Baby Books

Since Sam was born, and before he was born - I've read a lot of different "Baby" books. They all seem to have different ideas on the best way to parent your baby. Lots of the books have good ideas, and some have some ideas that I don't think would work for us...

Here are some that we/I liked the most: (I've linked them all to Amazon because that is usually the best price and I heart Amazon.)

Baby 411 - This is a reference book that addresses practically any concern you may have during your baby's first year. It has a nice index that you can look things up quickly.
Attached at the Heart - I like this one because it is more about the emotional side of your baby, while we won't follow everything in this book, it does a nice job of explaining the importance of building a positive relationship with your baby and how to do it.
Happiest Baby on the Block - This one was really helpful for the first couple weeks. It gives you ways to calm your baby and help with any fussiness. Sam wasn't super fussy, but he did/does have his moments and these tips help him calm down or fall asleep. It's basically about what the author calls the "5 S's." Swaddling, Side position, Shh sounds, Swinging, and Sucking. Sam uses 3 of these consistently to sleep better (Swaddle, Shhh sounds (white noise machine in his room), and Sucking (he finally enjoys his pacifier). There is also a DVD to watch that shows the techniques in action and it's kind of amazing.
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer - This is another one we won't follow completely, but does have some good ideas. The main point is to set up an "EASY" routine with your baby. Meaning you feed you baby (Eat), followed by some play time, a walk, a bath, etc. (Activity), followed by a nap (Sleep), and once the baby is asleep you have some time for yourself (You time). When baby wakes up the cycle starts again with eating. To me this seems like a pretty logical routine and it takes the guessing out of whether the baby is tired or hungry. We have been trying this very flexibly, but I like it. Sam is normally hungry when he wakes up, so it works nicely. Does it matter that my "You time" is normally spent cuddling with sleeping Sam? I don't think so... :)

Anyway, those are a few of the books that I have read and thought they had something worthwhile to share. I've read a few others that I don't think are worthy of sharing their ideas. I've found you can't just choose one book/parenting method - but we've taken some ideas from many to do what works best for us (at least for now...).