A happy belated Mother's Day to all our readers! Falling on the second Sunday of May every year, Mother's Day is a day for us to honour not just our mothers and the value of maternal bonds, but the significance of parenthood as well. Indeed, although parenthood can be a profoundly fulfilling experience, both new mothers and fathers alike often face crippling anxieties and difficulties raising children. Moreover, many may feel confused and lost trying to deal with the changes of pregnancy as well.
For these new and expectant parents in need of guidance, we have compiled a curation of books that are all about helping you through parenthood. Whether you're currently expecting a baby or need help with disciplining a young toddler, this collection of insights and helpful advice is for you.
Browse by Needs:
1. Books on Pregnancy
2. Books on Child Nutrition
3. Books on Education
4. Books on Discipline
5. General Parenting Guides
Books on Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be an exciting yet stressful time for new parents, especially for mothers getting used to the changes their bodies are going through. If you're an expectant parent unsure how to cope with the pressures of expecting, these books will help to better prepare and educate you on birth and pregnancy.
From the Hips: A Comprehensive, Open-Minded, Uncensored, Totally Honest Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, and Becoming a Parent
Can't decide on the best choices to make for your baby, such as breastfeeding versus bottle feeding? Unsure of what you shouldn't eat, do or take when pregnant? Look no further than this insightful guide by Rebecca Odes and Ceridwen Morris for new mothers dealing with the stress of pregnancy.
Odes and Morris expand on the major decisions involved in preparing for a child and share tips on what mothers should and shouldn't do during pregnancy, offering judgement-free advice. The book also contains a section on managing the relationship between you and your partner during pregnancy, with strategies to minimise perfect-parent pressure.
Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy: From Doctors Who Are Parents, Too!
Looking for practical advice from qualified experts? This book by the reputable Mayo Clinic offers advice from doctors who are pregnancy experts and parents, making this an essential resource for expectant parents.
Alongside informative illustrations, doctors share their advice on issues such as how to get pregnant, meal planning, exercise, and more. The book also features a 40-week pregnancy calendar and a guide to pregnancy symptoms and decisions. Answers to any embarrassing or difficult questions new parents will have are also included, providing accurate and useful information.
The Mindful Mother: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Enjoying Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond with Mindfulness
Feeling stressed, upset or unprepared while expecting? The key to dealing with such negative feelings might then be to start practicing mindfulness, according to Naomi Chunilal.
The Mindful Mother offers an insightful guide to managing the stressful emotions that surface during pregnancy, and encourages mothers to experience their daily life as a mother with mindfulness. Incorporating mindfulness strategies and techniques based on Buddhist and Yogic principles, this book urges readers view parenthood as a spiritual journey of self-discovery, offering advice to help new mothers be more positive, as they accept and grow into their mothering role.
Books on Child Nutrition
One common way families show their love for their children can be through food, particularly in Asian cultures. Find out from experts what foods your child should be getting more or less of by checking out the following books.
Feed Your Child Right: the First Complete Nutrition Guide for Asian Parents
Are you a new parent who's not sure what foods to introduce to your baby at such a young age? Feed Your Child Right offers useful advice targeted specifically at Asian parents, helping them ensure their child is getting the right amount of nutrition in his or her diet.
This practical guide makes use of local dietary habits and customs to advise parents on meal planning for their baby's first year, with simple recipes included. The book also includes tips for mothers on breastfeeding their infants, alongside symptoms of common illnesses for parents to identify and take note of when caring for their babies.
They Are What You Feed Them: How Food Can Improve Your Child's Behaviour, Mood and Learning
If you're looking for authoritative, accurate advice when it comes to child nutrition, They Are What You Feed Them is the book for you. Written by Dr Alex Richardson, Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University and the UK's leading authority on child nutrition, this informative guide dives deep into how food affects your child's learning and mood.
Dr Richardson takes an exceedingly practical approach by suggesting simple meal plans for parents, calling out common myths about food, and also offering advice for issues other than nutrition, such as the time spent by children on TV and computer screens.
Books on Education
Properly educating your child is essential, but often proves to be a difficult task – especially for first-time parents. If you're lost and unsure on the best ways to teach and help your child learn better, consulting expert advice by picking up a book or two can help immensely.
Baby Play: 100 Fun-Filled Activities to Maximize Your Baby's Potential
Have you ever thought of how engaging your child through play could greatly help in their personal development? This guide might be a good place for you to start.
Developed by close consulting with play experts at Gymboree Play & Music, this book promotes the idea of "play with a purpose", offering ideas for play activities that can help children with their developmental skills for their first 12 months. Both informative and insightful, with a useful glossary of key terms in child development, Child Play is the best book to help your little one get a headstart in learning.
Montessori: A Modern Approach: The Classic Introduction to Montessori for Parents and Teachers
Many parents have heard of the Montessori method of learning for children, but most still remain unsure of whether such an approach would be ideal for educating their own children.
