Baby Development

It’s a freezing winter’s night in 1954. A baby boy, a few hours old, is left by his mother, wrapped in nothing but two sheets of newspaper and hidden amongst the undergrowth by a canal bank. An hour later, a late-shift postman is walking wearily home when he hears a faint cry. He finds the newspaper parcel and discovers the newborn, white-cold and whimpering, inside. After being rushed to hospital and against all odds, the baby survives. He’s baptised by the hospital chaplain as Richard.

A groundswell of women are taking back their pregnancies and childbirth and embracing a natural way. Genevieve Howland, the woman behind the enormously popular Mama Natural blog and YouTube channel, has created an inspiring, fun, and informative guide that demystifies natural pregnancy and walks Mom through the process one week at a time.

The Happy Sleeper shows parents how to avoid and undo cumbersome sleep habits, putting their babies and little kids on track to a full night's sleep. Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright teach parents that babies have an innate capacity to self-soothe, as well as the brain machinery to sleep well. So why do many families struggle at night? Most do what works today, but don't notice when it's no longer needed tomorrow, and then push harder when it becomes a hindrance the day after that.

This second edition of Breastfeeding Made Simple is an essential guide to breastfeeding that every new and expectant mom should own - a comprehensive resource that takes the mystery out of basic breastfeeding dynamics. Understanding the seven natural laws of breastfeeding will help you avoid and overcome challenges such as low milk production, breast refusal, weaning difficulties, and every other obstacle that can keep you from enjoying breastfeeding your baby.

This is not a "cry it out" approach. Instead, you will learn how a host of factors—whether you feed your baby before or after they nap, how you comfort them when they are upset, and how you interact with them at nighttime—all contribute to your baby's sleep.

We heard it too many times: “Babies don’t come with an instruction manual.” Instead of taking the old cliché at its word, we asked, “why not?”. The famous Moms on Call series is here to help, equipping parents with trusted resources and practical guidance to navigate their child’s first four years with confidence, clarity, and better sleep.

Based on the human rest and activity cycle that occurs every hour and a half, here’s a kinder, gentler, and better way to put your baby to sleep. The result: truly restful daytime naps (which also give an infant a head start on cognitive development and emotional intelligence) and consistent nighttime sleep—as beneficial for parents as it is for the baby. In her reassuring voice, Dr. Moore explains how and why the method works for babies aged two weeks to one year, and includes lessons in sleep independence plus solutions to common problems.

Learn from Dr. Sarah Mitchell, an experienced sleep coach and member of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, how to put your baby to sleep with ease. If you are tired of the sleepless nights, the endless cycles of soothing, and the exhaustion that's taking a toll on your family, then this book is your ultimate lifeline.

This refreshingly candid resource fills a notable voice by providing real, honest, and raw insights into motherhood. With their nonjudgmental yet humorous tone, Caitlin and Chelsea provide a deep dive into all things #momlife.

We have descriptors for many periods of life, but there is a period of profound change that many women face, often in their late 20s to early 40s, that does not yet have a name. Nell Frizzell is calling this period of flux “the panic years", and it is often characterized by a preoccupation with one major question: Should I have a baby? Frizzell uses personal stories from her own experiences in the panic years to illuminate the larger social and cultural trends and gives voice to the uncertainty, confusion, and urgency that tends to characterize this time of life.

With Mindful Birthing, Nancy Bardacke, nurse-midwife and mindfulness teacher, lays out her innovative program for pregnancy, childbirth, and beyond. Drawing on groundbreaking research in neuroscience, mindfulness meditation, and mind/body medicine, Bardacke offers practices that will help you find calm and ease during this life-changing time, providing lifelong skills for healthy living and wise parenting.

An approachable guide to what to eat - as opposed to what to avoid - while pregnant and nursing, to support the mother's health and the baby's development during each stage of pregnancy. New research suggests that the foods you eat during pregnancy can have lasting effects on your baby's brain development and behavior, as well as your waistline. Drawing from the fields of medicine, nutrition, and psychology, this easy-to-follow guide gives you a clear understanding of what your body really needs and how certain foods contribute to the development of a healthy and happy baby.

Why do current medical guidelines insist that cosleeping is unsafe? What is the difference between SIDS and SUID, and are they related to cosleeping? What should parents do to make a safe sleep space for their infant? If a family chooses to cosleep, how should they respond to reproach from friends, family, or medical professionals? In Safe Infant Sleep, the world's authority on cosleeping breaks down the complicated political and social aspects of sleep safety, exposes common misconceptions, and compares current recommendations to hard science.

Dr Daniel Golshevsky (also known as Dr Golly) is a paediatrician and father of three who has spent years working with thousands of babies. Every newborn is different, but he knows that every parent can learn to understand their baby, tap into their innate parenting instincts, and thrive – not just survive – during the first four weeks! For the first time, Dr Golly's newborn expertise is available in this essential guide for new parents.

Spirited infants are the outliers—the exceptions to the “rules,” the extraordinary ones. They arrive in this world genetically wired to be alert and intense. Spirited babies put parents to the test and raising them takes special skills and patient perseverance. In this groundbreaking new book, beloved parenting expert Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, Ed.D., offers her findings in the fields of neuroscience, sleep, temperament, self-regulation, attachment, and parent-child interactions, and shares what she has learned from hands-on experiences with families.

Soon-to-be dad, congratulations on adding another member to your family—albeit a smelly and very demanding addition. (You’ll soon discover this if it's your first time around the block.) However, that’s a topic for another book. For now, we must help you help your wife while your little one is growing in her tummy.

Are you finding it hard to tell whether you’re excited or just scared pants-less? Of course you’re excited, but still, what the heck are you supposed to do now? Relax, and take a deep breath - all dads have been in your same shoes once before. Finding out that you’re going to be a dad is one of the most rewarding moments in life, but yes, it certainly comes with a lot of questions and concerns. 

Generations of parents have relied on the influential bestseller Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care as the most authoritative and reliable guide for child care. This timeless yet up-to-date edition has been revised and expanded by Dr. Robert Needlman, a top-notch pediatrician who shares Dr. Spock’s philosophy and has applied his research in his career. In this tenth edition, you can gain the latest information on child development from birth through adolescence.

In The Baby Loss Guide Zoe provides a supportive and practical guide to walk people through their darkest days of suffering and give them hope for the future. Through practical advice interlaced with personal stories from individuals who have been there, she explores the different types of baby loss, the major myths and assumptions around baby loss and the grieving process and tackles the big taboos such as intimacy following loss, returning to work and trying for another child.

The Gentle Sleep Book offers gentle, no-tears sleep solutions for exhausted parents of newborns to five-year-olds. A large percentage of parents find their young children's sleep - or lack of - challenging. This new audiobook from Sarah Ockwell-Smith, founder of BabyCalm, will be an indispensable guide for parents, whatever challenges they are facing with their child's sleep - from the day they bring their newborn home until their child is settled in at school.