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Becoming a mom doesn’t come with a manual but perhaps it should. Parenting is one of the most difficult, evolving, challenging and rewarding part of your life.
There are plenty of parenting books out there dedicated to each sphere of your life as a mom. Some are like manuals with dos and don’ts but many are giving out practical, sensible advice, tips and tricks to help you through this maze of motherhood.
Here are ten books that will make your life as a mom a little more easy, enjoyable and ecstatic.
Ten Parenting books every mom should read
Pregnancy Guide
The first time you learn that you are going to be a mom there is joy but there is also lots of anxiety. Especially if you don’t have an elderly person to guide you through those nine months and beyond. Pregnancy changes you not just physically but also emotionally and mentally; to have a trusted guide to help you wade through these times is comforting.
I read What to expect when you are expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel which is like a pregnancy bible for most women. I kid you not, every time I had a doubt in my mind I would open the book and would find the exact problem and its solution. As I was a working girl throughout my pregnancy the book really helped me deal with nausea, back pains etc
You can also read The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine which is humorous but super informative on pregnancy and its effects. When the advice comes from your peers who have already gone through the rigors you know that it will be solid advice.
First Years
Navigating through the first few years of a child’s life are equally blissful and frustrating. Every milestone that your child may or may not achieve brings with it questions, anxiety and the fundamental fear whether your one wrong step will break your child irreparably.
I found the New Baby Care: The practical guide to the first three years by Miriam Stoppard extremely helpful during the first year of my daughter’s birth. From learning about the perfect way to swaddle my baby, breastfeeding, colic, first foods, traveling with an infant to teaching limits and activities to engage a toddler, the book covers it all.
Another highly recommended read is the The Happiest baby on the block by Harvey Karp. The book states that the first three months of a baby’s life is the fourth trimester when the baby is adjusting to the new world. It also tells the best positions to soothe a baby, how to recreate the feeling of womb for the baby and how to help your newborn sleep longer. A happy baby = A happy Mom.
Raising the kids
You have often heard the adage that “Children are like Clay in a potter’s hands” but never really know the meaning of it until the day your daughter picks up the only rude word you ever spoke in front of her and keeps chanting it all day!! As a parent you are always second guessing if you are raising the children the right way. Although there is no foolproof method but some parenting books are quite helpful in guiding you towards the balanced approach.
I have loved reading the Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman who addresses different personalities of children. According to the book each individual is governed by a dominating love language and as parents we should speak that language with our kids to communicate effectively.
I am also inclined to read How to talk so kids will listen and how to listen so kids will talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazish. As our kids grow communication will be the major foundation over which the relationship flourishes. This book talks about improving relationships through a step by step approach.
Keep your sanity
Do you often feel that twenty four hours are not enough to manage your day as a mom? Living an organized life with the chaos that kids bring is difficult but not impossible. The busy mom’s guide to a happy, organized home by Kathy Peel will help you break down your mom to-do list into bite size tasks.
I love reading the Chicken soup for the soul series for Stay-at-home Moms. It celebrates the power of choice of stay-at-home and work-at home moms. In moments of self doubt this book is a handy tool to realize the importance of the choice I have made to leave the workforce and raise my family.
A lighter Note
Motherhood is not all about heavy talks and soul searching, there is also a lot of laughter and humor in this beautiful phase of life. Safe baby handling tips by David Sopp is a hilarious look at all the overwhelming and uninvited advice that new parents are bound to get. It contains funny diagrams and illustration which will have you in splits and has a baby responsibility wheel for parents which according to the book “keeps parents honest, fair and un-divorced”
Confessions of a Slacker mom by Muffy Mead-Ferro is all about the real. We have all been guilty of slacking as a mom but this book lets us off the hook with the motto that you don’t have to do everything for your kids and yes you need to cut yourself some slack.
Parenting books might not make you a better parent but they sure can lend a helping hand in your quest.
What are your thoughts about parenting books? Which ones are your favorites?
Let me know through your comments.
