New parent anxiety or excitement is not a new thing but the pressure to raise your children the “right way” is hotter than ever. It is no longer as simple as feeding, loving and caring for your baby but knowing all the nutrition facts about what is in the food and how it is going to affect your sweet little bundle. It’s the pressure to choose between cry-it-out, which may result in long term emotional damage, or snuggling them so much they may end up with an overdependence on you, the parent. And of course, which car seat is best, blanket and stuffy in the crib or nothing in the crib?!
So much to think and worry about. What it comes down to is research. Think about how you want your child to grow up. Think of it this way, you have 18 years to train-up a successful adult. What do you admire about the adults you look up to? What morals and ideologies would you like to instill in them? Ask other parents and professionals.
Reading books is a fantastic place to begin, but remember to weigh what you read against what you actually want to be a reality in your home and life. Some books that have been helpful to me (but not doctrine) are the Babywise Series by Robert Bucknam (649.122 Buc), “Baby Owner’s Manual” (on order) and the “Wonder Weeks” by Hetty Vanderijt (649.122 Van). I also read “Happiest Baby on the Block” by Harvey Carp (649.122 Kar) and of course, the ever popular, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” by Heidi Murkoff (find on Libby).
As your sweet little one grows you can follow Babywise into Toddlerwise and even Childwise. I found “The 5 Love Languages of Children” by Gary D. Chapman (649.1 Cha) and “Personality Plus for Parents” by Florence Littauer (Find on Hoopla) to be excellent additional reads. Then as we entered the discipline ages I found “How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7” by Joanna Faber (306.874 Fab), “1,2,3 Magic” (on order) and “Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility” by Foster Cline (649.64 Cli) to be excellent guides in growing successful adults. We also have these options in our Spanish section at the library, “Qué puedes esperar cuando estás esperando” by Heidi Eisenberg Murkhoff (618.24 Mur SPA) and “1-2-3 magia: disciplina efectiva para niños de 2 a 12” by Thomas Phelan (649.64 Phe SPA).
Also, as many of us do I would jump online and search Google for answers. I found so many useful articles from Parents magazine that I actually subscribed to it. Lucky for you, CDPL carries it for you.
As a final note, if you are interested in reading up on baby food and nutrition, I recommend checking out “Real Baby Food: Easy, All-natural Recipes for Your Baby & Toddler” by Jenna Helwig (641.5622 Hel) and “The Big Book of Organic Baby Food: Baby Purees, Finger Foods, and Toddler Meals for Every Stage” by Stephanie Middleberg (641.562 Mid), and “American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide” by Roberta Larson Duyff (641.5 Duy).
For more guides on pregnancy and raising successful adults, stop in at the Crawfordsville District Public Library or call us for help finding these or any other helpful resources.
Megan Noggle is a library assistant in Reference and Local History at the Crawfordsville District Publci Library.
