There is no "right" way to do things, but sometimes the number of decisions you have to take for your child might be overwhelming, and when that happens to me I like to turn towards trusted books. I thought I would share with you guys the ones that were super useful to me, and still are.
I've mentioned it before but "The Sensational Baby Sleeping Plan" by Alison Scott-Wright is my BIBLE. No kidding. When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I read it and highlighted it like there is no tomorrow. I followed everything it said and my daughter slept her full nights (that's 12hours of sleep people) at 7 weeks old. It was life saving. She also gives tons of advice on feeding (bottle or breast), reflux, intolerance etc. A must read in my opinion.
At some point, around 5 months, I was really struggling to get Victoria to nap more than 30 minutes. It used to drive me crazy. "The Natural Baby Sleep Solution" by Polly Moore uses internal sleep rhythms to dictate when your baby should nap. It worked really well on my daughter and I applied it to the second one as well with great results.
When I started the food diversification, I was at a loss as to what to make for lunch and gouter. I found this amazing book in french (maybe it exists in English) "Nourir votre bébé jour après jour". It is full of advice, weekly menus and perfect recipe to give you lots of ideas. I still use it to this day, my girls particularly enjoy the provençal chicken, the tuna sauce and the all the fruity combinations.
When my oldest turned one, for some reason she stopped eating properly. It was so frustrating making all this food and seeing it go to waste and also very worrying to see her eat so little. Although I wouldn't say it is life changing, "French kids eat everything" by Karen Le Billon helped me a lot. As I read it I kept thinking " well yes of course that's what should be done" realising at the same time I wasn't doing it. Things such as:
- eating with your children (it's easy when you have more than one child or when they are older, but with a baby I found it so hard to not have my "lunch break" on my own).
- setting the table properly every time
- making simple meals
- going back to purees for a bit
On the education side, I liked " Cool parents make happy kids" by Charlotte Ducharme, it gives useful tips to have a more laid back education, which I totally lack! (it's in French).
There you go, a few books I liked and thought you might have time to read during this trying time!
As always, feel free to ask any questions in the comments, we love to help!
x
F