Book that Help Me Raise My Baby

This year has been full of changes for me because I had my first baby!  To help me prepare for, and cope with, all of the changes to my body and my life I did what every book lover does...I read (and read, and read, and read)!

Here are the books that have so far seemed to be the most helpful to me.  I know books about parenting can be filled with controversy and I'm sure there are folks out there that will read this list and instantly judge me as a bad mother, while others will look at this list and instantly feel as if I'm the same kind of parent as them.  Ultimately the information I learned from all of the many books I read this year got blended into my own unique style of parenting that fits who I am the best.  This list is not all of the books that I read, but it does include those books that I find myself frequently referring back to.  I ended up buying all of the books listed below so I'd have them on-hand when I needed to reference them, but I got them all used at my local used book store and garage sales.  Hopefully if you're expecting right now you'll have time to hunt at your local used book stores, thrift stores, and garage sales to avoid paying full price.  Of course, I'd also recommend you check each title out of the library first so you know if it's worth buying a copy for yourself. 

1. What to Expect When You're Expecting (Murkoff and Mazel)- Is there a pregnant woman who hasn't read this book?  It was a great and comforting guide to me while I was pregnant.
2. What to Expect The First Year (Hathaway)- Since I loved What to Expect When Expecting, I thought I'd pick this up when I came across it at a garage sale.  It's been a helpful resource.
3. Read Aloud Handbook (Trelease) A must read for every parent regardless of how old their kids are!  This book will inspire you to read to your child and to help every child you know grow up in a print rich home.  I know I've blogged about this book many times already, but I just can't say enough good things about this book. 
4. On Becoming Baby Wise (Ezzo and Bucknam)- Okay, I know this is where some of you are going to groan, and begin to worry about the welfare of my child.  While my husband and I haven't followed this book to the letter, we have really found this book and the general guidelines it lays out helpful.  We've even picked up Babywise II.  I'd recommend that every parent read this book.  Even if you finish it and realize it isn't for you at least you've read it and made up your own mind.  And even if you find just one tip that works for your family, it seems worth it to me.
5. The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer (Hogg)- I really liked this book.  The author's E.A.S.Y. method is very calming and appealing and seemed to work very well for my son. 
6. The Wonder Weeks (Van De Rijt) - I fell in love with this book and hunted for months to get my hands on a used copy.  This book is certainly worth owning because it's not the kind of book you read once and move on from.  You'll want this book around each time your baby experiences a "wonder week".  The book takes you through your baby's 10 great fussy periods and explains why your baby is likely fussy at time and what changes your baby is going through.
7. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Weissbluth)- If you're having trouble with sleep habits in your baby this is the book for you.  It really is a very comprehensive guide to sleep.  A lot of the information seems obvious, but some of the other information was really helpful and enlightening to me as a new mom.
8. Happiest Baby On the Block (Karp) - I really liked the information in this book, but you really could probably just check this book out from the library.  I only bought it because I found it for $1 after I checked it out from the library and knew it had good information.
9. Parenting with Love and Logic (Cline and Fay) - This will be a book that I'll probably reread when my son is older.  The information in this book isn't geared toward the first year of a baby's life, but it's still good information and when the time comes I hope I parent like this.

When Dad Reads Aloud

One of the many many things that I love about my husband is that he is dedicated to reading aloud to our son.  Truth be told, some weeks he reads aloud to him more than I do!  While I must admit I've never been able to convince my husband to read The Read Aloud Handbook (my all time favorite book on reading aloud to children!) he's a natural when it comes to reading to our son.  Being that our first born is a son I feel like it is extra important that his dad reads aloud to him and that he sees his dad read for pleasure.  In The Read Aloud Handbook author Jim Trelease devotes a special section to trying to convince dads that's it's important.  In referring to the increasing academic achievement of girls and decreasing academic achievement of boys Trelease says this, "The impact on the young male of seeing his dad worshipping daily and nightly at the alter of ESPN, has to have played a damaging role in male attitudes about school.  Girls read and write; guys hit, throw, catch, shoot, and fish."  A bit further on in the same section Trelease lays out some startling (and simple) facts about the impact dads who read can have on their sons.  (The following statistics come from a study conducted in Modesto, California.)

