On the Reading Docket
I’m so excited about the books I picked up at my local library (requested through inter-library loan):
- Diaper Free: I’m eager to learn all about elimination communication (although I have to confess that I just read random sentences out of the book, and the author seems very radical–think unassisted home births).
- Montessori from the Start: This book seems a little dense but also full of useful information as I try to figure out how to transfer my Montessori knowledge from 6-9 year-olds to infants.
- How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way: Even just flipping through the pictures excites me!
- Body, Soul, and Baby: I read this book during my preconception days, and I loved it. I ordered it again so I could refresh my memory about the pregnancy stuff.
I also went to a recent book sale at the public library and picked up a copy of Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman.
Of course, I really need to be reading about birth right now!
13 Comments
Anonymous
I'm curious whether you read blogs about pregnancy and motherhood, or blogs written by mothers/women who are pregnant. If so, which ones are your favorites? I noticed you have a few listed on your site (Cakies, etc.) but are there others?
saracotner
@ Anonymous: The handful of blogs listed in my links section (lower right-hand side) are the ones I read religiously, and they are all written by mothers. I pop into other blogs like:
http://spiritandseed.wordpress.com
http://attachmentmama.com/
The first one is written by an internet friend who got pregnant at the same time I did, and the second one is written by a woman I know in Austin.
I'm always on the lookout for good blogs, so definitely send recommendations my way if you have them!
Anonymous
I do have one recommendation: http://marvelouskiddo.blogspot.com. I discovered it about a year ago — a very good read! It seems like it would be up your alley.
Kelsey
I've read How to Raise an Emotionally Intelligent Child and really liked it, it has a lot of practical application tools. Thanks for the book recommendations – I've been looking for some Montessori focused books.
P.S. Is that your local library? It looks beautiful. I love libraries.
Kelsey
P.P.S. Did I already recommend the book SuperBaby by Dr. Jenn Berman to you? I was skeptical because I thought it was going to be about pushing math and reading really early but it's not at all, it's about raising a healthy, happy, curious child. I think it's worth checking out.
Randa
I love, love, LOVE Gottman! I didn't know he wrote a book on children, too – I'll definitely have to check it out.
Thanks for sharing!
DinaBear
Hi Sara, I just wanted to thank you for sharing your pregnancy experience. Although my husband and I are not planning on having children for at least a couple of years, I have learned so much invaluable information from you. I've realized how little I know and how much there is to learn about having a baby! I've started saving these books to my Amazon wishlist for when we prepare for pregnancy.
It's been so helpful and wonderful reading about your adventures in pregnancy! Your little coconut is a very lucky kid. 🙂
Heather
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all the recommendations! My husband and I are planning are trying for a baby very soon. We're actually going to talk to the doctor today. I've been wanting to know more about the Montessori method, and plan on reading the books you recommended. I also got a recommendation from a doula I contact. But now I'm feeling overwhelmed and don't know where to start. I'm not a very fast reader. Can you recommend a starting point?
Kelsey
@Heather – you should definitely take Sara's Purposeful Conception class, it's a great place to start! I highly recommend it!
Ingenue
If you haven't already read "Our Babies, Ourselves" read it! Even for folks who are pregnant, it is a fascinating account of how people from cultures all over the world raise and care for their children, as well as how culture shapes us. A MUST read!
Ingenue
ooops – edit to my previous comment… Even for folks who aren't pregnant…
saracotner
@ Anonymous: Thanks for the recommendation. I just browsed through it and the story about a woman losing her baby during a home birth was really interesting!
@ Kelsey: Yes, it's my local library! And thanks for the recommendation. I just put a hold request on it.
@ Ingenue: I just watched the documentary _Babies_ the other night. You're right that it's so fascinating to see how different cultures raise their babies!
@ DinaBear: Your kind words made my day. Thank you!
@ Heather: The e-course condenses everything I learned about conception during an eight-month period into a five-week class (and we are now enrolling for the course that starts on January 2!). If you don't enroll in the class, I would recommend checking out the list of pre-conception books I recommend in the left-hand bar of my blog. Best of luck to you!
Hanna
Good list! I read a bunch of these…
I liked Diaper Free, even though some people say the author is way out there. I think what she has to say about EC is really practical and helpful, and I just took the rest with a grain of salt.
Montessori from the Start wasn't my favorite. Yes, it's dense, but I didn't feel like I got a TON out of it (it does have some good suggestions for various developmental stages), and there were some things that I just didn't agree with.
How to Raise an Amazing Child… is a fun book. Not a lot for small infants, but babies grow really fast anyway!
And I haven't read the other two, but will add them to my list! For a little further down the road, I also enjoyed Baby-led Weaning, by Gill Rapley.
Also, if you haven't done so yet, I recommend reading about/thinking about coconut's sleep–there are lots of books out there with lots of different messages. But I think it's definitely advantageous to have an idea of your thoughts on sleep (strict schedule/training/not, any nighttime rituals, who is in charge of responding in the middle of the night, etc.) before baby arrives and you're too busy to think about it in an intentional way.
Happy Reading and good luck!!!