Essential Books for New Moms | The Calm Mom’s Favorite Products for New Moms

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Essential Books for New Moms

Your time is in short supply these days. These are what I consider to be the “essential reads” for new moms (and dads):

Becoming a Calm Mom
An essential for all new moms!

Becoming a Calm Mom
Now available for Kindle.

Sleeping Through the Night
There are a lot of sleep books out there. As a behavioral psychologist, I endorse this one because it is based on solid research. As a mom, I can tell you that Dr. Mindell’s simple, practical guidelines work like a charm and set the foundation for excellent, lifelong sleep habits.

Touchpoints 0 – 3
There are a lot of books out there that help new moms to understand the development and behavior of their new babies. This one is easy to read and based on Dr. Brazelton’s vast experience as a pediatrician. My favorite thing about this book is that it helps moms to understand their baby from the baby’s frame of reference. This removes blame and guilt from moms when things are not going smoothly – typically the rough times are associated with a burst of development and peaceful waters are just around the corner!

Positive Discipline: The First Three Years
I am a big believer in discipline, which actually means “to teach”. One of our most important tasks as parents is to socialize our kids – to teach them how to get by in the world. The Positive Discipline series helps us with this task. This first book in the series helps new parents set the framework for good behavior from age 0 – 3 – it’s never too early to start!

And Baby Makes Three
New parents tend to spend a lot of time reading about their babies. I encourage parents to put down those books, trust their intuition, and dedicate some of their reading time to books about marriage/relationships once baby arrives. This book by renowned researcher John Gottman is an absolute must-read for all new parents.

For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage
Another marriage-related book, packed with all the latest scientific findings. Immensely readable (you might be familiar with author Tara Parker-Pope’s excellent “Well” column from the New York Times), you will surely find tidbits in this book that help you to nurture your marriage at this time of immense transition.

This Isn’t What I Expected
This book is an excellent resource for moms who are struggling with postpartum depression.

The Calm Mom’s Favorite Products for New Moms

New moms are flooded with “products” – stuff you must have for your baby, your home, yourself. Here are my picks for the products you will find most useful in that first year of motherhood.

A breast pump
If you choose to breast-feed, invest in a super pump. By doing so, you buy yourself several things. First, sleep! By pumping before bed, someone else can give your little one a nighttime feeding. Second, freedom. By being able to pump, you can go out from time to time without your baby and get some all-important “me” time. Third, comfort. Before you have a baby, you cannot imagine what it feels like to have “engorged breasts” (how awful does that sound???)! All I can say is, “ouch”. Having a pump means you can buy yourself some comfort if baby sleeps through a feeding or has a terrible cold and doesn’t eat much for a few days. Four, efficiency at work. If you go back to work and are still nursing, you will want the most efficient pump possible so treat yourself to a really good one!

A swing
Looking back on my first few months of motherhood, I would say that the swing saved my life! On my little one’s fussiest days, when nothing else would soothe her, that swing did the trick. I had tears in my eyes when I recently passed it on to a friend. I feel like I owe that swing my sanity!

Swaddle Me
I am a real believer in swaddling. Babies sleep better when they have control over their little limbs. Yet, unlike my brilliant husband, I cannot turn any piece of fabric into a perfect swaddle. The swaddle-me, which is essentially a swaddling blanket for dummies (it even has instructions printed right on the tag), really helped me get my little ones back to sleep in those wee hours of the night.

A super stroller
There are so many reasons to invest in a super stroller. Walking is a great way to get back into shape after baby. Investing in a jogging stroller also gives you the freedom to “graduate” to jogging/running once baby is a little older and once you recover from giving birth. Babies LOVE going for walks and fresh air is great for them. Unless it is freezing cold or excruciatingly hot, babies do just fine outside if they are dressed appropriately.

Tiny Love Gymini
People buy new babies tons of toys. In my experience, this is not necessary. Babies love routine, so seeing the same thing each day is just fine by them. The toy that got the most wear in our house during the first year was most definitely the Tiny Love Gymini. At first, we just plopped the babies on it for tummy time. A few weeks later, they started gazing up at the hanging toys. A while after that, they started batting at the hanging toys. They learned to roll on the Gymini. It just seemed that each week, that same toy offered something new and exciting for them. Our four year old still loves to get the “mat” out for little friends who come over. You get the sense she still feels an attachment to the little hanging animals with whom she spent so much time during her first year of life!

“Blocky-Block” and “Fish Bowl”
My kids had two favorite toys in their first year, both made by Lamaze. One is a stuffed block with all sorts of textures and sounds and things to pull. The other is a fishbowl with little fish to put in and take out. Both of these toys provided endless fun!

And finally, a toy for Mom!
The Kindle e-Reader is a great investment for new moms for so many reasons. You can take your books and newspapers with you when you wait for doctor’s appointments or when baby falls asleep in the car and you don’t want to risk the transfer inside! You can turn the page with one finger, making it easy to read while nursing. And, when the kids are older, there are some pretty good kids’ books to put on there that make packing for vacation that little bit easier. My kids love “turning the page” on the Complete Work of Curious George…the illustrations even look pretty fine on the Kindle!