As a new mom, I feverishly read just about every parenting book I could get my hands on. Why wasn’t Molly sleeping through the night? Why did she crawl on her belly rather than on all fours? Were her utterances in line with language milestones? Really, I must have driven my husband, friends, sisters and colleagues nuts with my conversation!
Three books found their way to my nightstand and became ones I referred to over and over again during those bleary-eyed years. Penelope Leach’sYour Baby and Child was one of those. Dr. Leach’s approach was so reassuring and practical. And while she and I might not agree on every parenting topic, I found this book really comforting and non-threatening.
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child was an approach to sleeping through the night that I could almost do (well, we finally did it, but we waited awhile). While I know several people that used the Ferber method, Weissbluth’s process was more in line with our style.
One of my favorite parenting books was T. Berry Brazelton’s Touchpoints , and I was reminded why when I listened to an NPR interview with Dr. Brazelton last week. At age 89, he still seems like one of the most sensible and family-friendly pediatricians in practice.
I have different parenting books on my nightstand now, ones that branch out into other areas like raising strong, independent girls, how to foster both resilience and compassion, and several more (it’s a BIG nightstand!). I’d be interested to know… What’s on your nightstand? What books have you found helpful?
About the Author
Along with her background as a professor, researcher, writer, and teacher, Joanne Meier is a mom. Join Joanne as she shares her experiences raising her own young readers, and guides parents and teachers on the best practices in reading.
Publication Date
May 14, 2007