What are your top ten parenting books?

Mine are -

10. ?
9. ?
8. ?
7. The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Brown
6. The GIANT Encyclopedia of themed activities for children two to five
5. Super Baby Food by Ruth Yarow
4. Beyond the Rainbow Bridge by Barbara Patterson
3. Seven Times the Sun by Shea Darin
2. Natural Family Living edited by Peggy O'Mara
1. The Baby Book by the Sears

Please share what you love. I have a *huge* pile of books, and no idea where to start!

My top 2 are the same, but one I could not lived without is a bfing book called "so that's what they're for" - but it's not really parenting.

I'll have to think about the others.

Here's mine, I went with books beyond the traditional scope of parenting because I couldn't be the parent that I am without them, and I could hardly limit it to these 15!!:

1.Baby Book by Sears

2.Attachment Parenting by Katie Alison Granju

3.Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by LLL (I find this to be a good parenting resource for any breastfeeding mom)

4.Natural Parenting by Peggy O'Mara

5.Mittenstrings From God by (have to look up ? ) Not religious

6.Everyday Blessings -Mindful Parenting by Jon and Myla Kabat-Zin

7. Dumbing Us Down and The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto (Even if you do public school, I think these books are a must read. It gives an eye into the system, so you could be better prepared to work with or against it in your chilkd's best interests)

8.You Are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin (for any parent of a child under 6)

9. Circle Round by Starhawk, Anne Hill and Diane Baker and the CD that goes with it is beautiful!!! (For any parent wanting to raise kids with reverence to nature and the wheel of the year)

10. Celebrating the Earth Mother by (??) Similar to Circle Round at first glance, but totally goes in a different direction witht the activities so it's a must have.

11.The New The Way Things Work by David Macaulay helps me answer all those 3 year old questions!!

12.Seven Times the Sun, Sanctuaries of Childhood both by Shea Darian are great for verses and why to have rythym in your day.

13.Earthways a great craft book.

14.Natural Child by Jan Hunt (a bit repititious if you've read the others, but good.

15.History of the Untied States of America by Howard Zinn (helping me give my kids a more real history than I got)


and for web resources:
www.waldorfresources.org
for great Waldorf learning ideas
and
http://www.mainlesson.com/index.shtml
for incredible children's lit - FREE

So many books have given me inspiration from a paragraph
or cover to cover but these stand out for me

You Are Your Child's First Teacher
Your Child’s Self Esteem
Raising a Son
A couple Sears books
In Their Own Way
Teenage Liberation Handbook (more education than parenting)
Raising Emotionally Intelligent Teenagers
Everyday Blessings -Mindful Parenting
The Whole Parenting Guide

The two I keep going back to are "The Baby Whisperer" and "The Baby Whisperer for Toddlers" by Tracey Hogg. She uses such common sense and her EASY approach is what I have tried to follow with Will. I also have "Raising a Son", but have just started it. :D

You are your child's first teacher

Becoming the parent you want to be (an oldie but awesome book--written about 20 yrs ago)

Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline (non-violent communication book)

Dr. Spock's baby and child care (hey i liked it--it constantly tells you to listen to your own instincts and i needed to be told that)

Stranger in a Strange Land (okay not a parenting book but it totally changed the way i looked at the world about a decade ago and started me off on a journey that made me the person i am today--if i had never read that book i'd probably be a much more mainstream parent)

Other non-book references i use:
www.kellymom.com
http://www.naturalchild.com/
http://www.eeng.dcu.ie/~tcs/


Is there anyone else who cant stand Sear's books? I agree with the content (ap, slingin', bf'in, family bed, etc), but there's something about the way that they're written that just totally rubs me the wrong way.

And can i just say puke to tracy hogg?

Originally posted by HappyMama
And can i just say puke to tracy hogg?
Why did you feel a need to add that to your post? You may not agree with my choices, and I may not agree with everyone else's lists, but I didn't think the post was about critiquing another's favorite parenting books. :(

In no particular order:

Three In A Bed
Good Nights
The Baby Book
The Family Bed
Your Vital Child
The Continuum Concept
Attachment Parenting
How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids will Talk

And my #1 fave:

Protecting the Gift by Gavin deBecker - a MUST-READ!

Chantelle

Yes, please no disparaging remarks about other books people love. We all walk different paths and no one is better than the other, IMO.

I have heard very good things about the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers book at Mothering.Com. Many AP Mamas have said it is wonderful and different doesn't talk about CIO.

