Act Natural: a Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting. Jennifer Traig, $33.50

From a distinctive, inimitable voice, a wickedly funny and fascinating romp through the strange and often contradictory history of Western parenting

Why do we read our kids fairy tales about homicidal stepparents? How did helicopter parenting develop if it used to be perfectly socially acceptable to abandon your children? Why do we encourage our babies to crawl if crawling won’t help them learn to walk?

These are just some of the questions that came to Jennifer Traig when — exhausted, frazzled, and at sea after the birth of her two children — she began to interrogate the traditional parenting advice she’d been conditioned to accept at face value. The result is Act Natural, hilarious and deft dissection of the history of Western parenting, written with the signature biting wit and deep insights Traig has become known for. Moving from ancient Rome to Puritan New England to the Dr. Spock craze of mid-century America, Traig cheerfully explores historic and present-day parenting techniques ranging from the misguided, to the nonsensical, to the truly horrifying. Be it childbirth, breastfeeding, or the ways in which we teach children how to sleep, walk, eat, and talk, she leaves no stone unturned in her quest for answers: Have our techniques actually evolved into something better? Or are we still just scrambling in the dark?

Attached at the Heart: Eight Proven Parenting Principles for Raising Connected and Compassionate Children. Barbara Nicholson & Lysa Parker, $24.95

Attached at the Heart offers readers practical parenting advice for the modern age. In its most basic form, attachment parenting is instinctive. And while it is understood that there is no such thing as perfect parenting, research suggests that there is a strong correlation between a heightened sense of respect, empathy, and affection in those children raised the attachment parenting way. In this book, readers will gain much needed insight into childrearing while learning to trust the intuitive knowledge of their child, ultimately building a strong foundation that will strengthen the parent-child bond.

The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two, Revised. William Sears, Martha Sears, Robert Sears & James Sears, $28.99

 An encyclopedic guide to your baby’s development and care in the first two years, this popular baby care book provides comprehensive information on virtually every aspect of infant care. THE BABY BOOK is a rich and invaluable resource that will help you and your baby grow together.

Baby Care Anywhere: a Quick Guide to Parenting On the Go. Benjamin Spitalnick & Keith Seibert, $16.99

This portable pocket guide to baby basics fits in a diaper bag or stroller pocket, making it a great interactive resource for on-the-go moms and dads. Written by two pediatricians, Baby Care Anywhere addresses 150 of the most frequent questions and concerns raised by new parents, including Jaundice, Diaper rash, Earaches, Immunizations, Sleep, Reflux, Fever, Safety, and much more.

Baby Care Basics. Jeremy Friedman & Natasha Saunders, and The Hospital for Sick Children, $19.95

Despite all the planning in the world, nothing can really prepare a soon-to-be new parent for that big step after the baby is born. All that well-intentioned information and counsel offered by family and friends is just not enough and likely confusing when the stressful days arrive.

Written by leading pediatric experts in a friendly, easy-to-understand style, Baby Care Basics offers a comprehensive guide to help parents make the right choices for that new baby. In full color, the book is engaging and user-friendly. It covers all the essential topics from a baby's birth, first few days, growth, development, breast- and formula-feeding, introducing solid food, to sleeping through the night and much, much more. Having easy and quick access to this comprehensive information is so important in getting started on parenting and establishing a routine that works for all.

Baby Day by Day, Canadian Edition. Ilona Bendefy, Editor, $40.00

The definitive visual guide to caring for your baby in the first year. Day by day, week by week, you will turn to this invaluable resource from an exceptional team — including a pediatrician, a midwife, a child psychologist, a nutritionist, and experienced parents.

Baby Play for Every Day: 365 Activities for the First Year. Susannah Steel, $22.00

Banish boredom, encourage your baby's development and have fun being a parent with this treasure trove of ideas. This irresistible book contains an inspiring, age-appropriate activity for every single day of your baby's first year, with baby games and beneficial activities for babies from newborn to 12 months. Don't buy expensive toys which are soon forgotten, use everyday objects to stimulate your baby's growing imagination. No matter your budget, there are activities ranging from indoor and outdoor, to craft and messy play, to nutrition and pampering, to memory making and music. Follow it through day-by-day or dip in and out when the mood takes you. Featuring great advice and creative ideas for mums and dads. With creative ideas and fun colours, Baby Play for Every Day is the perfect companion for parents and child carers with a new baby.

Baby Self-Feeding: Solid Food Solutions to Create Lifelong, Healthy Eating Habits. Nancy Ripton & Melanie Potock, $32.99

Picky eating is a huge stress to parents. What if you could help negate overly choosey eaters from the day you introduce food? Baby self-feeding puts your child in the driver's seat from the moment food is introduced, helping to establish a positive relationship from day one and creating a willingness to try new things!

Complete Guide to Baby-Self Feeding offers practical solutions, step-by-step ways to implement self-feeding and 25 simple recipes your baby will love! These homemade solutions and recipes avoid the excess sugar, sodium, dyes, and fillers found in commercial products while introducing babies to real food. Tips on how to transition your baby to solid food are provided, as well as information on common concerns about gagging and choking. And don't worry about dining out! Easy solutions are offered for keeping babies clean while out to eat.

Baby Signing Essentials: Early Sign Language for Every Age and Stage. Nancy Cadjan, $25.99

Start “talking” with your baby today and discover what they’re really trying to tell you. With the gift of sign language, you can communicate with your child as early as four to six months, reduce tantrums, build verbal language skills, and create a stronger bond than ever!

Using trusted American Sign Language (ASL), Baby Signing Essentials is the go-to guide for parents, caregivers, and educators looking to create effective two-way communication. Designed to grow with your baby by covering physical, emotional, mental, and linguistic development at each age, this shows you how to start signing right from your baby’s birth or later on.

Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, Updated 3rd Edition. Linda Acredolo & Susan Goodwyn, $22.95

In 1982, child development experts Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn discovered that babies can communicate with simple signs — even before they're able to talk. The result was Baby Signs. Now, with the widespread popularity of signing with hearing babies and new and exciting research findings to report, the authors have completely revised and expanded Baby Signs to create this indispensable new edition. Featuring an American Sign Language approach, as well as a set of “baby-friendly” alternatives, this comprehensive new program offers all the information any parent needs to join the hundreds of thousands of families around the world who are using Baby Signs to help their children communicate.

BabyCalm™ — a Guide for Calmer Babies & Happier Parents. Sarah Ockwell-Smith, $22.99

Since having her first child nine years ago, Sarah Ockwell-Smith has worked tirelessly to prepare parents for the birth of their child. An antenatal teacher and a doula, with a background in psychology, she founded an award-winning company BabyCalm™ with one aim in mind — to turn stressed-out new parents and crying babies into happier parents and calmer babies. This book takes a different approach to the vast array of books out there — helping new parents to enjoy their baby and to trust in their own parenting instincts, offering a refreshing alternative to prescriptive, routine-led parenting.

