General Parenting And Family Books

I've come across some wonderful books on parenting. I've adopted some of the ideas in these books. In some instances, the books have changed my entire parenting style. If you have any books on parenting you'd like to share, just fill out the form below and add your favorites!

General Parenting and Family Books - A Gift For Baby

The book opens with a question. A baby is pondering what could be inside a big box she finds in the middle of the floor. The baby goes through many different guesses, but rules them all out. The ideas the baby first comes up with all involve a more conventional approach to caring for a baby. These approaches seem to take the baby away from her parents. After each guess, the baby thinks a better idea is to just be close to her parentsat all times. Her preferences show us exactly what a baby wants.

When I first read this book to my baby, who is 14 months old, the wording of the baby?s guesses had me expecting to see the Mama or Papa wearing their child. I guess I associated AP with babywearing and was expecting to see that practice highlighted inthe first few pages of the story. There were other allusions to popular AP practices as we went along, like home schooling (unschooling) and cloth diapering (it looks like the baby had on a diaper cover throughout the story) as well as artsy illustrations of co-sleeping and breastfeeding, but I somehow got stuck on babywearing. I was even a bit disappointed that I didn't see any babywearing until the last couple of pages in the book.

After thinking on it though, the practices that are included balance the book out nicely. Not everyone can wear their baby in a carrier. Those mothers that can't participatein a particular practice of AP shouldn't be made to feel like they're not good mothers.

Jan Hunt gets the point across that attachment parenting is much more than just the practices that have become associated with the lifestyle. The heart of the matter is a closeness built up between you and your child. A Gift for Baby brings out this truth in stunning clarity through pictures of snuggling and hugging.

This book is one of the most engaging general parenting and family books I have read to my children. My baby's reaction to one of these the book was pure enjoyment. It became her favorite book to read almost immediately. Her face lit up and she excitedly pointed to the pictures. There was so much for her to look at. The beautiful color illustrations kept her attention and she almost didn't want me to turn the page till she had focused on every little detail.

It took us a while to get through our first reading, but it was worth it. Her love of reading was kindled and she wanted it read over and over again. When I put her down to explore the book herself, she took great care in turning the pages and loved when she got to the part where the surprise was revealed.

My other children were instantly attracted to my baby's sounds and excited giggles. As far as general parenting and family books goes, this one is a hit! They came running over to see what all the fuss was about and were drawn in to the story as well. Jan has weaved her magic over my entire brood! That's alright, we don't mind. We all are the better for reading her delightfulbook together.

General Parenting And Family Books - Recommendation

I highly recommend A Gift for Baby as a spell-binding addition to your baby's library. Your other children will not be left out of the fun. This book is a joy for any age to read. The older children can read it to the younger children as they work on their reading skills like we do at our house. If your children are learning Spanish, they'll be able to study both English reading and Spanish at the same time!

Parents will appreciate this easy introduction to attachment parenting. The book can be a good resource for new parents who may not know what a baby wants. I guarantee you will be the hit of any baby shower with this book as the present!

Visit us at these social sites:

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

SBI!