I have lots but the ones that I go back to time and time again:

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by LLL
Nighttime Parenting by Dr. Sears
Mothering Your Nursing Toddler By Bumgarner

Just to clarify my stance on tracey hogg-- She says that babies follow a natural rhythm in their days (true), but she also says that it's normal for babies to eat then play then sleep.

If you've ever nursed a baby until they're so sleepy that they look drunk you will know that she is wrong.

She is also not very supportive of breastfeeding.

I would just hate for someone to think that hogg is an ap writer, bc she is imnotsoho NOT. Here's a review of her book if anyone wants to check it out http://www.kellymom.com/reviews/review_babywhisperer.html

I'm sure that gary ezzo says some things that ap moms would agree with too, but if someone suggested him on a top ten parenting list i would sure as heck say something about it, and i wouldnt be the only one.


Redcat--i am sorry if you are offended by my opinion. If you have found things that work for you in those books, that's great. I only ask that you follow your instincts and take hogg's writing with a huge grain of salt.

and on a happier note - here's a bump for a front page listing : )

Originally posted by HappyMama
Just to clarify my stance on tracey hogg-- She says that babies follow a natural rhythm in their days (true), but she also says that it's normal for babies to eat then play then sleep.

If you've ever nursed a baby until they're so sleepy that they look drunk you will know that she is wrong.

She is also not very supportive of breastfeeding.

I would just hate for someone to think that hogg is an ap writer, bc she is imnotsoho NOT. Here's a review of her book if anyone wants to check it out http://www.kellymom.com/reviews/review_babywhisperer.html

I'm sure that gary ezzo says some things that ap moms would agree with too, but if someone suggested him on a top ten parenting list i would sure as heck say something about it, and i wouldnt be the only one.


Redcat--i am sorry if you are offended by my opinion. If you have found things that work for you in those books, that's great. I only ask that you follow your instincts and take hogg's writing with a huge grain of salt.

First of all, I wasn't offended that you didn't agree with my choices. I am not vain enough to think everyone has to agree with my lifestyle or choices, but I did think you could have used a bit more tact and clarity than "Can I just say puke to Tracy Hogg?". Second the op wasn't about "What AP Books are your favorites". It was asking about your personal favorite parenting books. If you will read my profile and my sig line, you will see that I am not into AP as far as co-sleeping, slinging, extended bf and the like. Nothing against that lifestyle, it's just not for me. But I have been made to feel welcome here despite my more "chewy" views, so I wanted to contribute.
Have you read any of Tracy's books? Of course an AP website is not going to agree with some of her advice. But I like to form my own opinions, not just base them on a book review. I read several books while I was pregnant (foolishly thinking they would prepare me..lol) and simply liked her ideas the best. Of course I am going to follow and trust my own instincts over ANY book. I take anyones advice about parenting MY child with a grain of salt, that 's just common sense! She does advocate the eat, play, sleep, mommy time routine, but she herself says that takes awhile to really develop and to always listen to your baby's cues. I did nurse my son for 5 months and alot of times he was extremely sleepy after nursing. Does that mean I just jostled him awake and made him play because that was the routine? Nope. But as he got a little older he naturally fell into that pattern and I encouraged it. It worked for us and our family. It also lent me, as a new bewildered mom, some predictability and I was better able to pinpoint my son's needs and was able to really distinguish what his cries meant.
As far as the breastfeeding, she does take more of a "do what's best for you" stance, but certainly advocates breastfeeding. She just doesn't try to make mothers feel like failures if they can't or choose not to breastfeed. I liked that fairness and flexibilty. There were a few times I felt like throwing in the towel, but after re-reading her book I was determined to bf as long as I could. I thought it was supposed to be the most natural thing in the world and was relieved when she said that sometimes you need some help. Of course I had to have a c-section and I know that delayed my milk from coming in, but I was at my wit's end and scared my son would starve. But the last thing I would have needed at that point was someone telling me I was a big failure and not really bonding with my son IF I chose not to continue to breastfeed. I admired her fairness on that subject and the info she gave about both breastfeeding and formula. But in the end I made my own choices.
I wasn't touting her as an "AP writer" and she doesn't label herself either. Even I don't agree with every single word of her book. I like to educate myself, but I pick and choose what works for me. If someone ran out to buy her book based on my opinion, I am sure they could formulate their own opinions once they read it. Here is an excerpt from her book (sitting in front of me) that sums up her beliefs......
I believe all parents should give their babies a sense of structure and help them become independent little beings. I also began to promote what I've come to call the "whole-family" approach-little ones need to become a part of the family rather than the other way around. If everyone in the family, parents, siblings, even pets are happy, then the baby will be more content to."
She also promotes respecting your baby, talking with your baby, listening and meeting your babies needs and letting your baby know what's coming by providing a flexible routine with dependability and structure. This has worked wonders with my son, he is a happy, healthy, independant little man. Anyone that meets him comments on how happy he seems, and most of the time he is! Is it because we follow a routine that makes sense to his mommy? Is it because I read a certain book? Who really knows, but all that matters to me is his health and happiness.
I know alot of mamas here probably don't agree with everything in the Baby Whisperer, but does that mean I should just keep my mouth shut in fear of going against the grain when asked for my personal favorites? Uh...no! So that is my stance on my personal favorite parenting books, even though I wasn't expecting to have to defend my choices. :D

