Staff Picks
Baby love (and a dose of advice)
03.04.15
A new baby has joined our family. My brother and his wife welcomed their first daughter into the world at 7 pm on Tuesday March 3rd. She's a little bit of a miracle child and to say everyone is ecstatic would be an understatement.
The type of parenting I highly endorse. Photo by http://www.jwlphotography.com/
OK, no. I'm not actually one to dole out lots of advice. I like to figure things out on my own and respect that in others too. So I'll happily settle for being the adoring aunt.
It IS true, though, that the library offers so many great resources on pregnancy, childbirth, babycare, baby gear purchasing, nutrition, breastfeeding, and on and on. I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you. My 'baby' is eight, so some of these are oldies but goodies, but all worked for me.
But first, I want to share this song. It makes me cry every time I hear because for me it perfectly encapsulates all I feel about my two girls. Babies are miracles and gifts from above. Congrats G and L, and baby J. We love you!
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate With Your Baby
Tracy Hogg with Melinda Blau
My main take-away: establish as quickly as possible a routine. Do things in a specific order, again and again. Sleep, eat, play, eat, sleep, play. I'm not sure if it really made a difference for my babies, but it gave me some (illusion) of order during those bleary, essentially unorderable first months.
The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying Yand Help Your Baby Sleep Longer
Harvey Karp
My main take-away: The 5 "S''s
Swaddle (this came out before swaddling was a "thing")
Swing
Shush
Sidesleep
Suck
PURE MAGIC!
The Sh!t No One Tells You: a Guide to Surviving Your Baby's First Year
Dawn Dais
"Eschewing the adorableness that oozes out of other parenting books, Dais offers real advice from real moms—along with hilarious anecdotes, clever tips, and the genuine encouragement every mom needs in order to survive the first year of parenthood."
Alright, alright.
The Girlfriends' Guide to Getting Your Groove Back: Loving Your Family Without Losing Your Mind
Vickie Iovine
I loved all of Vickie Iovine's books. She's just really funny and real. This book gave me hope, though I can say now that there is no going back to "before", only on to your new, different normal.
In the ten years since I first read this one, she divorced the beloved husband name checked all through the book (that rock producer Jimmy Iovine who was on American Idol during the "Steven Tyler years") and wrote seven more books including the Girlfriends Guide to Divorce. But that's a post for another day.