Books about basic infant care

Anyone have suggestions for books on basic infant care? I babysat a lot as a teenager, but those kids were usually toddlers or older. I feel kind of unprepared. I just ordered Mothering Multiples and The Happiest Baby on the Block. Is there any other book I can't live without? I have lots of time to read while on bedrest.

 

QUOTE(Beth*J @ Nov 10 2007, 11:46 AM) [snapback]489801[/snapback]
Anyone have suggestions for books on basic infant care? I babysat a lot as a teenager, but those kids were usually toddlers or older. I feel kind of unprepared. I just ordered Mothering Multiples and The Happiest Baby on the Block. Is there any other book I can't live without? I have lots of time to read while on bedrest.



The books you mention are good, but they are not specific to infant care. I really liked Baby 411 when I had my first child. It's not twin specific, but all the basics still apply.

 

What to Expect the First Year talks a lot about caring for a newborn and beyond.

 

Another good one is Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 - - it is a book from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It isn't specifically for twins, but is very good. Of all the books I bought/received with my first child, it's the only one I find myself opening up still.

 

We referred to Baby 411 the most, although the Happiest Baby on the Block was pretty good for the early days.

 

We liked the book Twinspiration as a decent foundation for what to expect. It is easy to read, humorous, and good info. It is actually the way we found out about TS. For the best overall resource and quality of information, the series by the American Association of Pediatrics is the best we have found, although I wouldn't want to read it to pass time (unless I was needing a cure for insomnia). We got a copy when both our children were born, each hosptial sent us home with one despite being different hospitals in different states. If these are your first children, I do caution you on reading too much about the babies- this may be hard to do, but there are a couple of issues 1) some books, specifically about multiples, can be quite negatively slanted, emphasizing all the extra risks involved. You probably don't want to be soaking in all those extra worries and 2) what you read in the books, for some parents, gets internalized as how you "should" parent. This can cause a lot of anguish and limit your ability to be flexible with your children and do what is best based on your unique situation and basic instincts. I am a huge research type of person, it is inherent in my personality and profession, but this is a case where you can't always go by the book and too much information can be a hinderance - we learned this the hard way with our first. Good luck!