Parenting guidance

Feeling Good (the new mood therapy)

by David D Burns, MD

Every parent (in fact every person, parent or not!) will go through some period of doubt in their life. Wondering if they are doing a good job, not knowing if they've got it right. Some may even feel it's all too much and others actually end up in a (post natal) depression.

This book will help you lift your moods and make you understand why you think what you think, do what you do, and help you change your behaviour. This is not just a book for people with depression, but also for those living with people with depression.

Recommended by organisations such as Depression Alliance and Mind. If there is one book worth raving about, it's this one, personally I think it ought to be on the national curriculum, everyone should read it at least once in their life!

What mothers do – especially when it looks like nothing

by Naomi Stadlen

This book really reveals what it is that PARENTS do, not just the obvious things like changing nappies, feeding children, etc., but this is about the little things that no-one ever seems to notice. Just to name a few – and you may recognise these – 'I get nothing done all day' and 'I'm so tired I could die' or what about 'being instantly interruptible' or 'All the responsibility...' It is an eye opener as well as a confirmation of your feelings as a parent.

Personally I think the title should be What Parents do, as I think a Dad who has the main responsibility for raising children will do the same things a mother does.

It is written as a research project into what it is exactly that mothers do, hence the title. As it is written as a research project turned into a book it may at times be a tough read, the great thing is though that one can just pick a chapter that appeals and read that, instead of reading the whole book front to back.

Family related books

The Wonder Weeks: How to Turn Your Baby's Eight Great Fussy Phases into Magical Leaps Forward

by Hetty Vanderijt & Frans Plooij

We all know about how our baby grows in length and weight. We know that he/she goes through growth spurts which can go completely unnoticed for some or cause baby to be fussy for days.

These growths in length and weight get monitored at regular intervals by your Health Visitor. There is however also another kind of growth spurt, the mental kind... your child's world changes from day to day and they learn new things every time. Sometimes it just clicks and they have mastered a new concept, but before they get it they have to go through a steep learning curve and as their world changes from what they were used to, they can get pretty upset. The Wonder Weeks describes these mental leaps forward and gives an indication of roughly when they occur in your baby's early life. In the first year alone your little one will go through about eight of these major leaps and he/she can get extremely fussy around those times. This book tells you when to expect them and what you'll notice in your child as well as yourself and gives tips on what you can do to make it a bit easier for all of you.

I was amazed at how often our son was fussy for no apparent reason - no eating, waking at night even when he was already sleeping through, crying a lot, clingy, etc. Each time I reached for this book and found he was just at the age for another leap and the tips in the book really helped us deal with it.

Baby-proofing Your Marriage: How to Laugh More, Argue Less and Communicate Better as Your Family Grows

by Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O'Neill & Julia Stone

Who hasn't been there? Your baby cries in the night and you both know it, but who can hold out the longest pretending to be asleep so the other goes in to check on baby? Or even give your partner a nudge to say it's their turn as you went last time, knowing full well that there wasn't a last time? This is described as Midnight Chicken and Advanced Midnight Chicken in this book. The authors have a witty way of bringing all sorts of potential relationship destroying new parent behaviour to our attention. The great thing is that although the book is written by three women, they have taken inspiration from many men and quite successfully managed to give both sides of the story. They don't take sides for either party in the relationship, they just tell it as it is. Another good one is keeping score how many times do you list what you've done all day? How often do you throw it to your partner's head when they don't want to do something or when you want them to take the lead for a change? It's all in this book, it gives you the feeling that you're not alone and they give tips on how to change the situation.

Cooking for your family

Saving dinner: The menus, recipes, and shopping lists to bring your family back to the table

by Leanne Ely

One of the most frustrating tasks in the life of a family is to think about 'What's for Dinner?' day-in, day-out. You want to make it simple, you want to make sure it's nutritious and you don't fancy repeating the same dishes over and over again? Well, here's the answer. A fool proof recipe book with shopping lists so you can easily put your weekly menus together and shop accordingly. OK it is American, but it only takes a few minutes on Google to translate some typical American terms into plain English. Cilantro for example is Coriander. If you want to make your life even easier and you don't mind spending a few pounds, then you can get weekly menus sent to you by e-mail from Leanne Ely's website. Pay about £15 and they give you 12 months of weekly menus, but you could opt for a three-month subscription for about £5 and then use the menus to rotate throughout the year.

If you have days that you don't want to cook from scratch or simply don't have the time, then the Mega Menu Mailers (MMM) & Freezer Menus (FM) can be a real life-saver. Either a collection of 20+ delicious freezable meals (MMM) or five yummy meals (FM) to assemble ahead until you're ready to cook them. Note that these meals do NOT require cooking for hours and days on end. The freezer & mega menu mailers contain recipes and directions to preassemble your meals from fresh produce and put the chopped and measured ingredients in a resealable food bag and then freeze. When you're ready for dinner, simply defrost the meal kit, and cook!

The organic baby and toddler cookbook

by Daphne Lambert & Tanyia Maxted-Frost

If you use organic produce and want some different recipes to cook for your baby/toddler and beyond then this cookbook is very good to help you through the seasons. Tanyia Maxted-Frost also wrote The Organic Baby Book: How to Plan and Raise a Healthy Child, in which she gives more ideas about buying baby foods, baby gear, family gear, household products and recommendations for a green home. Highly recommended for organic families.

Once-a-month cooking

by Mimi Wilson & Mary Beth Lagerborg

The concept of freezer cooking has been around for years. If you are turned off by the often tasteless, fatty, full of additives ready meals that one can buy in the supermarket. This book is for you! It helps you create your own. Follow the recipes and after cooking just put it all in the freezer and you always have a quick meal to hand ready to defrost and reheat. A ready meal from scratch and you know what's gone in!

Home organisation

Sink reflections

by Marla Cilley

Some of you may already know about Fly Lady, if not, then this book is for those whose house appears to be in a perpetual state of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome), for those who want to get things done, but are always getting side tracked. Think your house is a mess? Want to improve? Then this book is for you.

Body clutter

by Marla Cilley

Now that you're taking care of your home and get de-cluttering, you'll probably find another book very helpful if you feel you may want to get rid of some excess weight or just change to a healthier lifestyle. Body Clutter helps you de-clutter your body and, if you want to, lose weight at the same time. This book is written by Marla Fly Lady Cilley together with Leanne The Dinner Diva Ely and is geared towards translating the Fly Lady de-cluttering principles for your home into useful tips to get a healthier body. You can also get weekly Body Clutter menus mailed to you.

Sidetracked home executives

by Pam Young & Peggy Jones

The inspiration for Marla Cilley to write Sink Reflections, Pam and Peggy describe how some of us are Born Organised (BO) and others are Sidetracked Home Executives (SHEs). The book tells their story and how they came to change their ways into becoming more organised with useful tips to use yourself. Whether you follow the SHE's system or Fly Lady's system, this will help you get your house & life with children organised.

“Christine's intervention changed our lives. We're now back in control and have life well and truly in perspective.”

James Le B