BabyCalm™  will help you understand your baby and yourself as a new parent. It offers plenty of ideas about calming techniques and how to encourage your baby to sleep well and will enable you to feel confident and at ease in your new role.

Baby-Led Feeding. Jenna Helwig, $24.99

What if you could skip the tiny jars and pouches of bland baby food in favor of a more natural, flavor-filled, and family-friendly transition to solid foods? Baby-led feeding (also known as baby-led weaning) is just that. Feeding your baby a variety of healthy, wholesome solid foods, rather than relying solely on purees, is thought to promote motor skills and establish lifelong healthy eating habits. Here, author and food editor at Parents magazine Jenna Helwig gives an easy-to-follow introduction to this popular new method.

With more than 100 ideas and recipes, this bright, photo-driven book includes chapters on the benefits of this approach, when and how to get started, essential safety and nutrition guidelines, frequently asked questions, basic fruit and vegetable prep, more complex finger foods, and family meals. All recipes have been reviewed by a registered dietitian and include nutrition information to ensure a healthy mealtime.

Baby-Led Weaning: the (Not-So) Revolutionary Way to Start Solids and Make a Happy Eater. Teresa Pitman, $19.95

Put down the spoon and forget the purées — baby-led weaning is the easy, natural way for your baby to start solid foods. Around 6 months, most babies are developmentally ready to self-feed. The philosophy behind baby-led weaning is to offer your baby healthy finger foods and let her determine how much or how little she wants to eat. The baby-led method has been proven to:

• Encourage healthy eating habits
• Discourage pickiness
• Help children learn to listen to their bodies
• Build confident eaters

Author Teresa Pitman, a leading parenting authority and mother of four, has put together all you need to know about the baby-led method in an informative, visually appealing package. Baby-Led Weaning features at-a-glance nutrition and food tips as well as specific chapters on special diets and allergies. Parents around the world are turning to the baby-led method, and Baby-Led Weaning is a uniquely authoritative and lively volume on this growing phenomenon.

Babymoon. Hayley Barrett, illustrated by Juna Martinez-Neal, $21.99

Inside the cozy house, a baby has arrived! The world is eager to meet the newcomer, but there will be time enough for that later. Right now, the family is on its babymoon: cocooning, connecting, learning, and muddling through each new concern. While the term “babymoon” is often used to refer to a parents’ getaway before the birth of a child, it was originally coined by midwives to describe days like these: at home with a newborn, with the world held at bay and the wonder of a new family constellation unfolding. Paired with warm and winsome illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal, Hayley Barrett’s lyrical ode to these tender first days will resonate with new families everywhere.

Baby's First Year Milestones: Promote & Celebrate Your Baby's Development with Monthly Games & Activities. Aubrey Hargis, $23.95

In twelve months, your newborn will transform into a child. To celebrate each new development, Baby’s First Year Milestones offers a practical month-by-month guide to understanding the major milestones in your child’s life. Child development expert Aubrey Hargis offers knowledgeable insight into the changes you can expect during the first year, as well as action-oriented guidance for supporting your baby during these essential periods of growth. Baby’s First Year Milestones includes:

• Clear descriptions of major developmental milestones for every month of the baby’s first year, including a checklist of all major milestones to help you track your baby’s development
• Over 150 age-appropriate activities that are specifically designed to encourage learning at each developmental stage during your baby’s first year
• Explanations and solutions for common problems that may arise during the baby’s first year, including feeding issues, sleep regressions, “stranger danger,” and more

Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: a Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years. Laura Davis & Janis Keyser, $30.00

One of our favourite books on parenting young children! Respectful, informative and inspiring, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be is full of practical insights into children and into our own journey as parents. This is a practical book that covers so much ground, you'll want to read it many times over.

The Birth Guy's Go-To Guide for New Dads: How to Support Your Partner Through Birth, Breastfeeding & Beyond. Brian Salmon & Kirsten Brunner, $24.95

A must-have baby shower gift for expectant dads! In this one-of-a-kind guide, dad, doula, and certified lactation counselor Brian Salmon and perinatal mental health and relationship expert Kirsten Brunner offer practical, modern-day survival tips for expectant dads and birth partners.

If you’re like many men, you may feel unprepared, uncomfortable, or even unwelcome in the birth room. For you, this book offers battle-tested tips to help you get in the game and prepare for one of the most incredible adventures of your life. Based on the author’s Rocking Dads childbirth course, this book will teach you everything you need to know about supporting your partner through birth, breastfeeding, and beyond. In this guide, you’ll discover pointers and advice you won’t find in any other childbirth or breastfeeding guide, including:

• Stealth communication skills that you can utilize during early labor to support mom and keep her in a positive state of mind
• How to write a birth plan that the labor and delivery nurses will actually pay attention to
• What to say and do — and what not to say and do — when mom is in active labor
• detailed account of what to expect in the delivery room as a birth partner, and how to navigate the unknown terrains when things don’t go as planned
• How to help mom with breastfeeding

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you’ll find tips for maintaining a strong relationship with your partner before, during, and after the birth so that you feel closer than ever when you launch into the wild yet wonderful world of parenthood.

The Biting Solution: the Expert’s No-Biting Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Early Childhood Educators. Lisa Poelle, $15.95

Biting doesn’t have to cause crises. With THE BITING SOLUTION you can identify why kids bite, and teach them more effective ways to express themselves and to get along with others.

Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five, Revised Edition. John Medina, $21.95

What's the single most important thing you can do during pregnancy? What does watching TV do to a child's brain? What's the best way to handle temper tantrums?

In his New York Times bestseller BRAIN RULES, Dr. John Medina showed us how our brains really work — and why we ought to redesign our workplaces and schools. Now, in BRAIN RULES FOR BABY, he shares what the latest science says about how to raise smart and happy children. BRAIN RULES FOR BABY bridges the gap between what scientists know and what parents practice. Through fascinating and funny stories, Medina, a developmental molecular biologist and dad, unravels how a child's brain develops — and what you can do to optimize it.

Calm Mama, Happy Baby: the Simple, Intuitive Way to Tame Tears, Improve Sleep, and Help Your Family Thrive. Derek O'Neill & Jennifer Waldburger, $23.95

With constant feedings, teary outbursts, and trying to help your baby sleep through the night, it's no wonder that parents of babies and young children feel overwhelmed. Drawing on their experience in nearly two decades of working with parents, Derek O'Neill and Jennifer Waldburger give parents practical tools for choosing calm over stress no matter what is happening with their child. For anyone who's ever said, "I wish my baby came with instructions," Calm Mama, Happy Baby offers a step-by-step approach for helping you parent intuitively, with confidence. 

