Jump to content

Recommended Posts

what to expect - the first year

Good for dipping in and out of when you don't have much time to read in depth!

I saw a second hand one in good nick in the Herne Hill Oxfam bookshop for ?3 the other day so if you live near there defo worth popping in...in fact they seem to have loads of recent new mum/new baby books in there due to nappy valley factor...

Ditto, find What to Expect the First Year great reference to dip in and out of.

I didn't buy anything else initially then when I eventually thought about routines I used the Baby Whisperer and used a few tips from that. In my first week the NHS handbook Green and Purple covers were constantly by my side for quick newborn related reference. It was the most information my poor brain could fathom.

Some people are not as confident as others and if you have no family nearby and have never held a baby before, books can be really helpful- as long as you realise there is no ONE way- jsut what suits you-sometimes when you are jsut plain knackered you cant always assess a situation correctly and books are a big help to lots of people.

I think you have to go through the process of reading all the books before you decide to ditch them - by which point you have generally got to know your baby and talked to other mums etc. I still dip into my 'library' of gina ford/baby whisperer/elizabeth pantley (yup - wide ranging!!) when I'm lost and do not know quite how to deal with seemingly irrational toddler.


Often recommended is What Mothers Do - less of a guide, more of a reflection on the bewildering world of new motherhood - gentle and reassuring and helps you see that you are NOT going mad....

'Wonder Weeks' by van de Rijt and Plooij. Lovely lovely book about baby's mental development week by week. Helps you to understand baby's behaviour and developmental leaps and gives suggestions on how to play and stimulate baby. Only bought it now at age of 37 weeks. Wish I had bought it much earlier.
Womanofdulwich - indeed I have shown all the normal worries and concerns of being a new mother and far from being ultra confident (which I'm not) I found that reading the books (Gina etc etc) caused me huge anxieties and instead of going with my natural instincts, I worried/worry constantly that my baby isn't doing what the books say she should be doing. I have suffered awful post natal anxiety and one of the things that helped me to get over it was putting my books away and understanding that all babies are different. I'm not quite sure why you felt the need to criticise me for expressing my opinion, but that is all it is; my opinion. I'm sure that ladyruskin is more than capable of realising that.

Even being a paediatric nurse, I found when it came to having my own baby some help/advice was useful/reassuring.


On recommendation of friends I used the baby whisperer which I have found v helpful and has enabled me to trust my instincts and rather than dictate a routine to me, has allowed me to help identify what would work for Bugglet and me.... and (unlike some books) reassurance/suggestions of what to do when we go 'off piste'!.


Was also v helpful for hubbie when he kept asking me "well why's this happening/what are you trying to do" and with new mum brain I couldn't answer/didn't know... he could look up bits and let me know what it said!

Another vote for Your Baby Week by Week - fantastic bite size weekly chunks covering the first 6 months. I preferred it to 'What to Expect' and I also tried The Baby Whisperer and Gina Ford but neither were for me - I found them both too long winded and too concerned with a selling a philosophy/promoting the authors own brand of baby care.


Only problem with Week by Week is it doesn't cover napping schedules. So maybe worth supplementing with Elizabeth Pantleys the no-cry nap solution.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • What was he doing on the stage at Glastonbury? Or on the stage at the other concert in Finsbury Park? Grinning like a Cheshire cat whilst pissed and stoned 20 somethings on the promise of free internet sung-- Oh Jeremy Corbyn---  What were his policies for Northern mining towns with no jobs or infrastructure? Free Internet and university places for youngsters. What were his other manifesto pledges? Why all the ambiguity over Brexit?  I didn't like Thatcher, Blair or May or Tony but I respected them as politicians because they stood by what they believed in. I respect all politicians across the board that stick to their principles. Corbyn didn't and its why he got  annihilated at the polls. A socialist, anti imperialist and anti capitalist that said he voted for an imperialist and pro capitalist cabal. He refused to say how he'd vote over and over again until the last knockings. He did so to appease the Islington elite and middle class students he was courting. The same people that were screaming that Brexit was racist. At the same time the EU were holding black and Asian immigrants in refugee camps overseas but not a word on that! Corbyn created and courted a student union protest movement that screamed at and shouted down anyone not on the left . They claimed Starmer and the centre right of labour were tories. He didn't get elected  because he, his movement and policies were unelectable, twice. He turned out not to have the convictions of his politics and died on his own sword.    Reform won't win an election. All the idiots that voted for them to keep out Labour actually enabled Labour. They'll be back voting tory next time.    Farage wouldn't be able to make his millions if he was in power. He's a very devious shyster but I very much doubt he'd actually want the responsibility that governance requires.
    • The purge of hard left members that were part of Corbyn's, Mcdonnel's and Lansmans momentum that purged the party of right wing and centrist members. That's politics. It's what Blair did to win, its what Starmer had to do to win. This country doesn't vote in extreme left or right governments. That's partly why Corbyn lost  We're pretty much a centrist bunch.  It doesn't make it false either. It's an opinion based on the voting patterns, demography and statistics. Can you explain then why former mining constituencies that despise the tories voted for them or abstained rather than vote for Corbyns Labour?  What is the truth then? But he never got elected!!! Why? He should have been binned off there and then. Why he was allowed to hang about is an outrage. I hold him party responsible for the shit show that we've had to endure since. 
    • Depends on what the Barista says doesnt it? There was no physical confrontation with the driver, OP thinks she is being targetted when she isnt. These guys work min wage under strict schedules so give them a break unless they damage your stuff
    • CPR Dave, attendance records are available on Southwark's website. Maggie Browning has attended 100% of meetings. Jon Hartley has attended 65%.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...