Can you tell I’m nesting with all of these baby-related posts? As I reviewed the baby and postpartum products I used and love, there were so many parenting resources that I wanted to share that I realized they needed their own post. When I was pregnant with Lucy, there were a handful of books that I read and online classes that I took to help prepare us for a newborn. (Now that we’re expecting again, we’re actually revisiting many of these resources to refresh our memory, specifically those for birth and the newborn stage.) Since Lucy’s arrival, there have been more books, podcasts, smartphone apps, Instagram accounts, email subscriptions, and other parenting resources that I have enjoyed learning from.
While nothing quite prepares you for a baby like having that sweet baby in your arms, readying your heart and mind for a baby is just as important (if not more so!) as obtaining the essential items you’ll need to take care of Baby. These parenting resources have boosted our confidence as parents, and Anthony and I have employed many useful tips from them throughout Lucy’s life. I hope some of them might be helpful to you (or parents you know) too!
* = Great for parents of newborns
Birth
Made for This: The Catholic Mom’s Guide to Birth (book) - You can read all about my love for this revolutionary book in this post but suffice to say that if I could recommend any birth preparation tool to moms, it would be this book. The author unpacks everything a mom needs to know about pregnancy and childbirth, from practical advice such as what foods are best to eat, which exercises help prepare you, and what the stages of labor entail, to the emotional and spiritual side of pregnancy and birth. While pouring over the pages, I found myself feeling excited for birth rather than terrified, amazed by God’s design of how it all unfolds. I wanted to participate in this miracle rather than squeeze my eyes shut and wish it away as quickly as possible. It was this book that gave me the confidence that I am indeed made for this and inspired me to give birth naturally (something I never thought I’d want).
HypnoBirthing class & HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method (book) - As wonky as the name makes it sound, this class was actually incredible. The class (and accompanying book) built upon my birth knowledge from Made For This, and taught us specifics about how to breathe differently in the different stages of labor, as well as other coping tools. This was so useful during birth, especially since Anthony had learned about them too, as he would gently coach me how to breathe or encourage me to try different helpful positions or utilize tips we had learned from class (We are currently reviewing our workbook from class to prepare for this baby’s birth!). The class also heavily focused on addressing our preconceived notions surrounding birth, specifically fear, and shifting our mindset to one of confidence and empowerment. This was huge in mentally and emotionally preparing to accomplish my goal of a natural birth. Our instructor, Ashley, was extremely engaging and knowledgable, and went above and beyond to make sure everyone in the class felt prepared—if you live in the GR area, I can’t recommend her class enough!
Sleep
Taking Cara Babies online newborn class, blog, and Instagram* - I loved Cara’s online class about newborn sleep so much that I actually did mention it in my favorite baby products post (you can add it to your registry—it makes a great gift for parents!). But even if you’re not willing to buy the class, Cara offers soooo many tips about baby sleep completely free on her blog and Instagram! Anthony and I have bought into Cara’s approach so much that we refer to her on a first name basis in our house for all baby sleep-related questions or concerns: “Well, what does Cara say?” or, “Cara recommends three hour wake windows at this age.” When we run into inevitable sleep issues with Lucy, we stalk Cara’s blog and Instagram to troubleshoot the problem—and she’s rarely let us down.
General Baby Info
Lucie’s List* (email subscription) - If you sign up for this free email subscription while expecting, they send you emails once a week throughout your pregnancy that each covers a baby topic such as “Installing Baby’s Car Seat”, “Packing Your Hospital Bag”, or “Best Baby Carriers” in which baby know-how’s are discussed, helpful tips are shared, or baby products are compared. I appreciated how thorough the product comparisons were, that some emails helped me prepare for things I hadn’t thought about (like “Baby’s Medicine Kit”), and that the information came in weekly doses, (rather than an overwhelming onslaught). (After birth, they send more occasional but still helpful and timely emails such as “Infant Sleep Weeks 2-6” or “Fun Activities for Your 1-year-old”.)