Caring for Your Baby and Young Child Birth to Age 5, 6th Edition. Steven Shelov (ed), $32.00

All parents want to provide the very best care for their children. This essential resource from the most respected organization on child health is the one guide pediatricians routinely recommend and parents can safely trust, covering everything from preparing for childbirth to toilet training to nurturing your child’s self-esteem. Whether it’s resolving common childhood health problems or detailed instructions for coping with emergency medical situations, this new and revised edition of Caring for Your Baby and Young Child has everything you need.

Cat and Nat's Mom Truths: Embarrassing Stories and Brutally Honest Advice on the Extremely Real Struggle of Motherhood. Catherine Belknap & Natalie Telfer, $24.95

Best friends Cat and Nat created a massive online community of moms by sharing their ultra-real and just a bit R-rated dispatches from the mom trenches. From what not to eat a few days postpartum (chicken wings) to the most effective ways to dodge post-partum sex, Cat & Nat's Mom Truths shares everything no one will tell you about having kids. Mixing memoir, humor, and advice, Cat and Nat tell never-before-told stories about the stress, guilt, joy, and laundry (oh the laundry!) of being a mom in their first book. With seven kids between them and millions of fans on social media, they get real about the parts of parenting that somehow don't make the Instagram feed. Sharing their outrageous humor, fearless myth-busting, and genuine comfort on every page, they walk you from pregnancy to the toddler years and beyond.

Fearless crusaders against the perfection myth and all the gluten-free, sugar-free baking it entails, Cat and Nat assure you that you're already doing a great job, making this an essential companion for moms everywhere.

The Confident Parent: a Pediatrician's Guide to Caring for Your Little One — Without Losing Your Joy, Your Mind, or Yourself. Jane Scott & Stephanie Land, $22.00

Informed by a unique global perspective, The Confident Parent shows readers how to be not just better caregivers but happier and more balanced human beings. The book covers the basics of baby and child-care from breastfeeding and sleep training to managing temper tantrums, offering a fresh perspective that’s both commonsense and liberating.

This upbeat and empowering guide shows how small changes can yield big results — helping both parents and kids feel more secure, confident, and connected.

Creating a Beautiful Mess: Ten Essential Play Experiences for a Joyous Childhood. Ann Gadzikowski, $21.95

When children play, it can often create a mess, but what a beautiful mess it is! Creating a Beautiful Mess provides adults with the ten most important play experiences children need and show how they represent a balance that support learning, provide physical activity, encourage creative expression, and promote social and family connections. These broad categories, include building with blocks, pretending and make believe, running around like crazy, playing turn-taking games, finding and collecting things, and more. This is a book that can be enjoyed by early childhood professionals and families alike.

The Discontented Little Baby Book: All You Need to Know about Feeds, Sleep, and Crying. Pamela Douglas, $29.95

The first months after a baby’s arrival can be exhausting, and attempts at quick fixes are often part of the problem. But a number of obstacles are accidentally put in the way of a healthy night’s sleep, and much can be done to help your baby cry less.

The Discontented Little Baby Book gives you practical and evidence-based strategies for helping you and your baby get more in sync. Dr. Pamela Douglas offers a path that protects your baby’s brain development so that he or she can reach his or her full potential. She also offers simple strategies to help you enjoy your baby and live with vitality when faced with the challenges of this extraordinary time. With real-life stories, advice on dealing with feelings of anxiety and depression, and answers to your questions about reflux and allergies, The Discontented Little Baby Book is a compassionate revolution in baby care. 

The Emotional Life of the Toddler, Revised Edition. Alicia Lieberman. $25.00

Now updated with new material throughout, Alicia Lieberman’s The Emotional Life of the Toddler is the seminal, detailed look into the varied and intense emotional life of children aged one to three. Hailed as “groundbreaking” by The Boston Globe after its initial publication, the new edition includes the latest research on this crucial stage of development.

Anyone who has followed an active toddler around for a day knows that a child of this age is a whirlwind of explosive, contradictory, and ever-changing emotions. Alicia Lieberman offers an in-depth examination of toddlers’ emotional development, and illuminates how to optimize this crucial stage so that toddlers can develop into emotionally healthy children and adults. Drawing on her lifelong research, Dr. Lieberman addresses commonly asked questions and issues. Why, for example, is “no” often the favorite response of the toddler? How should parents deal with the anger they might feel when their toddler is being aggressively stubborn? Why does a crying toddler run to his mother for a hug only to push himself vigorously away as soon as she begins to embrace him? This updated edition also addresses twenty-first century concerns such as how to handle screen time on devices and parenting in a post-internet world.

With the help of numerous examples and vivid cases, Lieberman answers these and other questions, providing, in the process, a rich, insightful profile of the roller coaster emotional world of the toddler.

Feed the Baby Hummus: Pediatrician-Backed Secrets from Cultures Around the World. Lisa Lewis, $27.99

Parenting practices vary widely between countries and cultures. For example, in countries such as the Philippines, breastfeeding after age one year is common, and parents can make their own decision about what is right for their family. In Korea, babies eat a variety of spices and flavors, helping them develop a diverse palate and healthy eating habits.  And in Italy, parents prevent separation anxiety by taking their babies to markets, restaurants, and churches and passing them around from person to person.

Feed the Baby Hummus teaches parents to confidently incorporate various multicultural practices into their own caretaking plan. Pediatrician Lisa Lewis offers the wisdom and proven caretaking practices of the cultures of the world, drawn from her own training, research, travel, and clinical experience. Although certain standards of care must exist for babies to thrive and be happy, Feed the Baby Hummus offers a variety of cross-cultural parenting information and baby care guidance from a trusted source.

The First 1000 Days: a Baby Journal. Nikki McClure, $15.95

This simple, beautiful journal is place to record your baby’s firsts, your discoveries about your child, and your wishes and dreams for the future.

First-Time Father: the Essential Guide for the New Dad. Graeme Russell & Tony White, $27.95

For many men, the birth of their first child is a truly life-changing event. In this revised edition of First-Time Father, the authors address the most common questions or curiosities that they find new fathers have:

• What impact do fathers have? How important am I?
• What is best for my child? — How do I decide what I want for my child? What are his or her needs, and how can I make sure I meet these?
• How can I connect with my newborn, and stay connected with her as she grows? – What are my opportunities to be actively involved, to be part of my child’s life from the beginning, to share the joys and challenges as they grow — to be a positive influence in her life? How can I build a strong relationship with my child?
• What about my partner, how can we work together? How can we work as a team?
• How can I include my child in my life? Are there benefits in integrating the needs of my child into all aspects of my life? How can I achieve a satisfying balance between my work and my new family responsibilities?

