Recently a friend of mine announced they were pregnant. It is their first child. As I move on in the world of parenting, their announcement made me reflect on how far I’ve come.

Baby Jack March 2007

The learning curve is so big, and it doesn’t stop curving. Sometimes I think becoming a parent is like getting on a huge loopy roller coaster ride with no end in sight.

Though I feel more comfortable in my mom skin now, I haven’t forgotten the things that brought me relief while I was acclimating in that confusing first year.

So I decided to go off the registry. Instead I wanted to give them as much comfort and guidance as possible without being overbearing. What better way then to pick some of my top 5 best infant books?

1. The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp. Nothing could get Jack to stop crying in those first six weeks, it started a few nights after he came home and escalated each night until it was going on for up to four hours. It was colic. Karp showed us skills to calm him that we would never have been able to figure out on our own. If you are reading this and are to tired and defeated too read a book, I’ve heard from other mom friends the DVD is very good.

2. The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. I liked her approach. Very gentle and loving. It encompassed lots of aspects of infant rearing. The most important thing I took away from it was the schedule. Once we had one we were both happier.

3. The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears. I’m not ready to stop shaving my arm pits or anything but this book was a welcome change from the rigid approach of some other books. I did a lot more baby carrying after reading it.

4. At some point almost all parents have to face the inevitable. You are at your wits end from lack of sleep and have no idea how to get it to stop. The methods can seem harsh but they can be extremely effective if you stick with it. I used both Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth or Solve Your Child\’s Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber.

5. First Meals by Annabel Karmel. By the time Ben was born I was not testing each food. The second child just got whatever dinner happen to have leftovers whizzed together in a food processor. But our first born prince got a lot of great meals from this book.

Stay tuned for a blog on top five toddler books. I’m still in the throws of research but definitely already have a few favorites.