Which Parenting books do you recommend?

**mrscricket** · May 2nd, 2008, 08:18 PM

I have recently been put in charge of the Pregnancy & Parenting section of my work (bookshop) which involves ordering stock and recommending products to customers. Just wanting to get a few ideas from people of books they have read and found helpful OR a total waste of money - whether it be for pregnancy, help with sleep issues or breastfeeding, starting solids and general parenting with babies,toddlers and teens.
I used and really liked Birth (Catherine Price and Sandra Robinson), and Conception, Pregnancy and Birth (Miriam Stoppard) while I was pregnant. I have used and found helpful once my little chicken arrived - BabyLove (Robin Baker). I regreted buying What to Expect in the First Year. Starting solids I love BAby and Toddler Meal Planner (Annabel Karmel).

Any ideas or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance girls!

**Lulu** · May 2nd, 2008, 08:22 PM

Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph is one of my faves

**MrsFabuloso** · May 2nd, 2008, 08:32 PM

Although I haven't brought it myself, a friend has a copy of 'Feeding the Bump' (can't remember the author. It has some great nutritional info and recipes in it for preggi mums, but can also be used for general good eating habbits too.

**Phteven** · May 2nd, 2008, 08:40 PM

Any of Steve Biddulph's books
Raising Boys
The Secret of Happy Children
More Secrets of Happy Children

Any of Dr Sears' books

The Science of Parenting

The Wonder Weeks

Anything by Pinky McKay is brilliant.

Waste of time - All the What to Expect series
Save Our Sleep - Tizzie Hall (I actually hide that one if I see it in a bookshop - I move them and cover them with other books)

**summerluven** · May 2nd, 2008, 08:44 PM

Haha...that is so funny that you hide that book. I bought it for a girlfriend and flicked through/had a bit of a read on the train on the way home and took it back the next day.

I second the votes for Conception, pregnancy and Birth by Dr Stoppard, and Birth by Catherine Price.

The Science of Parenting has been interesting so far.

But that is it for me...the only other book I have had is BabyLove, which sometimes I love, sometimes I loathed.

Will watch this thread with interest, i think I am in need of a good book now that he is developing into a real little person and isn't a baby anymore (stiffles a sniffle).

**sneakysparkle** · May 2nd, 2008, 08:48 PM

NOT the Babywise books

**Smoke Jaguar** · May 2nd, 2008, 09:00 PM

Hate - Babywise (it's actually been blacklisted in the US amongst paediatricians and midwives)
Babylove

Love -
Pinky Mackay, Pinky Mackay, Pinky Mackay!
Alfie Kohn - Unconditional Parenting (such an awesome book with so much inspiration)
The Breastfeeding Cafe (oh my goodness, this is a must read and so easy to read)
The Natural Child
Janet Balaskas books
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Dr Sarah Buckley

**sneakysparkle** · May 2nd, 2008, 09:10 PM

Mayaness - I didn't know babywise had been blacklisted! I know lots of ppl who love it unfortunately

**Smoke Jaguar** · May 2nd, 2008, 09:43 PM

I know one person who loves it - not surprisingly, her PIL are pastors in an evangelist church...they like their kids compliant and 'knowing their place'. It just also happens to see a lot of US kids present with severe dehydration because of the authors completely unqualified recommendations to feed 4 hourly and no less!! I did a google search one day, whilst researching for an assignment and found quite a few websites distancing themselves from the book in no uncertain terms. It should actually be banned, from everything I read about it, and from my own reading of the book (I had it lent to me by a friend - it was given to her and she hadn't read it herself, so I told her to burn it!).

**BellyBelly** · May 2nd, 2008, 09:46 PM

Wow what a GREAT opportunity to offer great reading material and influence what information people have exposure to - I would kill for a job like that in every book store...

My suggestions - anything on the BB Reading list!!!

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/misc/r...d-reading-list

There are so many books but these ones I know well and offer excellent, updated, accurate advice.

**Emma1979** · May 2nd, 2008, 09:59 PM

NOT- save our sleep by Tizzie Hall... i sold mine on ebay....

i got a 'baby sleep' book by Dr Sears which i think i liked, might dig it out and have a look, its been a while since i've had to refer to it (yay!)...

