Yet the thing we call "parenting" is a surprisingly new invention. In the past thirty years, the concept of parenting and the multibillion dollar industry surrounding it have transformed child care into obsessive, controlling, and goal-oriented labor intended to create a particular kind of child and therefore a particular kind of adult. In The Gardener and the Carpenter, the pioneering developmental psychologist and philosopher Alison Gopnik argues that the familiar twenty-first-century picture of parents and children is profoundly wrong--it's not just based on bad science, it's bad for kids and parents, too.Drawing on the study of human evolution and her own cutting-edge scientific research into how children learn, Gopnik shows that although caring for children is profoundly important, it is not a matter of shaping them to turn out a particular way. Children are designed to be messy and unpredictable, playful and imaginative, and to be very different both from their parents and from each other. The variability and flexibility of childhood lets them innovate, create, and survive in an unpredictable world. “Parenting" won't make children learn—but caring parents let children learn by creating a secure, loving environment.

    In the third revised edition author Karen Kerkhoff Gromada, IBCLC, offers invaluable information with an emphasis on breastfeeding and attachment-style parenting. Many concerns that parents of multiples may have are also addressed, including: What are the risks of a multiple pregnancy? What can a mother do to avoid complications? How can a mother continue meeting her babies' needs if one or more experiences an illness or needs to be hospitalized? What can a mother do to comfort two or more fussy babies? How can a mother, father, and older siblings adjust to the physical and emotional demands of caring for multiple babies? What ar the challenges of caring for toddler multiples? Gromada has worked with thousands of multilples as a La Leche League Leader for more than 30 years and is a registered nurse and lactation consultant.

    In this inspiring and enlightening book, Heather Shumaker describes her quest to nail down “the rules” to raising smart, sensitive, and self-sufficient kids. Drawing on her own experiences as the mother of two small children, as well as on the work of child psychologists, pediatricians, educators and so on, in this book Shumaker gets to the heart of the matter on a host of important questions. Hint: many of the rules aren’t what you think they are!The “rules” in this book focus on the toddler and preschool years—an important time for laying the foundation for competent and compassionate older kids and then adults. Here are a few of the rules:    • It’s OK if it’s not hurting people or property    • Bombs, guns and bad guys allowed.    • Boys can wear tutus.    • Pictures don’t have to be pretty.    • Paint off the paper!    • Sex ed starts in preschool    • Kids don’t have to say “Sorry.”    • Love your kid’s lies. IT’S OK NOT TO SHARE is an essential resource for any parent hoping to avoid PLAYDATEGATE (i.e. your child’s behavior in a social interaction with another child clearly doesn’t meet with another parent’s approval)!

    No matter what the job or how you define work, you're going to have a lot of questions. When will I go back? How should I manage that initial "I want to quit" attack? Flex-time or full-time? How can I achieve 50/50 at home with my partner? What's the best option for childcare? Is it possible to look like I slept for eight hours instead of three? And . . . why is there never a convenient space to pump? Whether you're in the final stages of pregnancy or hitting the panic button on your last day of leave, The Fifth Trimester is your one-stop shop for the honest, funny, and comforting tips, to-do lists, and take-charge strategies you'll need to embrace your new identity as a working parent and set yourself up for success. Based on interviews with 700+ candidly speaking moms in wildly varied fields and incredible expert advice, The Fifth Trimester tackles every personal and professional detail with the wit, warmth, and inspiration you need to win when you head back to work. Like What to Expect When You're Expecting and The Happiest Baby on the Block, this is an indispensable guide every new mom needs on her shelf.

    In addition to basic advice on finding and working with a doula, the authors show how a doula reduces the need for cesarean section, shortens the length of labor, decreases the pain medication required, and enhances bonding and breast feeding. The authors, world-renowned authorities on childbirth with combined experience of over 100 years working with laboring women, have made their book indispensable to every woman who wants the healthiest, safest, and most joyful possible birth experience.

    But don't worry, help is on the way. This supportive guide provides step-by-step advice for a compassionate and emotionally aware process--one that focuses on positive connection rather than relying on gimmicks, pressure, or rewards (which usually backfire).Topics include:* Signs your child is ready, and how to begin * Preparing your child emotionally * Tips for coping when away from home * Advice for handling accidents and setbacks * Practical stories and tips from parentsWritten by popular parenting expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith, creator of Gentle Parenting, this is the only book you'll need to guide your child through this developmental milestone--without trauma, drama and tears (for child and parents alike!).

    Filled with personal stories—from the decision to become a mother to the heartbreak of miscarriage and ultimately, to the joy of raising a baby and living to tell about it—Sparkly Green Earrings will make you feel like you’re sitting across the table from your best friend. A must-read for anyone who’s ever had a child or even thought about it.

    Retro Baby: Cut Back on Infant Gear, Media and Smart Toys, and Boost Your Baby’s Development with Time-Tested Activities helps caregivers understand the potential dangers of extended equipment use and overexposure to technology.Retro Baby brings 20 years of experience from an occupational therapist and mother of three into your home. Anne Zachry, Ph.D. understands that each family and baby have different needs, and she offers flexible strategies and suggestions for playtime. With “back to the basic” ideas, Dr. Zachry gives you lots of opportunities to spend one-on-one time with your baby, creating that special bond that will last a lifetime.

