There were two books I was very glad I read as a new mom. This year I haven't really followed either of them, but it was the concept/mindset around each that made me glad I read a few books while Lorelai was still itty bitty. I would say these were most helpful for me during the first 3 months when we were really overwhelmed and still finding our r
hythm.
Bringing Up Bebe- My favorite thing about this was learning that Parisians implement what the book calls "The Pause". It means before jumping up and cuddling baby at a whimper, you wait to see what that whimper means. At 6 weeks we were able to tell the difference between crying when she is still asleep (and therefore picking her up actually wakes her rather than letting her fall back asleep...which takes only about 20 seconds for Lorelai), crying because she is hungry, or crying because something hurts. It has a lot of suggestions for parenting through about age 6.
Bringing Up Bebe- My favorite thing about this was learning that Parisians implement what the book calls "The Pause". It means before jumping up and cuddling baby at a whimper, you wait to see what that whimper means. At 6 weeks we were able to tell the difference between crying when she is still asleep (and therefore picking her up actually wakes her rather than letting her fall back asleep...which takes only about 20 seconds for Lorelai), crying because she is hungry, or crying because something hurts. It has a lot of suggestions for parenting through about age 6.
Baby Wise- I've heard a lot about Baby Wise over the years and even nannied one summer for a family who implemented this, and I know it can be controversial. I waited to read the actual book until she was 5 weeks old, because...well who has time for that? We didn't start implementing Baby Wise principals until Week 6. First let me address the biggest issue...we never let her "cry it out" and if she is hungry, we feed her...no questions asked. I loved waiting until week 6 because it was through reading this I realized she was already naturally going to the "baby wise" schedule with her feedings and sleeping. This book helped give us some more tools to keep her knowing her nights from days, and learning about what a progressing baby schedule may look like. I loved reading this alongside Bringing Up Babe, because although each book uses different terms for things, the message is the same...babies are capable of learning at a young age and your job as a parent is to give them opportunities to learn. Such as keeping their night and day straight and learning to self soothe in order to get a good rest.
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