Good Dog, Happy Baby: Preparing Your Dog for the Arrival of Your Child. Michael Wombacher, $28.50

For years dog trainer Michael Wombacher has worked with expecting dog owners to prevent problems between dogs and children. He has also unfortunately witnessed too many families forced to surrender their beloved family companions because they failed to prepare the dog for the arrival of a new family member. In Good Dog, Happy Baby, Wombacher lays out a twelve-step process that will give families the skills they need to navigate this new era of their lives. These skills include how to evaluate dogs, resolve common behavior problems, and fully prepare dogs for a new baby. This easy-to-use guide, filled with photos and simple instructions, makes a great gift for any expecting family with a dog, whether the dog is perfectly trained or in serious need of behavioral help.

Goodnight Nanny-Cam: a Parody for Modern Parents. Jen Nessel & Lizzy Ratner, Illustrated by Sara Pinto, $16.00

An insightful, funny look at modern parenting, told in the style of the iconic book Goodnight Moon.

The Happiest Baby on the Block: the New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Sleep Longer, 2nd Edition. Harvey Karp, Book $23.00; DVD $30.98 (72 minutes)

Do you learn better by watching rather than reading? Here is a chance to see how to transport your baby from screaming into serenity... in minutes. Watch as, step-by-step, Dr. Karp teaches new parents how to switch on their baby's powerful calming reflex.

The Happiest Baby on the Block Super-Soothing Sleep Sounds CD. Harvey Karp, $15.95

This CD has 6 specially engineered sound tracks that calm fussy babies fast and encourages restful sleep. You'll be amazed how well it soothes. It even protects sleep during teething, colds and trips away from home. The tracks on the CD can be repeated for hours, to help your baby settle into a deep level of relaxation.

The Happiest Toddler on the Block, Revised Edition. Harvey Karp, $23.00

The new way to stop the daily battle of wills and raise a secure and well-behaved one- to four-year-old. Dr. Karp reveals that toddlers should be thought of not as pint-size people but as pint-size... cavemen. Learn to speak to them in their own "primitive language" to soothe stormy outbursts.

How to Build Your Baby's Brain: a Parent's Guide to Using New Gene Science to Raise a Smart, Secure, and Successful Child. Gail Gross, $36.99

The truth is, nature and nurture are in a delicate dance — if one goes too fast, the other one falls. Science tells us that early childhood experiences have the capacity to structure and alter the brain. That means you didn’t just supply your child’s DNA — you’re still shaping it. And it’s only by wielding this power that your child will activate their full potential. You are truly a gene therapist; manipulating and guiding your child’s genetic makeup based on the experiences you create for them.

Great parenting comes down to one mission: to be prepped and present for the windows of your child’s development so that you can take full advantage of them and help your child become a smart, successful, self-sufficient adult. It doesn’t require formal training or a fancy degree — all it takes is getting involved. Once parents learn how to flip the right gene “switches,” they can expand the limits of their child’s potential and lay the emotional and intellectual groundwork that allows them to seize opportunities for success fearlessly, naturally, and enthusiastically.

Dr. Gross combines an understanding of childhood development with practical and realistic tools to teach parents how to best take advantage of their child’s developmental windows. How to Build Your Baby's Brain translates the results from scientific studies about expanding consciousness and performance into day-to-day interaction between parents and children.

How to Parent Your Anxious Toddler. Natasha Daniels, $25.95

Why does your toddler get upset when his or her routine is disrupted? Why do they follow you from room to room and refuse to play on their own? Why are daily routines such as mealtimes, bath time, and bed time such a struggle? 

This accessible guide demystifies the difficult behaviors of anxious toddlers, offering tried-and-tested practical solutions to common parenting dilemmas. Each chapter begins with a real life example, clearly illustrating the behavior from the parent's and the toddler's perspective. Once the toddler's anxious behavior has been demystified and explained, new and effective parenting approaches are introduced to help parents tackle everyday difficulties and build up their child's resilience, independence, and coping mechanisms. Common difficulties with bath time, toileting, sleep, eating, transitions, social anxiety, separation anxiety, and sensory issues are solved, along with specific fears and phobias, and more extreme behaviors such as skin picking and hair pulling. 

How Toddlers Thrive: What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success. Tovah Klein, $22.99

New research indicates that the seeds for adult success are actually planted in the toddler years, ages two to five. New science reveals that drivers such as resilience, self-reliance, self-regulation, and empathy are more critical to success than simple intelligence. Dr. Klein explains what you can do today to instill these key qualities in your toddler during this crucial time, so they are on track and ready to learn when they enter school at age five.

HOW TODDLERS THRIVE explains why the toddler years are different from any other period during childhood, what is happening in children’s brains and bodies at this age that makes their behavior so turbulent, and why your reaction to their behavior — the way you speak to, speak about, and act toward your toddler — holds the key to a successful tomorrow and a happier today. This provocative new book will inspire you to be a better parent and give you the tools to stop fighting with your child and start enjoying every minute of your time with them... while planting the seeds of happiness and success that will last a lifetime.

I Wished for You: a Keepsake Adoption Journal. Carrie Kipp Howard, $23.99

Cherish every step. Remember every chapter. Love every moment. Celebrate your unique adoption story with this gently guided journal designed with adoptive parents in mind.

• Open-ended and playful prompts — perfect for any age or experience
• Lots of spots for notes, photographs, announcements, and other mementos
• Beautiful, simple design to make your own

Every child, every family’s story is unique... and now every story can be told. This beautifully designed keepsake journal captures all of the emotions, history, hopes, dreams, and surprises that each adoption journey entails through guided prompts that encourage parents to enjoy and reflect on their own experience. Created specifically for adoptive parents, I Wished for You celebrates each unique adoption story, where every milestone is remembered, every moment is cherished, and every child is wished for.

Infant Massage: a Handbook for Loving Parents. Vimala Schneider McClure, $24.00

In this completely updated version of her renowned classic, Vimala McClure, founder of the International Association of Infant Massage, and its premier proponent in the United States, helps you master the techniques of infant massage so you can incorporate this joyful and wonderful healing art into your baby’s life. She shows you why a daily massage can be one of the greatest gifts you give your child... and yourself.  For generations, mothers the world over have known that the soft stroke of their hands soothes, calms, and communicates their love to their babies. Now scientific research proves that massage can do all that and more.

In Infant Massage, McClure shares how massage benefits children — easing discomfort, releasing tension, helping premature infants gain weight, even helping asthmatic children improve breathing function.  She explains each step of the massage process with simple easy-to-follow instructions and delightful photographs demonstrating each stroke. You’ll also find:

• Specific routines tailored to help relieve colic, fever, chest and nasal congestion
• Modified instructions for premature infants and babies with special needs
• Helpful hints on dealing with crying and fussing
• Lullabies, rhymes, and games to enhance the massage experience
• Guidance for teaching children about "good touch"
• A special chapter dedicated to fathers
• Compassionate advice for foster and adoptive parents

The Informed Parent: a Science-Based Resource for Your Child's First Four Years. Tara Haelle & Emily Willingham, $27.00

The latest scientific research on pregnancy, home birth, toilet training, breastfeeding, sleep training, vaccines, and other key topics — to help parents make their own best-informed decisions.

