'Babies for Beginners

Age range: 0+ yrs

The book is a great starting point for new, anxious, first time parents about to embark on ''the first'' outing/nappy change etc. It's easy to read, is written with a sense of humour and takes the fear out of getting it all wrong...which if you're like me you do anyway!

I particularly liked the Pros & Cons tables eg whether to bottle or breast feed. The book gives a no nonsense, non-judgemental presentation of the facts to help you make up your own mind if you haven't already

It would also be good to read in the later weeks of pregnancy in the hope that some of the info sticks. As a first time Mum you might find that drinking a hot cup of tea seems like a major achievement on some days, especially in the first weeks, so reading & comprehension would be out of the question.

You will want to refer to other more serious Babycare Manuals (of which there are loads on the market) for more details on specific Baby care topics which affect you, but as a starter this book is great for both Mums & Dads.

Mandy Ackland

www.amazon.co.uk

How to survive the Terrible Twos: Diary of a mother under seige

Age range: Adult

The title of this book was so promising that even my knight-obsessed six-year-old picked it up with interest: How to survive the Terrible Twos: Diary of a mother under siege (White Ladder Press, £7.99). Being at the coalface at the moment, struggling with the whims and obsessions of identical twin boy two-year-olds (and how I got through those years with my older two children a dim and distant memory) I was optimistic about the book’s usefulness myself.

But the relatively novel format didn’t seem to me to produce a very effective parenting manual. It takes the form of an actual diary interspersed with (usually) bulletpointed inserts summarising what you might really need to know, for example about eating, sleeping, tantrums, or finding a playgroup. In the diary sections, the author, Caroline Dunford, talks a lot about the difficulty of getting her work as a freelance writer done without any childcare. The “Emperor”, as she refers to her son on account of his goal “to bend the known universe to his will,” apparently plays alone in his room for ten minutes at a time before coming to disturb her with a succession of cunning ploys. The book suffers from these interruptions. The material at times seems undigested. There are bafflingly contradictory recommendations such as to read toddlers short, simple books because of their short attention spans, but, hey! why not take them to the cinema for a full-length feature film?

If you don’t have a two-year old in the mould of the “Emperor”, you’re unlikely to find this book either particularly useful or interesting. The ideal readers of this book would be first-time parents who don’t have friends in the same position as themselves. And, of course, the “Emperor”’s grandparents.

Linda Syson - August 2005

www.amazon.co.uk

Mother's Helper

Age range: Adult

I am now over 33 weeks pregnant for the second time and already trying to schedule every detail for/after the birth. My partner told me it was way too early to think about it but I know I could deliver any day!!!! And I do not want to be rushing at the last minute, so many things to do and questions to ask yourself. Luckily I have good friends who already offered help, now is the time to think about what kind of help I would need, from whom? People always tell me I am a “control frick” maybe, probably; yes it is true but is it a bad thing? Do expecting mothers not plan ahead? I have already washed all the clothes, even bottles, the nursery is ready, and we decided on names, what else do I need to plan? HELP! With my son, with cooking, ironing, baby-sitting….

When I have been asked to use the “Mother’s help Makers” and say what I thought of it I immediately opened the box of help cards to see if some of these cards correspond to the kind of help I was looking for and yes it was. Amazingly I thought of almost of these things prior to reading the cards but did not decide on who will do what.

As per the instruction I first asked family and friends if they would agree on helping me after the birth and if yes what would they like to do. Instead of writing memos on piece of paper I am probably going to lose, these cards are very handy, and make your job easy. People also like the look of it and you can just add the dates you will need the help for later after the birth at the hospital if you’re bored!!!!! Do you think you will be?

My cards are now ready; they are in my bag and just wait for the little one. I believe this is a great idea and if you say I have done that kind of list myself and it’s no different, I would tell you that this card concept is simple, easy to use and give you more free time and less in front of your computer. If you forgot to plan ahead, then just fill in the cards it takes a few minutes and you will be worry free for a while.

Gaelle Garandel - August 2005

www.mothershelpmakers.com

"With chapter headings such as "Real mums wear dribble", "No straitjacket required" and "How do I deal with tantrums, telltales and trouble", this no-nonsense life support system for stressed mothers can't help but make you smile.

Throughout the book there are lots of handy tips for instant help such as, do your best to focus your attention on your family and not the dust lurking under the bed! I found this book to be informative, sensitive to real families and above all fun!"

Gill

www.parentalk.co.uk