Baby Development
The Wonder Weeks* (app) - This app tells you when your baby is going through a developmental “leap”, which is based off her due date. During leaps, babies are essentially going through mental growth spurts, so the app tells you behavior to expect (usually more cranky, clingy, and crying) and what you can do to help your baby through the leap. Wonder Weeks helped us understand what Lucy was going through, be more patient when it seemed like her behavior suddenly changed, and tailor activities to what she was learning and interested in. (You do have to pay for this smartphone app, but I thought it was well-worth the $5, especially early in Lucy’s life. )
CanDo Kiddo Instagram, blog, and free email subscription - Rachel, the pediatric occupational therapist behind CanDo Kiddo, provides so many free resources related to baby motor development, starting solids, and simple, age-appropriate ways to play with your little ones. (She does have ebooks and online classes you pay for, but due to Coronavirus, she’s generously offering all products at “pay what you can pricing”!) We’ve used her free email courses on baby play and starting solids, and I love her topical saved Instagram highlights, but my favorite resource Rachel offers is her twice-a-month newsletter coordinated with your baby’s age (it includes parenting tips, recommended age-appropriate toys, motor development insight, and more). Sign up for any free email course to subscribe to the newsletter.
Psychological/Emotional Development
Elevating Child Care: A Guide to Respectful Parenting (book) and Unruffled (podcast) by Janet Lansbury - As a parent, it can be hard to find time to read all the awesome books that are out there. That’s just one of the reasons I love Janet Lansbury’s book, because it’s short, super digestible, and each chapter is a separate topic and only about three pages(!) so you can actually read a full chapter on any given topic in bed each night before falling asleep. But even if Elevating Child Care weren’t doable for even the busiest parent, I’d still highly recommend it—Lansbury’s work and insights on respectful parenting are that good. Particularly, I think she explains and breaks down a fundamental therapeutic concept for parenting—validation—as well and simply as I’ve seen anyone do. As both a family therapist and a parent, I’m obsessed! Anthony is even hooked and will gently remind me, “Janet says…” as we’re parenting Lucy. If you buy only one parenting book, this is it. (If you aren’t a book person or want more of Lansbury, check out her podcast, Unruffled, on respectful parenting. I’m also excited to read her book on toddlers, No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame.)
@raisinghumanskind (Instagram account) - This might be my favorite resource on this whole list! Ashleigh, the mom and holistic family psychologist behind the account, clearly breaks down important therapeutic concepts about respectful parenting and attachment parenting in her posts and captions. While I’m familiar with many of the concepts as a family therapist, I save almost every single one of her posts because they eloquently articulate how we can be better parents to our kids, improve our relationships with them, and why this is so important. Her posts remind me that so much of the “work” of parenting and being “good” parents often comes back to us as parents doing our own work and dealing with our own “stuff”, rather than focusing so much on our child’s behavior.
Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids (book) - Written by a man who has worked as a family consultant and counselor to help families struggling with a plethora of problems, this book teaches how keeping life simpler via our family’s routines, toys, mealtimes, activities and more leads to a happier home life. This book resonated with me personally and professionally, and offers practical tips you can implement to move toward simplicity and the effects felt by families of doing so.
@simplyonpurpose (Instagram account) and other resources - I love going through the saved Instagram highlights that Ralphie (mom of four and positive parenting educator behind the account) posts about almost every parenting topic under the sun. I might only have five minutes, but that’s enough to watch a whole saved highlight on one parenting topic, and it always leaves me feeling edified. The concepts she teaches are simple (are you sensing a theme here?) but that doesn’t mean they are easy to implement, and they help me be more intentional in my parenting. (Ralphie also hosts live workshops, which I hope to attend at some point, coaching calls, an email subscription, and a free email course.)
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby* (book) - This book, which is mostly focused on the newborn stage, is not as “therapist-y” as some of the aforementioned resources, but the underlying principles completely aid a child’s psychological and emotional development from the earliest age: babies—no matter how young—are capable of communicating with us and we can use what they’re telling us to connect with them. “Respect your baby” (i.e. treat her like a person!) is a fundamental point that Tracy Hogg, the author and “baby whisperer”, repeats throughout the book. Since we listened to her audiobook, Anthony and I enjoyed repeating this mantra in our terrible impression of the author’s thick English accent, so it served as both a needed reminder and comedic relief throughout Lucy’s newborn days.
