Books about Baby Care
While we spend a lot of time with our clients discussing pregnancy, childbirth, and the immediate postpartum experience, what comes next is parenting a baby. There is so much information out there and sometimes that can feel just completely overwhelming. Googling your questions and watching tiktok’s or reels about the experience of caring for a baby has it’s place, but for some, the format of a book can feel really comforting. Finding an author or perspective that resonates with you and getting a comprehensive understanding in one place can be really reassuring during a time that can be filled with so many questions when everything is new.
Here are several ideas of books to peruse about the first year of a baby's life (and beyond). There's so much out there and so many differing perspectives that it can be overwhelming and confusing to try to listen to all of them. As with anything related to becoming a parent, we think it's helpful to explore and find the sources that truly resonate with you. And when you find a book or author you enjoy, there still may be certain advise that just doesn’t feel right to you. We think that as much knowledge and education as someone might have, no one knows your baby and what’s right for them better than you do. So listen to your inner knowing above all. Take what works for you and leave the rest.
Bottom Line for Baby: From Sleep Training to Screens, Thumb Sucking to Tummy Time--What the Science Says by Tina Payne Bryson (Apply the best science to all your parenting decisions with this essential A–Z guide for your biggest baby questions and concerns.)
The Wonder Weeks: A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby's Behavior Book by Frans X. Plooij and Hetty van de Rijt describes 10 key periods of mental development, or "leaps," that babies experience in their first 20 months, which can cause changes in behavior, sleep, and appetite.
Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman
The Sears Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two The Baby Book focuses on the essential needs of babies―eating, sleeping, development, health, and comfort―as it addresses the questions of greatest concern to today’s parents.
The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley
The Attachment Parenting Book: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby by Martha Sears and William Sears is a popular and comprehensive resource.
The Montessori Baby: A Parent's Guide to Nurturing Your Baby with Love, Respect, and Understanding by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike
The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer by Harvey Karp
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Becky Kennedy (not necessarily first-year focused)
Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood by Chelsea Conaboy (more parent focused than baby focused, but interesting to learn about how the parent brain changes)
The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson (specifically focused on the first 3 months postpartum)
In addition to all the books about parenting above, we find that many books related to breastfeeding will cover newborn behavior because feeding is such a huge part of life during the first year, so you can also check out:
The Art of Breastfeeding: Completely Revised and Updated 9th Edition by La Leche League International, Bibiana Moreno Carranza, Jayne Joyce, Anna Swisher, Teresa Pitman
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding By Ina May Gaskin
The Nursing Mother's Companion: The Breastfeeding Book Mothers Trust, from Pregnancy Through Weaning (8th Edition) By Kathleen Huggins, with foreword by Jessica Martin-Weber and preface by Kelly Bonata
Breastfeeding Doesn't Need to Suck: How to Nurture Your Baby and Your Mental Health By Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
Do you have any to add? What books have you loved? Was there a book that changed your perspective on parenting or confirmed your inner-most knowing? We’d love to hear about it and add it to our list!
