Books for new parents: 12 of the best manuals to read

Have you recently become a mom or dad and don’t know the answers to your parenting questions? Some of these manuals and books for new parents with quick and practical guides could be very useful for you!

After the arrival of a baby there are days when parenting seems like a pretty daunting task. Questions and doubts are the order of the day so much so that we are often forced to ask for advice on how to deal with problems from friends, family, the pediatrician and even strangers on the Internet.
But there is another very important and easy-to-use resource that mom and dad can always read and keep at home: they are books for new parents .

Manuals and books for new parents, even if they don’t replace direct experience or the advice of doctors and professionals, are still a valid help and can give suggestions for almost all problems relating to the child. In this type of manuals you can find solutions for sleeping , for breastfeeding , advice on nutrition , on weaning , on the pacifier , on the potty , but also advice on parenting issues in general.

Books for new parents: here are the best manuals to read

New parenting books hit bookstore shelves every week, so knowing which one to buy from so many choices can be difficult. For this reason, today I offer you a very interesting selection of parenting books .

It includes guides and manuals or even exciting readings for your reading pleasure. All texts are very popular with parents and among the best sellers and will help you in your journey as parents starting from pregnancy to raising children.

1. The child in his family

The child in his family is a safe, authoritative and practical guide for parents that is easy to consult and which contains training and health education tools that are complete and updated with the latest news.

Written by professionals in the sector, this book aims to help parents achieve conscious parenting and to accompany the couple from the preconception stage to the first years of the child’s life by providing a complete tool to consult on the most diverse occasions of the child’s growth.

2. Giving birth and caring gently

Giving birth and caring gently is a revolutionary text by Sarah J. Buckley, pregnancy and childbirth expert known and appreciated all over the world. Reading this book will prepare you to understand a lot about the birth event and the first months as parents especially for those interested in dealing with childbirth in the most natural way possible. Thanks to knowledge drawn from ancient wisdom and modern medicine, you will then deepen the physiology of normal childbirth – and you will understand how much is lost when this experience is experienced as a mere medical event – but also topics such as breastfeeding and infant sleep. In short, it will be a very important tool for you to make conscious choices related to childbirth and the baby.

3. The secret language of babies

The thousand questions that a new mother asks herself every day are answered in this book by Tracy Hogg. The author of The secret language of newborns teaches how to interpret the behavior and messages of newborns by distinguishing the different types of crying and reading body movements. Through concrete examples and true stories, she helps new parents to understand their child’s needs and to reach him in her mysterious world. She thus establishing an intense relationship, transforming every little event into an occasion to get to know each other better: the first days at home, natural or bottle-feeding, the pacifier, the bath, the massage, sleep.

4. The great Italian children’s book

Il grande libro italiano dei bambini is a very useful informative text especially for those who become parents for the first time. In fact, the book contains a wide range of advice and information from authoritative sources of Italian medicine (from the “Bambin Gesù” to the “Gemelli” of Rome, from the “Gaslini” of Genoa to the University of Padua, from the “Mangiagalli” of Milan to ‘Istituto Superiore di Sanità) who will guide you during the first twelve months of your child’s life.

5. How to become an expert parent in a few days

How to become expert parents in a few days is a short, direct and perfect book that answers accurately and simply all the questions and doubts that fill the thoughts of those who become parents for the first time.
Dr. Dessì responds with the competence of her scientific training and offers with her words professional and at the same time affectionate and reassuring support for all new parents.

6. The Montessori method

For those who want to know or deepen Montessori pedagogy this book is really useful, simple and clear. The Montessori method by Charlotte Poussin is a real useful guide for learning to put the child at the center as a unique being, to learn to support and stimulate him, thus helping him to gain autonomy and self-confidence. It focuses on the first three years of a child’s life, describes the stages of development and the needs of the little one, offers practical advice and offers more than 100 activities to do at home, as well as direct testimonies from many Montessori educators.

7. Montessori method

Maria Ghiroldi’s Montessori method is a complete, well-structured and precise guide that explains how to put the Montessori method into practice to raise your child, starting from the first months up to three years. Thanks to the concrete indications contained in the book, you will discover how to apply the Montessori method in order to obtain benefits for your child aged 0 to 3 quickly and effectively and with the help of many activities.

8. Baby at no cost

Baby at zero cost is a useful book to introduce parents to the complicated world of baby products. Explain what can actually be useful to buy during pregnancy and in the first years of the child’s life, distinguishing between the real needs of mother and baby from the needs induced by advertising. The advice and suggestions suggested can be useful to avoid unnecessary expenses and surround your little one only with what can really promote his psycho-physical development and a serene and harmonious growth.

9. What if he gets addicted?

What if he gets addicted? is an enlightening book for many parents because it allows you to free yourself from false myths and false beliefs that come from past generations. Supported by recent scientific studies, the author Alessandra Bortolotti (who does not dispense infallible methods or essential truths or judgments) shows how contact and attachment with the newborn are a primary need and not a vice to be avoided.
She presents a different approach to the physiology of pregnancy and in the newborn and leaves parents a certain freedom of behaviour. In fact, she explains the needs of the body of a mother and the newborn and once they are aware of them, everyone is free to act according to their conscience.

10. I’m here with you

I’m here with you is a book to read both during pregnancy and after the birth of the baby. It allows you to immerse yourself in the fundamental concepts of mothering and offers a new look at prenatal life and birth, focusing on the importance of certain aspects and attitudes that modern Western culture has set aside in recent decades. Rich in references to scientific studies and rich in content also with references to different cultures and innate knowledge on maternal care.
More than a manual it is a therapeutic tool, dedicated to mothers and fathers, but also to birth operators, to review one’s life from the beginning, so as to change the repetitive patterns that limit it.

11. Bringing the little ones

Carrying the little ones is a recommended text for those who want to learn more about carrying babies in slings. Illustrates the history of babywearing, the habits of the various populations, explains the value of carrying babies and the various types of supports (long bands, elastic bands, meitai, baby carriers , etc.) indicating the pros and cons, the recommended age groups and shows also some positions and ligatures.
At the end of the book there are also addresses of sites and videos to learn more about the subject.

12. What to expect the first year

What to Expect First Year is a kind of “how to book” for parents and is one of the best sellers. It illustrates everything parents want to know about the physical and emotional care of the little one and accompanies mom and dad month after month to face the various stages of growth of the child. There are not many images but it contains for each period examined, a very useful “questions and answers” section to consult even when needed. Packed with information, it teaches effective strategies, practical tips, up-to-date medical advice, and so much more.