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind (book) - (Disclaimer: I have not read this book yet.) Dr. Dan Siegel, one of the co-authors, is one of the pioneers of and experts on mindfulness, the popular mental practice and therapeutic technique of intentionally noticing your bodily sensations and thoughts without judgment. We heard about Dr. Siegel, read his work, and watched his talks again and again graduate school for marriage and family therapy. So you know I’m eager to read what he has to say about parenting children of all ages! (Anthony actually gave me this book for Mother’s Day because he found it listed as one of @raisinghumanskind’s book recommendations, so you know I’m even more excited to read it if she recommends it.)
Faith Development
Messy Family Podcast - The hosts of this podcast have 10 children and clearly are well-versed in Catholic theology, as well as parenting/child psychology—though they humbly emphasize that they are not experts in either. Anthony and I enjoy listening to their podcasts on drives or walks together, as they always inspire us with ideas for our family’s faith development and spur meaningful conversations on the topic. We have not listened to all of the episodes (there are a lot!) so we tend to scroll through and pick a topic that sounds most interesting, needed, or relevant to us—usually those that are explicitly faith-related rather than just general parenting tips (though those are helpful and speckled with faith content, too!).
Local Parish - Our local Catholic parish provides a lot of helpful resources on family/child faith development, such as how to talk to your kids about sex, morality, and more. Definitely inquire with your local parish for resources (handouts, talks, or even classes/Bible studies you can sign up for) on family faith development.
This is the one area I wish I had more resources to recommend! If you have any books, Instagram accounts, podcasts, or other resources you recommend for child faith development, please share them with me by commenting on this post or contacting me here.
Eating
See “CanDo Kiddo Instagram, blog, and free email subscription” above in the “Baby Play & Development” section. We used the free email course, “Stress-Free Solids”, when starting solids with Lucy.
ezpz BLW blog (online articles) - We mostly followed a “BLW”, or “Baby Led Weaning” approach (which really just means Baby Led Feeding, or “baby self-feeding”) for Lucy when she started solids. If you choose to go that route (versus traditional baby purées) definitely do your research beforehand. Among other online resources, these two articles were most helpful to us.
@feedinglittles (Instagram account) - If you opt for a BLW approach to starting solids, this Instagram account has tons of free and really helpful tips. Even if you don’t do BLW, their Instagram offers realistic ways to encourage healthy eating in littles and practical tips for feeding toddlers (and anyone who has a toddler knows how hard it can be!).
For tips on breastfeeding and my favorite related resources, check out the post I wrote completely dedicated to breastfeeding and postpartum
Toddler
Disclaimer: I actually have not read either of these books yet, but I just borrowed No Bad Kids from a friend and The Montessori Toddler will be my next book purchase!
The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being (book) - This book has been highly recommended by so many parents I know personally, admire from afar, or whose recommendations I generally heed. I know enough about the Montessori approach to raising littles that we have already incorporated some aspects into our lifestyle, so I can’t wait to get my hands on this book to delve in more deeply.
No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame (book) - After reading Janet Lansbury’s first book (mentioned above in “Psychological/Emotional Development”) I immediately requested the toddler edition of her writing for more parenting tips and learning about my now-toddler. Her books are so short, easy-to-read, and break concepts down so that they are easy to understand (but not always easy to implement). I have no doubt this will be a go-to toddler resource for Anthony and me.
Whew! Obviously, this is a lot. Remember that these are parenting resources I have accumulated over the course of Lucy’s life. If you’re an expectant or new parent, my recommendation would be to dip your toe into what sounds most appealing or relevant to you right now—you can always take on more later. Seeing all these resources can be overwhelming, but just know that God has given this baby to you and there is no better mom or dad for this baby than you. While these parenting resources have been so helpful to me as a mom, I also love learning about parenting (especially the psychological stuff—I am a family therapist after all!). Of course, I think all parents (and their children) would benefit from some of these truly incredible resources, but if this list overwhelms you, just trust your gut. Parenting is a lifelong journey and you learn the most by doing. So you’ll have plenty of time to consume resources, make mistakes, and try again. You’ve got this, Mama (and Dad).
Professional photos: By Haley Rose