**BellyBelly** · May 2nd, 2008, 10:02 PM

Sorry but I just need a second to

at all the 'DO NOT GET's !!!!!!

You smart women

**BellyBelly** · May 2nd, 2008, 10:02 PM

Sorry but I just need a second to

at all the 'DO NOT GET's !!!!!!

You smart women

**Charmzy** · May 2nd, 2008, 10:51 PM

I really liked the whole 'what to expect' series, Ive got them all and found them very easy to read, full of useful info and just quick and easy to refer to when I was a bit worried about things... I've got SOoooo many parenting books its not funny, my friends use me as a library.. why buy them when I've got them all?! lol

I love 'Raising girls' and 'raising boys' SOOo practical especially as my kids have moved out of the baby toddler stage. I wasnt too keen on 'up the duff' personally but that seems to be a pretty popular one. I've got Babies and Toddler Taming and Beyond Toddlerdom for 5-12 yr olds by dr christopher green and found both of them light hearted yet informative. I've got Baby love and The mighty toddler but in all honesty I've barely touched them as I always go straight to my 'what to expect' set. For pregnancy I found 'ceasarean recovery' by Chrissie Gallagher-Mundy very helpful as I knew i'd be having a csect with my 3rd (and 3rd csect at that).

I also love 'The nappy bag book' a FANTASTIC and well priced resource guide for all parents of 0 - 5 year olds.

Also theres a book called 'When your child is ill' another one I refer to a lot if I'm at all concerned and the course of action for each concern has always been spot on to what I've been told by nurse on call if I called for more reassurance.

Okay enough rambling, I love my parenting books.. I read them all from front to back and take from each what I find useful

paradise lost · May 2nd, 2008, 11:04 PM

I don't read parenting books really, but i LOVE my pregnancy and birth books (secret midwife, lol) and would recommend:

ANYTHING by Shiela Kitzinger, especially Birth Your Way and Pregnancy and Birth and Birth Trauma
ANYTHING by Ina May Gaskin, especially Spiritual Midwifery and Pregnancy and Childbirth - both of those have masses of brilliant birth stories from a variety of women with a variety of births and outcomes. Both very inspiring to the aspiring natural birther and confidence-giving to the scared preggie mum-to-be.

**sushee** · May 2nd, 2008, 11:04 PM

My MUST-HAVE List

The Science of Parenting
The Wonder Weeks (if you can get you hands on it - every new mum should read it)
Pinky McKay's books

My NO List

Save our Sleep

Like Dach I shuffle the books around in the shops so that Save our Sleep is not the the first thing you see when you walk up to the shelf. :P Her marketing people must be guns at their work because her books are always front and centre

.

**Smoke Jaguar** · May 2nd, 2008, 11:09 PM

I've got to say, I do have two 'What to Expect' books and I don't mind them. I have found them to be good references, and whilst I won't be living them word for word, I have taken what works for me. I wouldn't recommend them for other people, though, unless I thought they could take bits and not want to adopt the whole regime.
I agree, Charmzy, I didn't think much of UTD when I read it the second time. I read it years before I fell pg and thought I remembered it being helpful, so I borrowed it again when pg. I was reading it after I'd done a HypnoBirthing course and decided on gentle methods from then on...and it didn't gel at all with how I approached pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. Thankfully, by the time I was pg, I knew better than to take that book and subscribe to its ideas!
I love 'Raising Boys' too, as well as The Science of Parenting - all up my alley kind of books!
ETA: I thought I'd listed it, but Bec's reminded me - absolutely anything by Sheila Kitzinger! Birth Your Way is great.

**Lucy** · May 3rd, 2008, 07:37 AM

I would second what Dachloestar recommended: it appears we have pretty much the same books on our shelves!

When I was first pg with Olivia I literally bought every pregnancy & childcare book I could lay my hands on. They then gathered dust for a while, but by the time she was about 4 months old I started reading them.

As a result, I have now Ebayed most of them, but the ones I keep coming back to are:

Any of Steve Biddulph's books
Raising Boys
The Secret of Happy Children
More Secrets of Happy Children

Any of Dr Sears' books

The Science of Parenting

The Wonder Weeks