Books
To read on the bedside table and to read aloud
13 books, by stage: for pregnancy, for the first months, for the parent you want to be and the first books for baby. For each one we say who it suits and what to know before you buy it.
You do not need all of them. One for pregnancy and one for the first months are enough to start with; the rest can wait or come borrowed from friends. Many of them are also available at the library.
For pregnancy and birth
Books to keep on your bedside table through the nine months. Do not read them cover to cover in one go: open them at the month or the question that is on your mind.
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What to Expect When You're Expecting
Heidi Murkoff
Who it suits: Anyone who wants a month-by-month reference guide for the whole pregnancy.
What is happening to you and your baby each month, the usual symptoms, the tests, and the questions people tend to ask their doctor.
Worth knowing: It is long and covers rare complications too – read straight through, it can add to your worries. Some of the advice reflects the American healthcare system.
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Expecting Better
Emily Oster
Who it suits: Anyone who wants to know what the studies say behind the rules of pregnancy.
An economist goes through the research on coffee, alcohol, forbidden foods, exercise and tests, and explains how solid the evidence really is.
Worth knowing: It does not replace a conversation with your own doctor. Some conclusions are more relaxed than the official guidance and are worth discussing, not applying directly.
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Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Ina May Gaskin
Who it suits: Anyone who is afraid of giving birth and wants to understand how it unfolds, without medical jargon.
Birth stories told by women, followed by a section on the physiology of labour and what helps it go well.
Worth knowing: The author is a midwife with a clear stance in favour of natural birth. If you have a high-risk pregnancy or a planned caesarean, take it as reassuring reading, not as a plan.
For the first months
Crying, sleeping and feeding take up almost all of your time at the start. These books are worth reading before the birth – afterwards, you will hardly have the time.
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The Happiest Baby on the Block
Harvey Karp
Who it suits: Parents who want a few practical methods for a newborn who cries a lot.
The idea of the "fourth trimester" and five soothing techniques: swaddling, the side position, white noise, swinging and sucking.
Worth knowing: The side position is only for soothing, in your arms: for sleep, baby always lies on their back. Swaddling stops as soon as baby starts to roll over.
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Cribsheet
Emily Oster
Who it suits: Anyone who feels overwhelmed by contradictory advice about the early years.
The same approach as in "Expecting Better", applied to breastfeeding, sleep, sharing a room, vaccines, screens and nursery.
Worth knowing: The data comes mostly from the US. On safe sleep, follow your paediatrician's advice, even where the book seems more flexible.
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The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
La Leche League International
Who it suits: Mums who want to breastfeed and want to know beforehand what the first weeks look like.
Latching on, the rhythm of feeds, how you know baby is getting enough milk, and the common problems: soreness, engorgement, a drop in supply.
Worth knowing: It comes from a breastfeeding support organisation, so the tone is clearly in favour. If you choose formula or mixed feeding, it is not the right book.
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Precious Little Sleep
Alexis Dubief
Who it suits: Parents who want to understand baby sleep before looking for a method.
How sleep changes over the first year, rhythms by age, regressions and several approaches, from the gentlest to the firmest, without imposing any one of them.
Worth knowing: It is written with humour and sometimes with irony towards other methods. The part on sleep training is for after the first months.
For the parent you want to be
Books without shopping lists, about your relationship with your child. You can read them at any time, but many ideas settle more easily before you are tired and sleep-deprived.
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The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read
Philippa Perry
Who it suits: Anyone who wants to think about their own childhood before becoming a parent.
A psychotherapist on how the way we were raised shapes us, on children's feelings, and on repairing the relationship after a conflict.
Worth knowing: It has no step-by-step methods or solutions to specific problems; it is more a book for reflection.
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The Whole-Brain Child
Daniel J. Siegel, Tina Payne Bryson
Who it suits: Parents who want to understand why their child reacts the way they do.
How a child's brain develops, and twelve strategies for tantrums, fears and big emotions, explained with comic strips too.
Worth knowing: It is more useful from around eighteen months to two years onwards. For the first months, set it aside for later.
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How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish
Who it suits: Anyone who wants concrete phrases and examples, not just principles.
How to acknowledge a child's feelings, how to get cooperation without threats, and how to replace punishment, with exercises and illustrated dialogues.
Worth knowing: The examples involve school-age children. It is a classic, one to put on the shelf for the years ahead.
Baby's first books
Reading aloud makes sense from the first weeks: baby does not follow the story, but listens to your voice and, from around 2–3 months, looks at simple pictures. Choose board books with rounded corners – they will end up in baby's mouth.
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle
Who it suits: From around 6 months, when baby starts to touch and flick through pages.
A caterpillar that eats more and more each day of the week, with bold colours and holes in the pages to explore with little fingers.
Worth knowing: Look for the board-book edition, not the paper-page one: paper pages will not survive a baby.
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Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Bill Martin Jr., Eric Carle
Who it suits: From the first months, for reading aloud.
Colourful animals and a phrase that repeats rhythmically from page to page – exactly what babies love to hear.
Worth knowing: The text is very short; the charm comes from the rhythm, so it works best read many times over.
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Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown
Who it suits: As part of the bedtime routine, from a few months old.
A little bunny who says "goodnight" to everything in the room. Slow rhythm, warm colours, just right for right before sleep.
Worth knowing: The illustrations are dated and rather dark; for the first months, a high-contrast black-and-white book is easier to see.
For things to buy rather than read, start with the newborn checklist and the buying guides.