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What books to read, and what books to avoid.
This is a discussion on What books to read, and what books to avoid. within the Attachment Parenting forums, part of the Parenting Babies & Toddlers category; I wanted to post a list of books that are recommended on kellymom.com, in case any of you is ...
I wanted to post a list of books that are recommended on kellymom.com, in case any of you is searching for a good book that speaks about attachment parenting. Some books can try to misguide mothers making them believe it is attachment parenting, when it is really not.
Any book from Dr. William Sears and his wife, for example:
"The Baby Book"
"The Attachment Parenting Book"
"The Breastfeeding Book"
"The Birth Book"
"Nighttime Parenting"
"The Fussy Baby Book"
"The Discipline Book"
"The happiest Baby on the block" by Harvey Karp
"The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart" by Jan Hunt
BOOKS TO AVOID!!
On Becoming Babywise
by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam (for important information on Ezzo, go to http://www.ezzo.info)
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer:
How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
by Tracy Hogg
The "What to Expect" Series
by Arlene Eisenberg, et. al.
The New Basics : A-to-Z Baby & Child Care for the Modern Parent
by Michel Cohen, MD
If I can, I would also like to add a couple of books to the Recommended Reading List:
The Continuum Concept by Jane Liedloff
a book written by an American writer who spent several years living in a traditional society of people in the Venezuelan jungle. The concept challenges much of Western thinking about parenting and lifestyles in general.
Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small
This book is a study of many cultures and societies all over the world, past and present. The focus is on how views on parenting and children are affected by cultural expectations.
Both of these books recognize the importance of attachment style parenting practices. For most of the world's history, and in most non-Western cultures today, people breastfeed their babies in terms of years, not weeks or months, they sleep with their children, they wear their babies in slings for most of the day, and they respond to their children's cues for other needs.
For baby care/sleeping I would also recommend
Sweet Dreams by Dr Fleiss No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley
And for breastfeeding I would add
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International Mothering Your Nursing Toddler by Norma Bumgarner Adventures in Tandem Nursing and Beyond by Hilary Flowers
(all three published by LLLi)
I just wanted to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Sears books and wish I'd found out about them while I was pregnant! (I'm a little late on this, I didn't get 'into' AP until after my son was born. I'll 'blame' LLL, lol, a *lot* of the moms in the group here are into this kind of stuff and I still attend meetings even though I quit pumping just because it's the only place where there's people who don't think I'm crazy for things like not feeding my baby refined sugar junk, questioning vaccines, and sleeping with my baby!) I think I could've avoided my bf'ing problems entirely if I'd read the breastfeeding book and planned out what to do in case of a problem...I never knew you could possibly not be able to bf.
Dr. Sears' books also reassured me that everything I went through emotionally not being able to bf, being upset at all the time pumping took away from just bonding, was NORMAL. (which I already thought it was, but this was reassuring) The hospital LC's tried to say I had PPD, I didn't. I was spending a few *hours* a day (8 sessions at least of 15-20 minutes) UNABLE to be with my son....when we are all 'programmed' by the hormones following childbirth to want to do nothing other than be close to our babies! Anyway that's my reason I think everyone should read dr. sears.
Just a question? My mother worked with a fairly young woman who had recently had a baby and ABSOLUTELY SWORE by The Baby Whisperer....Why do you recommend to avoid this book? Not that I'm planning on reading it, i was just curious.Thanks for all of your advice!
Jasmine, i read the reviews for "The Baby Whisperer" at amazon.com and i noticed quite a few mentions that the author, Tracy Hogg, gives advice that runs contrary to attachment parenting principles, and goes against the AAP recommendations for breastfeeding. that's why it wouldn't be on the list.
re: the book list ... i second the recommendation for "The Continuum Concept"
i'd like to recommend another book for the list:
"Becoming the Parent You Want To Be: A Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years" by Laura Davis ... instead of being a "how to" book on parenting, this book talks to you first about how you were parented, and helps you define what you want your family values and parenting goals to be now. by the time you worked through it, you'll come up with your own unique "how to parent" book! i like that approach.
What books to read, and what books to avoid.
