A Few Books on Parenting

In preparation for our daughter's arrival, I bought a few books that we use to help guide us through the maze of parenting. Here is my list:

1. Baby 411 - an encyclopedia of sorts with short snippets of information on topics ranging from breastfeeding to choosing a pediatrician to immunizations. This is a helpful guide when you need quick information.

2. What to expect during the first year - one of the more popular books in the "what to expect" series. This book has a chapter for each month of the first year which really helps when you are trying to understand the developmental milestones.

3. Be prepared - a humorous book for dads which handy information on how to construct a diaper from a flannel shirt. The illustrations are wonderful.

4.Happiest baby on the block - the famous Dr. Karp method is outlined in this book. He presents his theory of the 4th trimester with a detailed method for calming a fussy baby. The book is good, but the DVD is great. The DVD is a "must buy" for any first time parent!

5. Secrets of the baby whisperer - another very popular book that has received high acclaim. The author discusses her EASY (eat, activity, sleep, and you) method. This book is really helpful when trying to think about how you want to parent a newborn. One caveat, the EASY method does not apply for babies under 6 weeks old.

6. Baby's first year journal - this book provides a short discussion for each day of a baby's first year. I find that much of it is repetitive, but it does work well in companion with the "what to expect" book.

Feel free to add additional books by adding a comment to this post.