In the era of questionable Internet “facts” and parental over-sharing, it’s more important than ever to find credible information on everything from prenatal vitamins to screen time. Credible scientific studies are out there — and they’re “bottom-lined” in this book. The ultimate resource for today’s science-minded generation, The Informed Parent was written for readers who prefer facts to “friendly advice,” and who prefer to make up their own minds, based on the latest findings as well as their own personal preferences. Science writers and parents themselves, authors Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham have sifted through thousands of research studies on dozens of essential topics, and distill them in this essential and engaging book.

The Lesbian Parenting Book: a Guide to Creating Families and Raising Children, Second Edition. D. Merilee Clunis and G. Dorsey Green, $28.99

The Lesbian Parenting Book has been updated to reflect the contemporary cultural and political landscape, as well as current trends in parenting. This practical and extensive guide covers topics from how to get pregnant to coping with today's teens.

The Montessori Toddler: a Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being. Simone Davies, $27.95

Turn your home into a Montessori home — and become a more mindful, attentive, and easygoing parent.

It’s time to change the way we see toddlers. Using the principles developed by the educator Dr. Maria Montessori, Simone Davies shows how to turn life with a “terrible two” into a mutually rich and rewarding time of curiosity, learning, respect, and discovery. With hundreds of practical ideas for every aspect of living with a toddler, here are five principles for feeding your child’s natural curiosity, from “Trust in the child” to “Fostering a sense of wonder.” Step-by-step ways to cultivate daily routines with ease, like brushing teeth, toilet-training, dealing with siblings, losing the pacifier. Plus learn how to:

• Stay composed when your toddler is not and set limits with love and respect — without resorting to bribes or punishment
• Set up your home and get rid of the chaos
• Create Montessori activities that are just right for your one-to-three-year-old
• Raise an inquisitive learner who loves exploring the world around them
• See the world through your toddler’s eyes and be surprised and delighted by their perspective
• Be your child’s guide — and truly celebrate every stage

The Mother of All Baby Books: an All-Canadian Guide to Your Baby’s First Year, 3rd Edition. Ann Douglas, $19.99 

This is the instruction manual that Mother Nature forgot to include with the new arrival—a hands-on guide to coping with the joys and challenges of caring for your new baby, featuring a non-bossy, fresh and fun approach. The Mother of All Baby Books includes a directory of Canadian organizations for new parents and a list of Internet resources of interest to Canadian parents, as well as immunization schedules, baby growth charts and more. Based on the best advice from over 150 Canadian parents and a panel of experts, The Mother of All Baby Books 3rd Edition is the ultimate guide to bringing up Baby in the Great White North.

The Mother of All Toddler Books: the All-Canadian Guide to Your Child's Second and Third Years. Ann Douglas, $19.99

For over two decades, Canadians have counted on Ann Douglas for her reassuring, proven, and never-bossy advice. Featuring the latest recommendations from Canadian health authorities and the best tips from more than 100 Canadian parents, The Mother of All Toddler Books is an indispensable resource for helping you and your toddler thrive. Inside, you’ll find:

• parenting strategies that nurture and grow your relationship with your toddler
• parent-tested advice on coping with temper tantrums, biting, and other discipline challenges
• key developmental milestones for the toddler years, with safety checklists to help you toddler-proof your home
• the secret to serving up nutritious, toddler-pleasing meals plus understanding vitamin supplements, food allergies, and food intolerances
• tried-and-true methods for making the transition from crib to bed easier, plus managing naps and other sleep difficulties
• parent-to-parent dos and don’ts to make potty training simpler and less stressful
• practical answers to managing fevers, ear infections, and other health questions that can have you hitting the panic button (and/or Google!) at 3 a.m.

Mother Matters: a Holistic Guide to Being a Happy, Healthy Mom. Dayna Kurtz, $24.99

Millions of mothers are born each year. From the moment a baby is born, the world seems to focus on childcare, but what about mothercare? Enter Dayna Kurtz, the brains behind Huffington Post's Mother Matters blog. From postpartum depression and "baby blues" to healing meals and postnatal exercise, Kurtz guides new and veteran mothers alike through the best practices to care for themselves during their first year of motherhood. Her unique approach also includes less common methods like acupressure, expressive arts therapy, and more to help mothers boost their mental health and reclaim their identity. Backed by irrefutable research and personal anecdotes, Mother Matters is the guide every mother needs to not only survive but thrive!

Newborn 101: Secrets from Expert Nurses on Preparing and Caring for Your Baby at Home. Carole Kramer Arsenaults, $23.95

Ever wish you could have a baby nurse at home to answer your most urgent questions around the clock? Now you can! Carole Kramer Arsenault has spent the last two decades helping parents through pregnancy, labor, and all of their new responsibilities once baby comes home — both as a long-time pediatric nurse, and as the founder of the most highly regarded baby-care service in New England. From the first trimester to the “fourth” (baby’s crucial first three months), Arsenault and her team of professional nurses have seen it all. Now, they share their expert advice on:

• Preparing your home, including safety tips and must-have supplies
• Easing through labor, whether at home or in a hospital
• Breastfeeding how-tos, flexible feeding schedules, and common concerns
• Baby’s essential first days and weeks, and the milestones in between
• Welcoming multiples and caring for preterm babies
• Techniques for soothing baby to sleep
• Postpartum self-care and getting back to your routine

97 Ways to Make a Baby Laugh. Jack Moore, $13.95

Chortle. Giggle. Titter and guffaw. And smile, smile, smile. The happiest of books is back, in full, glorious, happy color. It’s the perfect shower gift. Essential for grandparents. The most cheerful book in the parenting section. These 97 games, sight gags, parlor tricks, and practical jokes require no special talent, use just the simplest household items as props, and actually work. Babies will be entertained — and adult readers will rediscover the joy of surrendering to sheer silliness. Get baby giggling with the Exaggerated Sneeze “ah-ah-ah-ah-CHOO!” The Live Jack-in-the-Box (Dad goes in large cardboard box, family sings “Pop Goes the Weasel,” and Dad jumps out at the last line). Three-Card Monte for Babies, using plastic cups and a lemon. Plus the top ten peek-a-boo variations, Yodeling in the Canyon, the Disappearing Noodle, Baby Channel Surfing, and oldies-but-goodies including Baby’s Stinky Feet. It’s the joy of letting loose and laughing with your baby.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Newborns: Amazing Sleep from Day One for Baby and You. Elizabeth Pantley, $22.95

In the womb, babies sleep up to 20 hours a day. Clearly newborns don't need to be "trained" how to sleep - they know how, and they've had plenty of practice. So why do most parents have trouble getting their newborns to sleep?

