I picked up my sister’s copy of Bringing Up [name_f]BeBe[/name_f] and had to put it down after twenty pages. It felt like one of the most pretentious things I have ever read. What are your opinions on baby / parenting books? Have you read any that are really helpful or do you just wing it? I have been curious, but have no idea where to start.
Yeah, a LOT of them are terrible. I haven’t liked most of the parenting books that I have read, but I will spare you that list. These are just the ones I have found useful or helpful or affirming in some way (please note, that doesn’t mean they are perfect or that I agree with every word.)
First the how-to manuals that walk you through questions of swaddling, sleep, routine, eating, and toilet training:
The Happiest [name_u]Baby[/name_u] on the Block (actually, the video is more helpful b.c it shows you how to do stuff and isn’t so repetitive.)
The [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Whisperer- not as extreme as Babywise, but definitely more focused on routine and parental sanity than, say, Dr Sears
Secondly, parenting philosophy books:
[name_f]Simplicity[/name_f] Parenting
The [name_f]Wisdom[/name_f] of a Skinned Knee
Promises Kept: Raising [name_m]Black[/name_m] Boys To Succeed In School and In Life
And well… That is it. So far, these are the ones I have liked/found useful. I can’t promise they will work for you! I really believe that you are the best expert on your particular baby/child/family. If for instance, everyone says swaddle the baby and you know the baby hates it, for goodness sakes, don’t swaddle the baby.
That’s the only one I have ever liked, actually. 
most of the time they’re written in this irritating style that’s either mimicking [name_m]Cosmo[/name_m] quizzes (looking at you, “What to Expect”) or hand-wringingly anxious. I’ve enjoyed the ones that basically tell everyone to relax-- Perfect Madness, Bringing up [name_f]Bebe[/name_f], [name_u]Free[/name_u] [name_m]Range[/name_m] Kids. Maybe I myself am so hopelessly pretentious that I couldn’t see it, but I really didn’t find it snooty-- quite the opposite, there was a lot of self-deprecation which I enjoyed.
The one book I would absolutely unequivocally recommend for everyone no matter your level of expertise or overarching parenting philosophy is the American Academy of Pediatrics’ book. It’s written in a very accessible style, no editorializing, and had great detailed information on normal and abnormal development, milestones, and common illnesses (both humdrum like ear infections and serious/rare like genetic syndromes or leukemias). It’s awesome. If you want it straight from the horse’s mouth with no spin…
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0553593005/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1402596858&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40
I pretty much wing it.
I have a pregnancy day-by-day book that had some information (medical mostly) about caring for young babies. I never bothered to read anything else (although the nurse at my clinic RAVED about Happiest [name_u]Baby[/name_u] on the Block).
For the most part those books irritate me. I don’t need to read some crackpot’s opinion of attachment parenting or how to be an organized supermom. I don’t want someone telling me how I should deal with my kids when they have never dealt with my kids.
I follow one guy on Twitter - [name_u]Drew[/name_u] Magary - who has written a parenting book (Someone Could Get Hurt) I would definitely read. It’s more memoirs than a how-to, but he is hilarious & irreverent & posts a lot of angry rants so I’m sure it’d be a fun read.
Mostly I wing it. However I liked [name_u]Baby[/name_u] 411 for general advice and questions like at what point to rush the baby to the ER/doctor and is it normal that my kid does XYZ or doesn’t do XYZ. I also enjoyed reading Bringing Up [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] more to learn about another culture then to actually get advice. I also loved [name_u]Free[/name_u] [name_m]Range[/name_m] Kids and did get some advice from that book.
I agree with feberin, I enjoyed learning about the culture of [name_m]French[/name_m] parenting when I read Bringing Up [name_f]Bebe[/name_f], but most of the “helpful tips” I read seemed like plain old common sense.
I haven’t read many parenting books since I haven’t even given birth to my first yet, but I really don’t plan on it. I did skim through my friend’s copy of [name_u]Baby[/name_u] 411 and it seemed pretty good, so I’ll probably get a copy of that.
For people who enjoyed Bringing Up [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] for the different cultural perspective, “[name_m]How[/name_m] [name_f]Do[/name_f] Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm?” By [name_f]Mei[/name_f]-Ling Hopgood was another good book for that. She talks about parenting practices from all over the world. It is not really a book that tells you how to do stuff, it is more like that film “Babies” that came out a few years ago. It just shows you how people do things differently in different places and all of the babies turn out just fine.
Happiest [name_u]Baby[/name_u] on the Block was life-changing for us. We watched the video and laughed hard, but it really helped us get some more sleep. That was 2004 when our oldest was born, but I just recommended it to some new parents today.
I’ll second [name_m]Blade[/name_m] on the AAP book, too. But I also don’t mind the style of the “What to Expect” books.
I am not a parent, however, I have a habit of reading parenting books and articles in my spare time. I am strange, I know. But Kaz Cooke has some really great books, often aimed at young girls, that are funny, endearing and knowledgeable. However, she also does a number of others, like Up The [name_u]Duff[/name_u] and Kid Wrangling: Real Guide to Caring for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers. They may not be for you; but overall I find her writing style easier to stomach, as it doesn’t talk down to anyone. I am also a fan of the whole [name_u]Love[/name_u] Languages as corny as it may be. The Whole [name_m]Brain[/name_m] Child is said to be good also.
I received a whole pile of various baby/parenting books (mostly as gifts from my own overanxious mother) while I was pregnant. There was only one that I found useful. It’s basically a how-to guide with detailed information about what to expect from your newborn on a week-by-week basis. It’s called Your [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Week By Week: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Your [name_m]New[/name_m] [name_u]Baby[/name_u] (by Fertleman and Cave). It’s well organized with just the right level of detail. I highly recommend it!
[name_u]Baby[/name_u] 411 and Happiest [name_u]Baby[/name_u] on the Block were the two that I referred to enough to earn their shelf space.
I liked a lot of what Bringing Up [name_f]Bebe[/name_f] had to say, but I agree with you that the tone was offputting.
This is definitely not a parenting book, but it does talk about reading aloud if you’re a parent:
The [name_u]Read[/name_u]-Aloud Handbook. I know, not very helpful, but it’s the best I’ve got. 