    This book is still the only comprehensive resource on this topic. Hilary Flower gives complete and in-depth answers to a wide range of questions related to breastfeeding during pregnancy and tandem nursing. Drawn from a great reservoir of mother wisdom, this book pools the stories of over 300 mothers from around the world. Extensive reviews of medical research and discussions with experts in the fields of nutrition, obstetrics, and anthropology have provided the author with a thorough understanding of this important topic. Each person's experience will be a one-of-a-kind adventure, full of surprises and choices. Adventures in Tandem Nursing provides an essential source of support, humor, and information for the journey. The 2nd edition has the latest research on safety and nutrition, many more mothers' stories and quotes, checklists to keep you on track, chapter summaries, online resources, and all new photos and illustrations. You will also find four additional chapters: high risk pregnancy, the nursling's needs, closely spaced babies, and "triandem" nursing.

    Once the exclusive province of the alternative lifestyle, natural parenting has gone mainstream, becoming a lucrative big business today.But those who do not subscribe to this method are often made to feel as if they are doing their children harm. Dr. Amy Tuteur understands their apprehensions. “Parenting quickly feels synonymous with guilt. And of late, there is no bigger arena for this pervasive guilt than childbirth.” As a medical professional with a long career in obstetrics and gynecology and as the mother of four children, Tuteur is no stranger to the insurmountable pressures and subsequent feelings of blame and self-condemnation that mothers experience during their children’s early years. The natural parenting movement, she contends, is not helping them raise their children better. Instead, it capitalizes on their uncertainty, manipulating parents when they are most vulnerable.In Push Back, she chronicles the movement’s history from its roots to its modern practices, incorporating her own experiences as a mother and successful OB-GYN with original research on the latest in childbirth science. She also reveals the dangerous and overtly misogynistic motives of some of its proponents—conservative men who sought to limit women’s control and autonomy. As she debunks, one by one, the guilt-inducing myths of natural birth and parenting, Dr. Tuteur empowers women to embrace the method of childbirth that is right for them, while reassuring all parents that the most important thing they can do is love and care for their children.

    Who says that babies don't come with instructions? They do now! Everything that modern parents need to know about caring for babies in the first six months, including: • Step by step guidelines for getting babies on a routine • Hour by hour schedules at a glance • Feeding instructions for breast, bottle or both! • What symptoms warrant a trip to the emergency room • How to get your baby to sleep all night so you can too! Plus, much more! Advice from two pediatric nurse moms with eight children between them has moms all over the globe hailing this as, "The absolute best baby book ever."

    Shefali Tsabary’s A Call to Conscious Parenting is that our children are born to us to create deep internal transformation within us.Our children have the power to unleash our egoic behavior unlike anyone else, triggering all of our emotional reactivity. As, through our intimate relationship with them, we are exposed to our immaturity, they become our most accurate mirror of our own lack of emotional development. In other words, by inviting us to confront who we are in our relationship with them, our children raise us to be the parents they long for us to become.Despite our best intentions to raise our children well, in our unconsciousness we pass on emotional legacies to our children that have deep and lasting repercussions. Bequeathing to them our unresolved needs, unmet expectations, and frustrated dreams, we shackle them in unconscious patterns that shut them down to their own unique being. To do justice to parenthood, a parent needs to become conscious. Only to the degree we are willing to transform our own emotional present do we succeed in positively influencing our children’s future.Dr. Tsabary asks us to set aside traditional parenting strategies that major in controlling our children and instead find true kinship with their spirits by tuning into who each child is in its own unique essence. Surrendering to the oneness of the parent-child relationship in this way lifts parenting out of the physical and into the realm of the sacred.Peppered with practical, hands-on examples from Dr. Tsabary’s real-life experiences with the countless families she has helped journey consciously together, A Call to Conscious Parenting is a manual for giving our children the opportunity to shine and dazzle with their natural state of being.

    Learn how to parent effectively while teaching your children responsibility and growing their character. Establish healthy control through easy-to-implement steps without anger, threats, nagging, or power struggles. Indexed for easy reference.

    When her daughter is born 15 weeks early, she is plunged into the strange half-light of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, where she learns the Zen of medical uncertainty and makes the surprising discovery that a worst-case scenario may just be the best thing thatOCOs ever happened to her. The absurdities of the medical system, grappling with mortality, and coming into oneOCOs own are all explored in this wryly heartfelt memoir.From the indignities of infertility treatments to managing bedrest and parenting a preemie (how does one wrangle an oxygen tank while changing a diaper?), Alexa recounts her rocky road to motherhood with a uniquely sharp, funny, yet poignant voice."

    Uniquely, Birth Skills concentrates solely on helping you, and your partner, manage the pain of childbirth - from the first contraction, throughout the labour to the actual birth itself.Written by leading obstetric physiotherapist Juju Sundin, with Sarah Murdoch providing a mother's point of view, this wonderful book tells you exactly how your body works in labour and clearly explains how you can use movement, breathing, vocalisation, visualisation and many other easy-to-follow techniques to alleviate pain.Juju and Sarah's sound advice makes Birth Skills an invaluable guide for all expectant parents.