Baby Books for Mamas of Tiny Tots

Some Final Thoughts from Tracy Hogg, "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer:  How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate With Your Baby":

I want to end this book with a very important reminder:  Have fun.  All the baby-whispering advice in the world is useless if you're not having a good time being a parent.  Yes, I know it can be hard, especially in the earliest months, especially when you're exhausted.   But you must always keep in mind what a special gift it is to be a parent.

Remember, too, that raising a child is a lifelong commitment--something you must take more seriously than any mission you've ever accomplished.  You are responsible for helping to guide and shape another human being, and there is no greater, higher assignment.

When the going gets particularly rough (and I guarantee that, even with an Angel baby, at times it will), try not to lose perspective.  Your child's babyhood is a wondrous age--scary, precious, and all too fleeting.  If you doubt for a moment that you'll someday look back with longing at this sweet, simple time, talk to parents of older kids who will attest:  Taking care of a baby is but a tiny blip on the radar of your life--clear, sharp, and sadly irretrievable.

My wish for you is to relish every moment, even the tough ones.  My goal is to give you not merely information or skills, but something even more important:  confidence in yourself and in your own ability to solve problems.

Yes, dear reader, you can empower yourself.  Mum or Dad, Granny or Granddad--whoever has this book in hand--these secrets are no longer mine alone.  Use them well, and enjoy the wonder of calming, connecting, and communicating with your baby.

I learned so much from reading this great book.  Every time I picked it up, usually while nursing Hannah, it seemed to have some magical tip or solution to a kiddy conundrum I was currently facing.  I highly recommend it and wish I'd read it with baby Madi.  It reminds me to BREATHE and cherish every minute of those fast fleeting baby days.  No matter how hard the going gets, it will be gone too soon.  I have to remind myself daily to be grateful, relax and enjoy it!

Other Great Reads for Momma's With New Tots:

The Happiest Baby on the Block: Harvey Karp

Baby Wise---"On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep" by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam

These were some books I read after Madi and Hannah that had bits and pieces of helpful info about nursing, baby schedules, and survival tips, No one should ever feel obligated to read a dang thing, though!  My advice would be to just survive--get sleep when you can, watch your favorite shows, or read fun fiction books that make you happy.  Sometimes baby books made me even more stressed out thinking I was doing everything wrong and it felt like homework to read them, the last thing I needed!  So a new Mama should never feel like she has to study up on anything, but a few of these really did have helpful nuggets (mixed in with some not-so-helpful info).