Mum's Buys and Finds: Parenting Books

As a first time parent some time back, and with virtually none of our friends with kids, I find myself somewhat alone with Baby En. Of course there is husband la, but he is also as clueless as I was about how to manage the baby.

So I turn towards books for information and to make sense of the new world I found myself in. Incidentally, Husband is not a great fan of parenting books, so I ended up reading them myself, and then summarising it for him as we or I talked about the ideas/ concepts proposed by the books. And it helps that for both pregnancies, I had scaled down work such that I have ample time to just read and internalise some of the ideas shared by the books.

I have not read all that there is out there, but here are some that is worth checking out if anyone is keen to read.

But before that, a bit on the mentality of reading parenting books. Parenting books are not bibles. They do not have all the answers and no one book works for all. Parenting books often follow a certain school of thought, e.g. some books are against nursery and childcare from young, others are pro-structured training for kids while others are against structured training for kids. Hence, it follows that some parents end up adopting certain schools of thought or ideas. But it helps to diversify what one is reading so that one gets different ideas and different choices, depending on which fits better with one's circumstances.

I find that some books offer hard facts information, while others provide information on the softer/ the more emotional aspects of parenting. As such, I have categorised them as such:

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Books which offer facts and the various functional aspects of parenting:

1. The Baby Book - William Sears M.D and Martha Sears R.N. This provides a week by week information on how baby is growing, aspects of caring for the baby, illnesses to watch out for and suggested activities for baby's development. I used it as my guide to monitor baby's progress and development. A worth while buy if you asked me cuz I still consult the book now whenever I have a question on babies.

2. Bright Start: Understand and Stimulate Your Child's Development from Birth to 5 Years - Richard C Woolfson. This again provides a month by month milestone on the various aspects of a child's development, including motor skills, social skills, language, emotional development etc. There is also suggested activities at each stage to stimulate your kid appropriately at the relevant point in time.I found it immensely useful to plan for activities and toys for the kids.

3. Super Foods For Babies & Children -Michael van Straten & Barbara Griggs. Useful when planning meals for babies that is moving onto the stage of weaning.

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Books which provide information on the emotional aspects of parenting

1. Raising Boys - Steve Biddulph
2. Complete Secrets of Happy Children - Steve Biddulph
3. The Secrets of Happy Parents - Steve Biddulph

I am a great fan of Steve Biddulph and his ideas on parenting. And it helps that his books are very easy to read, and that I personally agree with most of his ideas on parenting. The great thing about his books is that he recognises the parents and the role of parents very well, and is not purely kid centric. Some parenting books focus so much on what you can do for the kids that they kinda forget that it might be an overkill on the parents.

4. The Contented Toddler Years - Gina Ford. Many parents in Singapore are ardent fans of Gina's books and there are a lot of books of hers offering solutions to parents who have problems with their babies such as sleeping, weaning etc. Gina teaches parents the importance of instilling routine for babies and kids which many parents found useful in managing life with a kid. I consult her book on ways to transit En's routine from baby to toddlerhood.

5. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer - Tracy Hoggs. Recently I started on her books upon reading some reviews on the net, and her book is useful in guiding parents in the art of observation and connecting with your child. Great for men especially I think, and for those who want to learn more about observing and hence harnessing the power of observation in one's interactions with kids.

Recently, I have started to read up on the Montessori education and training for kids in deliberating the kind of education for En's pre-school years, and will share more once I have anything to share.

Hope the list is a useful start for those keen to read on parenting philosophy.