This guide explains the ways parents unintentionally prevent an infant's natural sleep to occur, and teaches simple but powerful ways to improve the quality of sleep that everyone — baby and parents — get.

The No-Cry Sleep Solution, 2nd Edition: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep through the Night. Elizabeth Pantley, $21.95

Nearly all babies fight sleep. Some people argue that parents should let their baby “cry it out” until the child falls asleep; others say parents should tough it out from dusk until dawn. Neither tactic fosters happiness in the family. The No-Cry Sleep Solution gives parents a third option: a proven method to pin-point the root of sleep problems and solve them in a way that is gentle to babies, effective for parents, and provides peace in the home.

One of today’s leading experts on children’s sleep, Elizabeth Pantley delivers clear, step-by-step ideas for guiding your child to a good night's sleep — without any crying. This parenting classic shows how to decipher — and work with — your baby's biological sleep rhythms, create a customized plan for getting your child to sleep through the night, nap well during the day, and teach your baby to fall asleep peacefully, and stay asleep, without all-night breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, or requiring a parent’s care all through the night.

And now, this updated edition is even easier to follow. It provides important new guidelines on safety (bedsharing, pacifiers, swings, slings, swaddling and more), and an expanded chapter specifically about newborns. It covers every sleep issue that occurs in the first few years and answers parents’ common questions about white noise, back-sleeping, SIDS, day care, naps, nightwaking, bedsharing, dealing with strong-willed babies, working with caregivers, troubleshooting sleep issues, and more!

Nurturing Touch: Instruction in the Art of Infant Massage. Kalena Babeshoff & Juliana Dellinger-Bavolek. Booklet, $10.95; DVD, $43.95

Nurturing Touch teaches parents and caregivers how to use gentle massage with their children, providing the groundwork for a lifetime of nurturing. The booklet is well illustrated and gives clear instructions on technique and on working with infants. The DVD is a great teaching tool for parents and professionals alike.

125 Brain Games for Babies. Jackie Silberg, $22.50

Updated to reflect the latest research about how children learn, 125 BRAIN GAMES FOR BABIES is a fun-filled collection of ways to develop the brain capacity of infants. Included are everyday opportunities to nurture brain development in the critical period from birth through twelve months. Each game and sensory experience presented includes an annotation on the latest brain research and how the activity promotes brain power in babies. 

125 Brain Games for Toddlers and Twos. Jackie Silberg, $22.50

A young child's brain grows at a phenomenal rate in the first years of life. Revised and updated to reflect the latest research on how children learn, 125 BRAIN GAMES FOR TODDLERS AND TWOS is packed with everyday opportunities to contribute to brain development. Each game is accompanied by an annotation on the latest brain research and how the activity promotes brain power in the critical period between twelve and thirty-six months.

One Year to an Organized Life with Baby. Regina Leeds, $19.95

From pregnancy to parenthood, this week-by-week guide to getting ready for baby and keeping your family organized will help you to eliminate stress from your daily routine so you can fully enjoy the changing landscape of your life — and your newest family member.

Parenting Right From the Start: Laying a Healthy Foundation In the Baby and Toddler Years. Vanessa Lapointe, $19.99

Recent scientific research indicates a strong sense of connection between parents and children teaches children how to regulate emotions, master social skills, and develop a healthy sense of identity — essentially how to grow up. Unfortunately, many accepted parenting practices disrupt connection rather than fostering it, which may lead to lasting behavioral and emotional issues in children. According to Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, author of the bestselling Discipline Without Damage, nurturing connection should be the focus of all parenting efforts. But, along the way, many new parents may find themselves working through unsettled issues from their own childhoods. In Parenting Right From the Start, Dr. Lapointe shows parents how mindful, conscious parenting can work to nourish both child and parent.

Through the twin lenses of attachment parenting and the most up-to-date child development research, Dr. Lapointe walks parents through the battlegrounds where problems are most likely to arise for children—sleeping, feeding, toilet training, aggression, sibling rivalry — and she provides appropriate solutions designed to promote connection and growth. Rooted in compassion and understanding, Parenting Right From the Start shows parents how building a firm, caring presence in the early years is one that a child can lean into for a lifetime.

The Parent's Guide to Baby-Led Weaning: Skip the Purees and Go Straight to Solids! Jennifer House, $19.95

Welcome to an exciting stage in your baby's life: starting solid food! This will be a fun time for both you and your little one as your baby explores new tastes and gains a place at the family table. Jennifer offers you expert advice on everything you need to know to practice baby-led weaning safely and confidently: why you might want to use this method, when to start, what nutrients your baby needs, how to prevent choking, how to deal with allergies and what to feed vegetarian babies. Plus, she answers a ton of real-life questions parents often have when starting baby-led weaning and provides 125 delicious family-friendly recipes. Discover all the wonderful benefits of baby-led weaning — from good nutrition and a decreased risk of picky eating as your baby gets older to faster dexterity development and a healthier overall relationship with food.

Positive Discipline: the First Three Years, Revised and Updated Edition. Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin & Roslyn Ann Duffy, $19.99

The months leading up to the birth of a child are filed with joy, dreams, plans — and a few worries. As a caring parent, you want to start your child out in life on the proper foundation. Positive Discipline: the First Three Years offers a commonsense approach to child-rearing. You'll learn how to use kind but firm support to raise a child who is both capable and confident.

Now this classic title has been revised and updated to reflect the latest neuro-scientific research and developments in positive discipline parenting techniques.

The Psychology of Babies: How Relationships Support Development From Birth to Two. Lynne Murray, $32.00

An instructive and accessible account of the psychological development of children aged 0-2 years and how it can be supported by social relationships. The first two years are critical in a child's development, influencing what happens in later childhood and even adulthood. Yet how best to support that early development is not always easy to grasp. Now help is at hand with this expert guide on the care of children through these essential years.

Based on the latest research, with its wealth of picture sequences and clear explanations, this book shows how the development of young children's social understanding, attachments, self-control and intelligence can be supported through their relationships.

Questions and Answers about Your Baby's First Foods. Katja Leccisi, $9.95

With up-to-date and reliable information, and an easily accessible Q & A format, Questions and Answers about Your Baby's First Foods will empower you to nourish your baby confidently, from first foods onwards.

Raising Baby Green: the Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care. Alan Greene, et al, $18.99

In this illustrated and easy-to-use guide, noted pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, a leading voice of the green baby movement, advises parents how to make healthy green choices for pregnancy, childbirth, and baby care — from feeding your baby the best food available to using medicines wisely. Consumer advocate Jeanette Pavini includes information for making smart choices and applying green principles to a whole new universe of products from zero-VOC paints for the nursery, to pure and gentle lotions for baby’s delicate skin, to the eco-friendly diapers now in the marketplace, as well as specific recommendations for hundreds of other products.