Cathy, that is an amazingly well worded and thought out response. It was also very respectful towards all of us and all of our differences. Thank you!

I think I will read the Baby Whisper Toddler book. "The Baby Book" took me through the first two years of Annabelle's life and then just dropped me in the twos! I have yet to find a toddler AP book : (

I loved Sagemom's list, and also want to add Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach.

Cathy,
I just wanted to take a sec to say that I apriciate your explanation of Baby Whisperer. My SIL is more of a 'chewy' type and at times we have had a strained relationship because of rigidity on both our parts. Hearing your explanation really put her view in perspective for me. I think it's great that you've found a way for yourself.

~joli~

My oddball list:

" When Love Is Not Enough" by Nancy Thomas

(I honestly would not have survived parenting my 2 foster kids without this book LOL)

"Hope for High Risk and Rage Filled Children" by Foster Cline

I have to agree with many that have already been mentioned. But here are mine in random order:

Baby Book for general purposes
The Continuum Concept
Our Babies, Ourselves (an amazing book)
Parent Effectiveness Training or PET (don't let the title turn you off, it's awesome)
Everyday Blessings
Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
Natural Child
Nonviolent Communication
The Family Bed
Raising a Daughter
Raising Your Spirited Child
Punished by Rewards (an amazing concept, addresses education too)

Some I haven't read but want to:
No-cry Sleep Solution
When the Sun Comes Up
You Are Your Child's First Teacher
Siblings Without Rivalry

Oh, Amy! I forgot all about Our Babies Ourselves!! That book changed my life when I read it, and it's never on my bookshelf, because it's always on loan to someone who's pregnant :)
Continuum Concept too... wonderfull!

bumpin' again since this is such a great set of lists!

I should just let this go, because there are some wonderful book ideas on this list and i think that i'm only contributing negative energy here and i'm not getting any kind of validation. But i'm not sure where else to put this so it goes here.

For the record i did read hogg's book and as a sleep deprived new mama her writings really skewed my view of the way that things were supposed to be. I was ready to bang my head against the wall because my perfect child did not conform to what this "expert" thought should be happening. I was contstantly second guessing myself and always thought that i was doing something wrong because my child did not eat then play then sleep. There were many things that happened in my child's early infancy that i still feel that i need to heal from now. I still feel horrendous guilt that it was the things i was doing that caused his terrible colic. I've always been opposed to cio and when my child screamed and cried all the time regardless of anything i tried to do for him and when the "expert" (hogg) that i was referring to said that i was doing everything wrong by letting him eat then sleep then eat then whatever, can you see the kind of internal conflict i experienced??? And i still say puke to hogg because whenever i think about that all i want to do is throw up because of the immense sorrow and guilt that i have.

It wasnt until my child was about 6 mos old that we got internet and i got online and realized that the way that i felt comfortable parenting even had a name or that other pple did it. I'd never heard of sears or attachment parenting until then, although i had read an article in a mainstream mag that talked about in-arms parenting that rang true to me and i had in-arms parented my child as much as possible. A sling would have made life so much easier in those early days. We had a snuggly but as anyone who's ever used one of those horrible things knows it is impossible to breastfeed in one of those things.

Anyways, like i said i still have a lot of healing to do.

I am sorry that for *you* the book was not helpful. I am sorry for your feelings of guilt and pain and how unhappy you feel to see the name even mentioned. We are parents and parents are human and we make mistakes. I have made mistakes, and I have had to let go of the pain so that I can be a good mother *today* and not go over the how I made choices in the past that today don't seem right.

I have to mother myself, and forgive myself so that I can mother my daughter and teach her to forgive.

We have two different views on the same book and both are valid. I think we can agree to hold the different views and understand that the views have been heard and validated.