before their babies are born. I read up a little on those topics, but I figured that one way or another, my baby would make her way into the world. I was more concerned about what I was going to do once she got here! Being a first-time parent, I looked for every opportunity to prepare myself to take care of my newborn. Here are the four books I found particular helpful.
Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp
Harvey Karp’s explanation of his “Five S’s” – swaddle, shush, side position, sucking, and swinging – helped me to calm my baby if she was crying or get her to sleep if she was having trouble. The principle behind his system is that babies are used to being in the womb, and especially when they are in their first three months of life, they sometimes need us to recreate the ambiance of the womb to calm them down and help them sleep. Even now that she’s eight months old, I still use lessons I learned from his book to calm her down if she’s particularly upset, and I’ve even been able to use his “cuddle cure” to soothe someone else’s baby to sleep!
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg
The Baby Whisperer’s “EASY Routine” helped me create some semblance of a schedule with my baby when she was as young as two months old. EASY stands for: Eat, Activity, Sleep, and Your Time. The idea is not to do things by the clock, but on a three- or four-hour rotation. I learned to feed and change my baby as soon as she woke up, give her some good playtime, and then put her back down once she started showing her sleepy cues. The routine helped make both my baby and me more content because we knew what was coming next, and it helped make clear what she likely needed at any point in time. Our current routine is still based on EASY.
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth
I’ve never read this book cover-to-cover. It’s a little bit hard to follow, in my opinion, but some moms swear by it. I recommend it because it taught me two very important principles: that it’s crucial to keep a consistent, early bedtime for your child and that “sleep begets sleep.” Because of this book, we protect our baby’s naps, always put her to bed between 7 and 8pm bedtime, and don’t believe that if she’s overtired from missing naps or playing hard that she’ll sleep better at night. In fact, we’ve found the reverse to be true!
Heading Home with Your Newborn by Laura A. Jana and Jennifer Shu
This book was my manual as I prepared for the ins and outs of motherhood. I frequently referenced the book when I needed quick tips or a refresher about how to do something. Written by pediatrician moms, Heading Home with Your Newborn walks new parents through feeding, changing, clothing, and bathing your baby, and all the other basics that, as a new parent, I didn’t realize I knew nothing about until I had to try to do them myself. It even discusses choosing childcare and stimulating your baby’s development, so it’s useful after the newborn stage has passed.
More from this mom:
Found Toys: Turning Household Objects Into Fun for Kids
You’ll have to excuse me – I’m a new mom
Diaper Bag Tips and Tricks for New Moms
Connect with Jennie Lee Williams on Facebook and her blog.