Retro Toddler: More Than 100 Old-School Activities to Boost Development. Anne Zachry, $22.95

You don't need to buy high-tech digital devices, apps, or expensive toys to boost your toddler's brain development! Research shows that the best way for toddlers to learn is through daily, active play — and Retro Toddler includes more than 100 fun, age-appropriate, "old-school" activities that promote the development of language, motor and social skills. The book includes detailed instructions for developmentally stimulating toys that parents and toddlers can make together out of everyday household items. Parents will also learn

• What's happening inside the rapidly developing brain of a toddler
• How language, social, fine and gross motor skills develop during the toddler years
• How different parenting styles can affect a child's development
• How to successfully praise a child to achieve a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset
• How to foster grit and self-control in toddlers
• The importance of play during the toddler years
• How excessive screen time is negatively impacting today's young children

With more than 25 years of experience as a pediatric occupational therapist and child development specialist, the author of Retro Toddler will provide you with the research-based information you need to help foster strong growth and development in your toddler — without breaking your budget.

The Safe Baby: a Do-It-Yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living, 3rd Edition. Debra Smiley Holtzman, $24.95

This comprehensive, readable book tells you how to make your home and environment safe for kids. This expanded, third edition includes:

• Latest up-to-date-information on baby safety
• How to select safer toys
• Expanded section on selecting green products
• Tips on choosing the safest fish to eat
• How to buy safe baby care supplies

The Science of Parenting: How Today’s Brain Research Can Help You Raise Happy, Emotionally Balanced Children, 2nd Edition. Margot Sunderland, $24.95

Backed by the most up-to-date scientific research, The Science of Parenting, 2nd Edition provides evidence-based parenting advice about how you should care for your child, with practical strategies from birth to 12 years of age. From separations and time apart to forms of discipline to the latest thinking on screen time, this guide traces the direct effect of different parenting practices on your child's brain. Summaries at the end of every chapter provide key takeaways and make action points simple and clear so you can begin to implement them immediately. The Science of Parenting shows what science can teach us about parenting — and the remarkable effects of love, nurture, and play on a child's development.

The Scientist in the Crib: Minds, Brains, and How Children Learn.  Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff & Patricia Kuhl, $18.50

This exciting book discusses how much babies and young children know and learn, and how much parents naturally teach them. It argues that evolution designed us both to teach and learn, and that the drive to learn is our most important instinct. It also reveals as fascinating insights about our adult capacities and how even young children use some of the same methods that allow scientists to learn so much about the world. Filled with surprise at every turn, this vivid, lucid, and often funny book gives us a new view of the inner life of children and the mysteries of the mind.

7 Secrets of the Newborn: Secrets and (Happy) Surprises of the First Year. Robert Hamilton, $24.50

Robert C. Hamilton, M.D., has spent more than three decades caring for newborns. In his practice, Dr. Bob has seen it all — what works, what doesn’t. How can you get your baby to nurse, sleep, and maybe even cease crying? What strategies can help you connect and communicate with your infant? What important decisions will you make during the first year for your child, yourself, and your partner? Here, Dr. Bob shares his clear, sensible, warm advice — as well as all the latest scientific data and research — on how to:

• Offer comfort to a crying newborn using the “Hold”
• Gently teach your baby how to sleep (and get some sleep yourself)
• Establish healthy patterns
• Play!
• Manage screen time in your home
• And more to help you navigate the unforgettable first year of your child’s life

Sesame Street Ready for School! A Parent's Guide to Playful Learning for Children Ages 2-5. Rosemarie Truglio, $23.50

Sesame Street, the most trusted name in preschool education, offers a complete, user-friendly guide to help parents prepare their children, ages 2-5, for academic, physical, and social success. With Ready for School!, Senior VP of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop Dr. Rosemarie Truglio shares all the research-based, curriculum-directed school readiness skills that have made Sesame Street the preeminent children's TV program, and that every parent needs in order to get their preschooler ready for lifelong learning.

Each of the book's eight chapters focuses on a key area: language, literacy, math, science, logic & reasoning, social & emotional development, healthy habits, and the arts. An essential dynamic of Ready for School! is its emphasis on the importance of play in a child's learning process. To respond to that need, dozens of "Play & Learn" activities are included to aid parents in educating their children: at the kitchen table, on the bus, in the park, or in the preschool classroom while playing together. In addition, the book recommends scores of hints, tips, ideas for useful products, and deep-dives on more complex topics for parents, all designed to make preparing young kids for school easy and joyful.

Talking Baby: Helping Your Child Discover Language. Margaret Maclagan & Anne Buckley, $26.95

In this fascinating and informative book, Margaret Maclagan and Anne Buckley — two specialists in children’s language development — explain the subtle and extraordinary process in which children learn to talk and the very important role that parents and grandparents can play.

Combining a comprehensive understanding of speech development with fascinating scientific facts — did you know babies cry with an accent? — Talking Baby offers numerous practical suggestions and real-life examples of how parents can best help their children to learn to talk. The authors also provide many ideas for ‘talking’ topics, as well as ways to use the everyday things in life to encourage children’s comprehension and speech.

The Tantrum Survival Guide: Tune In to Your Toddler's Mind (and Your Own) to Calm the Craziness and Make Family Fun Again. Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, $21.50

If you are the parent of a toddler or preschooler, chances are you know a thing or two about tantrums. While those epic meltdowns can certainly be part of "normal" toddler behavior, they are still maddening, stressful, and exhausting for everyone involved. What can you do to keep your cool and help your child calm down? Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, child psychologist and mother of two, has a unique understanding of both the science behind tantrums and what works in the heat of the moment to nip blowups in the bud. With her customizable plan, you'll learn:

• Why your toddler's developing brain is hardwired for "big emotions"
• hat you may be doing (unintentionally) to encourage outbursts
• Ways to use structure and routines to help your child feel secure
• How to reduce tantrums at tough times of day, from wake-up to bedtime
• Strategies for managing tantrums under difficult circumstances, from travel to moving to divorce
• Ways to deepen your parent-child connection — starting right now

Think Like a Baby: 33 Simple Research Experiments You Can Do at Home to Better Understand Your Child's Developing Mind. Amber Ankowski & Andy Ankowski, $19.95

Raising a baby is joyful, amazing... and ridiculously difficult. But with some insight into what's actually going on inside your little one's head, your job as a parent can become a little bit easier—and a lot more fun. In Think Like a Baby, coauthors Amber and Andy Ankowski — The Doctor and the Dad — show parents how to re-create classic child development experiments using common household items.

These simple step-by-step experiments apply from the third trimester through age seven and beyond and help parents understand their children's physical, cognitive, language, and social development. Amazed parents won't just read about how their kids are behaving, changing, and thinking at various stages, they'll actually see it for themselves while interacting and having fun with them at the same time.

