Babies
Baby
Yoga
Francoise Barbira Freedman
Gaia, paperback, 144 pages, £10.99
Packed with simply gorgeous pictures of babies enjoying the
benefits of yoga, coupled with detailed line drawings for some
exercises, this book is a perfect entrance to the world of yoga for
babies, mums and dads.
With baby yoga, in one short session, babies get as much physical
activity as if you cradle him or her all day, say the authors, so you
can look forward to a child who sleeps more deeply as a result!
The exercises inside are suitable for people who are new to yoga as
well as those who have experience of it, with pointers for health
professionals and teachers as well.
And although the book is aimed at starting the sessions when your
child is very small, there is also guidance to help get an older baby
involved.
To buy a copy, visit the Gaia
website
Autobiography
of a one-year-old
Rohan Candappa
Ebury, hardback, 256 pages, £9.99
Want to get inside the head of your one-year-old? Heres your
chance!
This funny book follows a one-year-old through his second year on
earth, offering an insight into the madness a toddler has to cope with
on a daily basis.
Who invented these cruel nursery rhymes that see Humpty Dumpty
lying smashed on the ground and babies crashing out of trees when the
wind blows?
Why do parents object when once a year you spot a tree, covered in
shiny objects in the corner of your living room and go to investigate?
These and many other questions go completely unanswered in this
diary, broken up into chunks you can read for a few minutes before
chasing after your own toddler.
One answer you will find is why the wrapping is always more
interesting than the present as well as living through guerilla
warfare after a listening device is discovered in the nursery!
The
Contented Little Baby Book
Gina Ford
Vermillion, paperback, 172 pages, £7.99
This is a tough and uncompromising book, but offers no apologies.
Repeatedly raved about by babyworld members, it places complete
emphasis on routine for a happy, well-fed, sleeping baby.
Parents who already have a baby who feeds well or sleeps well may
find the books attention to detail a routine including when YOU
should eat as well as baby is included and unwavering certainty on
every topic tough to accept.
But for those thousands of parents who find the first bleary-eyed
weeks turn into bleary-eyed months because they just cant get baby
to sleep through the night, Fords attention to detail will offer
welcome relief.
The
New Baby and Toddler Sleep Programme
Dr John Pearce
Vermillion, paperback, 172 pages, £7.99
This book is subtitled how to have a peaceful night, every night
and if the tips inside live up to that claim, it must be destined to
become a handbook for every parent.
There is certainly plenty of information inside, and unusually the
book does not just concentrate on getting a tiny baby into a sleep
pattern, it warns that even the best of sleepers may go through a
resistant phase as a two-year-old and offers advice for that too.
There is great emphasis on finding a good night phrase- one
that reassures your child that all is well because it is used night
after night.
Packed with clear guidelines and useful tips, the book is written
by an Emeritus (retired) Professor of Child Psychiatry with three
children of his own so he has seen and coped with a fair few cases!
NCT
Complete Book of Babycare
Edited by Daphne Metland
Harper Collins, hardback, 256 pages, £16.99
Need just one book to take you through the first three years of
parenting? Then this has to be a strong contender.
As the cover suggests, its written by parents, for parents, with
authors including babyworlds online antenatal teacher Sue
Allen Mills and our former medical editor Daphne Metland.
Babys development is split into useful categories, from 0-1
month, 1-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 1 year-18 months, and so
on.
Theres a clever and fascinating diary for each age range then
information on basic developments and issues for each age.
With the inclusion of a childhood health a-z at the back, this book
could stand alone on any parents bookshelf.
The
Social Baby
Lynne Murray and Liz Andrews
The Childrens Project, hardback, 176 pages, £14.99
This book will be enthralling to any parent or parent-to-be, as a
series of picture stories shows just how responsive tiny babies can
be.
Inspired by the children of the authors and publishers, the book
looks at a babys social world, before dealing with crying, sleeping
and making a baby feel secure,
The sleeping section includes a fascinating series of pictures
which sees a seven-week-old baby go from sleep to wakefulness as a
phone rings nearby, then settling back into sleep, without help from a
parent, when the phone stops ringing.
If you are expecting a baby or have just had one and are nervous
about interaction, this book shows just how to pick up on the signs
your baby is trying to give to you.
How
babies think
Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl
Weidenfeld and Nicholson, hardback, 212 pages, £20.
A fascinating look at how babies gain knowledge of the world and how much is actually
ingrained from the day they are born.
Using a massive range of research projects, the authors made an incredible range of
discoveries, including that newborn babies know what their tongue looks like, that
one-year-olds know the difference between Swedish and English and that 18-month-olds
understand that some people prefer broccoli to crackers.
Its not the easiest read inevitably a book written by three professors can
slip into too much analysis for the lay person. But it is detailed, fascinating and a
refreshing look at how much your tot actually knows.
Read more about some of the experiments:
Charlotte Preston
Metro Books, paperbacks, 64 pages, £2.99 each
Series of four books; First Six Weeks, Good Feeding Guide, Good Behaviour Guide and
Good Sleeping Guide.
Charlotte Preston, who has many years of experience as a health visitor and is a mother
and grandmother, offers tried and tested advice in a practical and down-to-earth way to
help parents cope with problems.
Peter Walker
Piatkus, paperback, 128 pages, £9.99
Beautifully illustrated book that covers massage for babies and toddlers and also
explains ways to help them develop good posture and maintain flexibility. Also available
as a video.
NCT Book of Crying
Baby: simple steps to make life easier
Anna McGrail
NCT/Thorsons, paperback, 166 pages, £5.99
Helpful book which looks at why babies cry and how parents can cope with a baby
that cries more than average.
There are tips here on recognising different types of cries and how feeding and routine
can help. Problems, including teething and colic, which can cause a baby to cry, are
discussed as well as when it is time to call in an expert, and how other parents cope.
There are no quick solutions but this book does at least offer survival strategies.
Annette Karmilof-Smith
Ebury Press, paperback, 256 pages, £9.99
Fascinating account of how a baby develops from a helpless newborn into a small human
being. Diaries of parents illustrate each stage. The original Channel Four programme on
which this book is based is now available as a video.
NCT Book of Sleep
Penney Hames
NCT/Thorsons, paperback, 196 pages, £5.99
Excellent guide which looks at babies' sleep patterns, and managing sleep problems
like frequent waking and difficult bedtimes. Sleep can be one of the biggest problems for
new parents, who can face just about anything as long as they get their sleep.
Child psychologist Penney Hames looks at just about every issue, from where the baby
should sleep to methods of getting your baby to sleep alone.
Dr Richard Woolfson
Thorsons, paperback, 138 pages, £4.99
Child psychologist Richard Woolfson shows parents how to read a childs body
language and improve your understanding of what makes your child tick.
Three in a bed
Deborah Jackson
Bloomsbury, paperback, 312 pages, £12.99
Contemplating sleeping with your baby but not sure how safe it will
be? Deborah Jackson covers co-sleeping from every possible angle; the
benefits, the cot death risk or lack of, safety, sustaining your sex
life, and dealing with common objections to bed-sharing.
If you are thinking of sharing your bed with a baby on more than just
the odd occasion, then this book will arm you to the teeth with all the
facts you need to know.
And just to make sure all the bases are covered, it also deals with
what to do when the time comes for the child to leave his or her parents
bed.
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