Baby/Child Development Book Recommendations?

Hello Fellow Homebirth Mamas,

I know this isn't actually on the topic of homebirth, but I know this is a pretty active group and I'd really like your feedback if you have any.

My baby is now 9 months old and I am simply fascinated by every little thing he does and how he is changing every day (as I am sure all of you have experienced with your own babies). I have the Baby Book by Dr. Sears and enjoy reading about baby development throughout his different stages, but I crave more info!

I would really like to find a good book or two on how babies and children develop, including philosophy/psychology of parenting, science behind how children learn, and all that good stuff. There are so many books out there, and different ideas, I just don't know where to start! I figure this forum would be a good place to start since I think that most of us have a whole lot in common (natural mindset). Also, I pretty much follow the attachment style of parenting (as I think many of you do).

Thank you!

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Permalink Reply by Karen on March 30, 2010 at 9:21pm

Hi Brandi!

What a wonderful discussion to start.

My two favorite books about child development are You Are Your Child's First Teacher: What Parents Can Do With and For Their Chlldren from Birth to Age Six by Rahima Baldwin Dancy and Beyond the Rainbow Bridge : Nurturing our children from birth to seven by Barbara J. Patterson and Pamela Bradley. Both are based on a Waldorf or Rudolf Steiner approach to early childhood and I find them both useful and inspiring. The first is a more in depth book while the second gives a quicker overview of the first seven years of a child's development.

Another book that I have found very inspiring is Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne. Payne really explores how cluttered ours and our children's worlds have become and gives clear and inspiring ideas about how simplifying can enhance our child's life experience and enrich our family life.

Hope this is helpful.

I'll be curious to see what other titles people suggest.

With warm wishes,
Karen

Permalink Reply by Sara on April 15, 2010 at 9:29pm

I have a BS in Early Childhood Education. I found that the Child Development Textbooks we used for many of my classes were great sources of info. They give info on the research of Child Development, cover ALL of the different philosophies in all domains of development (cognitive, emotional/social, & physical) and usually span all of childhood.

Its funny that I came across this today...I just pulled out one of my old textbooks for a refresher on different physical milestones. Mine covers co-sleeping (and looks favorably on it), baby wearing, and even includes a positive snippet on home birth in the Pregnancy portion of the book :) Plus, texts usually cover all the different theories while specific books usually are slanted towards the theories favored by the author so a textbook offers a broader range of unbiased info. Reading a textbook for info/fun may sound weird but if you are interested in the topic its not so bad. You can get used texts from many online stores or try a local resale bookstore or a nearby college for a used book. You can read it, find theories you like then buy books specific to that topic...Any book used in a child development course will work.

Happy researching :)

Baby/Child Development Book Recommendations?

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