Gina Ford - found it very regemented and to strict however, I did read the summary table at the suggested feed and sleep routine for certain age and they were helpful.
Tracy Hogg - have her book, read it when I was pregnant with my first child, and we did do the basic's she mentioned, feed, play sleep routine.
For reference books I totally recommend Robyn Barker both Babylove and The Toddler one too, every helpful if you have a question that needs to be answered in the middle of the night.
I found Miriam Stoppard interesting too to read.
I have Raising Girls book and honestly I didnt like the way it was written but everyone is different.
Loved Pinky McKay! - cannot recommend her high enough!
I like the Steve Biddulph book but think it would be more helpful for older children rather than babies.
My favourite parenting book of all time is "The Science of Parenting" by Margot Sunderland. Although it doesn't provide specific suggestions for routines etc, it does provide an awesome amount of information which I've found to be a huge help when making decisions around sleep/feeding/behaviour. It's based on the latest neuro-science and for me, it just makes sense. I have teamed this up with Pinky McKay's "Sleeping Like a Baby". DH is really enjoying The Science of Parenting too.
One other book I would recommend is "The Attachment Connection" by Ruth Newton. The book is based on attachment theory - the first half explains attachment theory and some of the science behind it (easy read - nothing too heavy) and the second half takes you through stages from birth to 4 or 5 years explaining how your child's brain is developing and how as a parent we can help 'foster a secure attachment, healthy social skills, and emotional regulation'.
Sorry I can't help with any of the others you've listed. There are so many parenting books out there - it can be terrifying trying to figure out where to start. Good luck!
I love The Science of Parenting and Families and how to Survive Them. The only two books I needed!
Thin
I did have lent to me Baby Whisperer and What to expect... the first year. Didn't get on with them. Tracey Hogg labels my child as "spirited" - but other labels include "angel", "textbook", "grumpy" and ... can't remember the last one. Thing I found, you want your first baby to be in the "perfect" label, so I didn't want a "spirited with a dollop of grumpy" baby when he's so wonderful! But her advice was pretty much "if your baby isn't doing what I say, you're doing it wrong" and given DS was in a car accident at 8w old there was no way I was following her advice over caring for my son. And promising sleeping through babies by 3m old is not on! What to expect basically told me my son was a child genius as he did everything in half the time: he was doing what I should be expecting at 8m by 4m, for example (except self-feeding, which had to wait until he could grab my food and self-feed himself his first solids). Only works if your baby is normal, and my son is exceptional.
I did read others, but was not impressed.
I found it better to watch my baby, his character and my day and character. Then I could write a parenting manual for just us!
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