1. Boys who were read to by their fathers scored significant higher in reading achievement.
2. When fathers read recreational, their sons read more and scored higher than boys whose fathers did little or no recreational reading.

There are so many parents who are desperate to increase their child's academic achievement.  These parents will shell out thousands of dollars for after-school tutoring programs, summer enrichment programs, online activities designed to increase achievement, but the answer for many children is much more simple and far less expensive...SPEND TIME READING TO YOUR CHILD!

Knowing how important it is that my husband reads aloud to our son I'm so very grateful that he's a natural and that it's something he enjoys doing with our son.  I hope that the time the two boys spend reading aloud now is the beginning of a long and rich tradition of reading aloud in our house.

Bedtime Story

My husband and I have been struggling with when we should begin to incorporate a story into our son's bedtime routine.  We, of course, want him to have a rich tradition of a bedtime story, but at his young age (almost 4 months old) it seems a bit early.  We read aloud to him at other times, but just not usually right before he goes to bed for the night.  In his book, The Read Aloud Handbook, author Jim Trelease encourages reading aloud to children from day one.  While another book, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg, encourages reading aloud to children, but discourages a bedtime story until your baby is 6 months old.  At that age she feels babies are better able to focus and sit up.  Right now we seem to be leaning toward incorporating reading into his daytime routine and not yet into his bedtime routine.  I'm not sure exactly when we'll change this, maybe at 6 months, maybe another time, but I can't wait until it can be part of my son's bedtime routine.

My Favorite Gift for New Parents

In packing my hospital bag to prepare for labor I, of course, packed books for my husband and I to read.  But, what I forgot to pack was a book or two to read to our son.  So, the first books that we read aloud to him were adult books.  My husband read selections from Brave New World, while I read him selections from The Looking Glass Wars. 

Inspired by this oversight I've decided that my new go-to gift when I visit new parents in the hospital is going to be a baby book or two.  Flowers are beautiful and I certainly loved the multiple bouquets that decorated our hospital room, but what I would have loved, and really could have used, were a few books to read to my son.  What new parents wouldn't cherish reading from On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman, You Are Special by Max Lucado, or Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney to their brand new precious bundle.  There are so many wonderful titles to choose from when selecting a book that may well end up being the first book a baby has read to them.  And just think of the memories those parents will have of the first time they settled in to read to there new baby.

The Book Every Parent (and Teacher) Should Own

If there's one book that I love more than any other is has to be the Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.  (Seriously, run, don't walk, to your nearest library or book store to get a copy!)  If you are a person (parent, teacher, aunt, uncle, grandparent, loving neighbor, or anyone else born on planet Earth) who is passionate about reading with your family then this book is a must have for you.  I've owned this book for years and loved it for years.  It has helped me countless times as a teacher.  But, now I get the joy of rediscovering it as a parent!  As a teacher I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and wish I could afford to buy copies for all of my student's parents every year. 

There's almost too many good things to say about this book, but I'll list my top 5 reasons this book is so great.
1.  The treasury of read alouds in the back.  If you've ever wondered what to read to your child, this will solve your problem today and for years to come.  If this book was only a lists of books it would still be worth buying, but it is so much more!
2.  The book makes the often hard to understand topic of reading instruction seem easy to understand.
3.  Inspiring writing about the impact that reading to a child can have on all aspect of his/her life.  (And, honest writing about the damage that can occur when a child isn't read to.)
4.  Simple tips to help you make the most of your read aloud time with your family.
5.  Tips on how to create a reader friendly home.

The only negative I can say (and it is seriously the only one) is that the latest edition was printed in 2006.  I'd love to see him update this and release a newer edition.  Which, of course, I'd be first in line to buy!