Written by trained educator and parent Paula Pork Lillard, who had years of experience teaching in public school, this book clears up any doubts and questions parents may have on the Montessori method, and offers a modern perspective. Lillard offers a good summary of the philosophy and benefits of the Montessori method, and clearly explains why it still remains one of the bests for child education in this day and age.
How Your Child Learns Best: Brain-Friendly Strategies You Can Use to Ignite Your Child's Learning and Increase School Success
Interested in knowing how to make use of your child's learning style to help him or her reach their fullest potential? Written by Judy Willis, a board-certified neurologist and teacher, this useful guide makes use of the latest brain research and best classroom practices to help your child achieve academic success.
Featuring ideas for enjoyable activities requiring nothing more than ordinary household items, this book offers innovative ways to help children, aged between three to twelve, learn more effectively while reducing their academic stress.
Books on Discipline
First-time parents often struggle with properly disciplining their children, and may find it especially difficult to have their voices be heard and commands followed. It can be particularly hard to strike that healthy balance between being fair and also firm, but not excessively strict. If that sounds like something you struggle with, read on to find out more on how to discipline your child effectively.
Boundaries with Kids : How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children
Stuck on how to set effective, fair boundaries for your kids as their parent? This guide, written by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend who also wrote the bestseller self-help book Boundaries, will offer plenty of helpful advice.
Through making use of biblically-backed principles such as respect and self-control, Boundaries With Kids offers an insightful look into how parents can define appropriate boundaries and consequences for their children, provide balance to their home and family life, and positively nurture their children with both wisdom and compassion.
No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
If you're interested in looking at a compassionate, empathetic approach to disciplining your child, No-Drama Discipline offers an insightful, informative perspective into how a child's neurological development is linked to the way their parents respond to misbehaviour.
By clarifying how to discipline is to instruct (rather than reprimand), this guide teaches parents how to calm their child down from a meltdown and turn such experiences into opportunities for growth. The book also features facts on child brain development and links them to what forms of discipline are most constructive and appropriate for all ages and stages.
General Parenting Guides
In need of an all-encompassing, informative guidebook on how to parent and nurture your child? Look no further than our collection of general parenting guidebooks that will provide useful information for any and all confused new parents.
The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting
Full of wit, humor and brutal honesty, you will find yourself unable to put down this engaging yet useful guide by bestselling author Bunmi Laditan.
Taking on the voice of an amusingly entitled child known as the titular Honest Toddler, this book offers practical advice for new parents, expanding on and explaining typical toddler behaviour via offering a unique and fresh perspective through a child's point of view. For stressed out new parents grappling with the stress of parenting their child, this book will give them a much-needed laugh along with some advice on the side.
Parenting With Love And Logic - Teaching Children Responsibility
Targeted at kids in their pre-school years and beyond, this guide aims to help parents effectively teach their children through a practical psychology-based parenting method, and encourages the creation of healthy boundaries with our children.
Offering solutions to dozens of problems such as how to manage tantrums, effectively communicate with your child, deal with cyberbullying, manage your child's screen time and more, this trusty guide of useful tips acts as the ultimate handbook for any new parent looking for an all-encompassing parenting resource.
How To Raise A Child With High EQ: A Parents Guide to Emotional Intelligence
Most parents would be aware of the concept of emotional intelligence (EQ), but do not know that studies show it may be more important to a person's success than the cognitive intelligence measured by IQ.
In this practical and useful guide, Dr Shapiro outlines the importance of having your child develop high EQ to overcome the emotional stress of growing up in today's times. Featuring games, checklists and practical advice and parenting techniques, this is a must-read for new parents seeking ways to be a better parent and effectively nurture their child for future success.
Planet Middle School: Surviving the Drama of the Crazy Years
Struggling to effectively parent your child during their rebellious middle school years? Parenting expert and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Kevin Leman offers candid advice and practical tips for you to be there for your child during this important phase of life.
Featuring guidance on how to help your child deal with issues such as peer pressure and mood swings, while simultaneously encouraging them to practice selflessness and gratitude, this book will help you raise your child into someone who loves home and family.
Raising Teenagers: 52 Brilliant Ideas for High-performance Parenting
If you're in need of a suitable parenting guide for raising teenagers, look no further than this book by Lynn Huggins-Cooper.
Offering tried-and-tested solutions and techniques for any parent to easily and effectively utilise, Raising teenagers offers a helpful guide for new parents to both pre-empt and deal with problems that arise when engaging with their teenage kids. Reading this book will undoubtedly help you better understand what is going on in your teenager's life and overcome just about any issue.
We hope these recommendations will prove useful in helping you through the journey of ups and downs that is parenthood. If you'd like more parenting-related guides and advice, head to our Health section and look under the sub-category Advice On Parenting.
Happy reading, and happy parenting!
