The Baby Book by Dr. Sears

We have several different “how to raise a baby” books and this is one of my favorites.  Dr. Sears is a pediatrician, his wife is a nurse and they have eight children (yes eight) so they have a lot of hands on experience as well as medical experience.  I find it hard sometimes to take advice from doctors who don’t have their own children- at least about non-medical things like potty training.  The book is full of practical information about all aspects of raising a baby from birth to age two.

Dr. Sears philosophy is basically that parents’ instincts are correct and should be followed.  He focuses on giving insights into what is going on developmentally and physically with your child and then encourages you to understand and use those things to get the desired behavior.  He is a strong advocate for attachment parenting, including co-sleeping and baby-wearing (slings!).  Its nice to have this perspective even when you’re reading about dealing with a fever or teething.    This is one of my favorite gifts for new parents!