For those of you out there either contemplating pregnancy, or trying to talk your darling husband into the
idea of contemplating pregnancy, or newly pregnant - here are some of my favorite books from the past nine months...
The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy is by far THE best pregnancy book out there! Not because of all of it's technical, medical talk - you can find that stuff in other books and everywhere on the internet - but because of its honest and purely hilarious take on the best and yet most bizarre ten months of your life! It's everything your best friend would tell you and nothing your doctor will bring up. Trust me on this one, girls, it's a necessity!
Baby Bargains is a MUST when registering and buying any type of baby gear. My friend Christina recommended this, and I have to say she hit the nail right on the head! It's like a Consumer Reports book just on baby stuff, with parent review and safety reviews from a pediatrician; but it also discusses what's worth the $$$ and what's not. I definitely saved a lot of money by using this book and keeping it handy while shopping. And it seemed like everywhere I went, I saw another smart mom with the same book! :)
The Baby Name Wizard is the most unique baby name book you'll find. Instead of just listing names and meanings, it lists a name, variations on that name, today's popularity of that name, the year that name was most popular, origin, great brother names, great sister names, plus more. Though we had been discussing names for a while, we couldn't quite decide on one, so Matt and I took this book with us on a plane ride to Arkansas, and by the time we got there we had our baby boy's name already picked out - and it wasn't even a name we had previously considered!
Recommended by all of my Edmond friends,
The Happiest Baby on the Block (and DVD) was both fun to read and really eye-opening. The author describes the first three months of your baby's life as the "fourth trimester," and he gives you ways to mimic on the outside what your baby's been so used to on the inside for the past nine months. I've heard it works like a charm, so we're anxious to try his methods on our own little one soon! :)
Also recommended by those smart Edmond girls
, Babywise discusses how to get your baby on a schedule to get him/her eating, playing, and sleeping in regular intervals...and eventually (hopefully!) sleeping through the night. I know it doesn't work on all babies, but it's definitely a Type-A kind of book, so I loved reading it. I'll let you know how it goes!
Baby 411 has now become a standard baby gift from me, thanks to the recommendation by my friend Christina. (Don't you love how many smart mom friends I have?!) She's a pediatrician and recommends it to all of the parents of her precious patients. Want to know why?? In it is TONS of basic baby care and first aid information. This is a great book to have for those middle of the night "freak out" moments, when you're not sure if you should wake up the on-call doc or not. My advice - look in this book first. If it's in the book, you won't have to call. And if it's not, you'll feel better that at least you're not calling your doctor at 2am for a case of diaper rash!
And finally,
Spiritual Growth of Children was given to us by Matt's parents. It takes each stage of development (toddler years, early elementary years...all the way up to when they finally leave the nest), and it gives you practical and easy ways to incorporate life lessons on faith in God into your everyday activities. The ideas are both plentiful and creative! It also has sections in the back on great verses for kids to memorize, verses for teens, how to answer some of kids' tough questions about life and God, and more. I can't wait to be able to use this with our own family someday soon!
The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy is by far THE best pregnancy book out there! Not because of all of it's technical, medical talk - you can find that stuff in other books and everywhere on the internet - but because of its honest and purely hilarious take on the best and yet most bizarre ten months of your life! It's everything your best friend would tell you and nothing your doctor will bring up. Trust me on this one, girls, it's a necessity!
Baby Bargains is a MUST when registering and buying any type of baby gear. My friend Christina recommended this, and I have to say she hit the nail right on the head! It's like a Consumer Reports book just on baby stuff, with parent review and safety reviews from a pediatrician; but it also discusses what's worth the $$$ and what's not. I definitely saved a lot of money by using this book and keeping it handy while shopping. And it seemed like everywhere I went, I saw another smart mom with the same book! :)
The Baby Name Wizard is the most unique baby name book you'll find. Instead of just listing names and meanings, it lists a name, variations on that name, today's popularity of that name, the year that name was most popular, origin, great brother names, great sister names, plus more. Though we had been discussing names for a while, we couldn't quite decide on one, so Matt and I took this book with us on a plane ride to Arkansas, and by the time we got there we had our baby boy's name already picked out - and it wasn't even a name we had previously considered!
Recommended by all of my Edmond friends, The Happiest Baby on the Block (and DVD) was both fun to read and really eye-opening. The author describes the first three months of your baby's life as the "fourth trimester," and he gives you ways to mimic on the outside what your baby's been so used to on the inside for the past nine months. I've heard it works like a charm, so we're anxious to try his methods on our own little one soon! :)
Also recommended by those smart Edmond girls, Babywise discusses how to get your baby on a schedule to get him/her eating, playing, and sleeping in regular intervals...and eventually (hopefully!) sleeping through the night. I know it doesn't work on all babies, but it's definitely a Type-A kind of book, so I loved reading it. I'll let you know how it goes!
Baby 411 has now become a standard baby gift from me, thanks to the recommendation by my friend Christina. (Don't you love how many smart mom friends I have?!) She's a pediatrician and recommends it to all of the parents of her precious patients. Want to know why?? In it is TONS of basic baby care and first aid information. This is a great book to have for those middle of the night "freak out" moments, when you're not sure if you should wake up the on-call doc or not. My advice - look in this book first. If it's in the book, you won't have to call. And if it's not, you'll feel better that at least you're not calling your doctor at 2am for a case of diaper rash!
And finally, Spiritual Growth of Children was given to us by Matt's parents. It takes each stage of development (toddler years, early elementary years...all the way up to when they finally leave the nest), and it gives you practical and easy ways to incorporate life lessons on faith in God into your everyday activities. The ideas are both plentiful and creative! It also has sections in the back on great verses for kids to memorize, verses for teens, how to answer some of kids' tough questions about life and God, and more. I can't wait to be able to use this with our own family someday soon!