The Toddler Brain: Nurture the Skills Today that Will Shape Your Child's Tomorrow. Laura Jana, $35.00

What if, despite the best of intentions, we are raising our children to succeed in a world that no longer exists? The Toddler Brain helps parents recognize the connection that exists between their own parenting behaviors and their child's ability to acquire valuable twenty-first-century skills. Dr. Laura A. Jana draws on studies and stories from pediatrics, neuroscience, social science, and childcare, as well as the world of business and innovation to show parents how to equip their children with seven key skills. Dr. Jana explores the importance of play and curiosity, imagination and empathy, and strategically strengthening children's neural connections in their first five years.

ToddlerCalm™: a Guide for Calmer Toddlers & Happier Parents. Sarah Ockwell-Smith, $22.99

Are you looking for ways to cope with your toddler without resorting to the naughty step or controlled crying? ToddlerCalm™ offers a gentle approach to parenting that will help you to enjoy your toddler, to understand the limitations of sticker charts and time out, to have the confidence to ignore the experts and to parent your own child with empathy and trust.

Touchpoints: Your Child’s Emotional and Behavioral Development Birth to Three 2nd Edition. T. Berry Brazelton & Joshua Sparrow, $23.50

T. Berry Brazelton's great empathy for the universal concerns of parenthood, and honesty about the complex feelings it engenders, as well as his uncanny insight into the predictable leaps and regressions of early childhood, have comforted and supported families since its publication in 1992. In this completely revised edition Dr. Brazelton introduces new information on physical, emotional, and behavioral development. He also addresses the new stresses on families and fears of children, with a fresh focus on the role of fathers and other caregivers.

This updated volume also offers new insights on prematurity, sleep patterns, early communication, toilet training, co-sleeping, play and learning, SIDS, cognitive development and signs of developmental delay, childcare, asthma, a child's immune system, and safety. Dr. Sparrow, Brazelton's co-author on several other books, brings a child psychiatrist's insights into the many perennial childhood issues covered in this comprehensive book. No parent should be without the reassurance and wisdom Touchpoints provides.

25 Things Every New Dad Should Know: Essential Fist Steps for Fathers. Robert Sears & James Sears, $28.99

A baby brings great joy to a new father, but also, perhaps, some uncertainty. Don't let these preliminary nerves get to you and dampen what will no doubt be one of the most joyful day of your life. 25 Things Every New Dad Should Know provide information and encouragement to stave back the worry.

A little fear is nothing to be ashamed of. For many men, fatherhood may seem like a new job for which they have had no training or experience. In these pages, pediatricians, and fathers themselves, Robert and James Sears offer reassuring, timeless advice to help new dads prepare for and embrace their important role. In an encouraging and light-hearted tone they highlight 25 important facets of becoming a dad and emphasize the rewards and pure joy that come with parenthood. This inspiring read is the perfect gift for any new or expectant father!

What No One Tells You: a Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood. Alexandra Sacks & Catherine Birndorf, $23.00

When you are pregnant, you get plenty of advice about your growing body and developing baby. Yet so much about motherhood happens in your head. What everyone really wants to know: Is this normal?

In What No One Tells You, two of America’s top reproductive psychiatrists reassure you that the answer is yes. With thirty years of combined experience counseling new and expectant mothers, they provide a psychological and hormonal backstory to the complicated emotions that women experience, and show why it’s natural for “matrescence” — the birth of a mother — to be as stressful and transformative a period as adolescence.

Here, finally, is the first-ever practical guide to help new mothers feel less guilt and more self-esteem, less isolation and more kinship, less resentment and more intimacy, less exhaustion and more pleasure, and learn other tips to navigate the ups and downs of this exciting, demanding time.

What to Expect the First Year, 3rd Edition. Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, $25.95

Some things about babies, happily, will never change. They still arrive warm, cuddly, soft, and smelling impossibly sweet. But how moms and dads care for their brand-new bundles of baby joy has changed — and now, so has the new-baby bible. Keeping the trademark month-by-month format that allows parents to take the potentially overwhelming first year one step at a time, First Year is easier-to-read, faster-to-flip-through, and new-family-friendlier than ever — packed with even more practical tips, realistic advice, and relatable, accessible information than before. Illustrations are new, too. 

What to Expect the Second Year: From 12 to 24 Months. Heidi Murkoff, with Sharon Mazel, $23.95

From the first birthday to the second, this book guides you in everything you need to know about caring for, nurturing, understanding and keeping up with your toddler.

The Wiggle & Giggle Busy Book: 365 Fun, Physical Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers. Trish Kuffner, $12.95

The Preschooler’s Busy Book: 365 Creative Learning Games and Activities to Keep Your 3 to 6 Year Old Busy. Trish Kuffner, $24.99

These Busy Books by Trish Kuffner are packed with creative, fun, simple activities to keep toddlers and preschoolers busy. Terrific alternatives to watching TV or playing video games, the books show parents and care providers how to encourage physical, emotional and cognitive growth and stimulate a child’s natural curiosity.

The Wonder of You: a Book for Celebrating Baby’s First Year. Nancy Tillman, $36.99

This is the perfect gift to welcome the little ones in your life. The Wonder of You celebrates milestones and creates memories in this exquisite and fully inclusive baby book.

The Wonder Weeks, Revised Edition. Hetty van de Rijt & Frans Plooij, $25.95

How to stimulate the most important developmental weeks in your baby's first 20 months, and turn these ten predictable, great, fussy phases into magical leaps forward!

• See the world through your baby’s perspective
• Learn how to encourage each leap foreword
• Help your baby with the three C's of fussy behavior Cranky, Clingy, Crying
• Know which games and toys are best during each key week
• Use calendars, charts and checklists to make sense of their behavior
• Week-by-week guide to baby’s behavior

Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five. Penelope Leach, $33.00

This newest edition of Penelope Leach’s much-loved, trusted, and comprehensive classic — an international best seller — encompasses the latest research and thinking on child development and learning, and reflects the realities of today’s changing lifestyles. In her authoritative and practical style, Leach responds fully to parents’ every concern about the psychological, emotional, and physical well-being of their children. She describes, in easy-to-follow stages from birth through starting school, how children develop: what they are doing, experiencing, and feeling. And she tackles both the questions parents often ask — What does a new baby’s wakefulness or a toddler’s tantrum mean? — and those that are more difficult: How should new parents time their return to work, choose day care, tell a child about a new baby or an impending divorce?

Whatever the concern or question, Your Baby and Child supplies the information, encouragement, and reassurance every parent-to-be or new parent needs.

Your Baby Skin to Skin: Learn to Trust Your Baby's Instincts In the First Year. Rachel Fitz-Desorgher, $22.99

Your Baby Skin to Skin takes parents on a reassuring and practical journey through your baby’s first year grounded in the knowledge the baby is a highly evolved being with an instinct to survive. Experienced midwife Rachel Fitz-Desorgher shows by responding to your baby's needs, you can't parent 'wrong' and can become a confident and nurturing parent.

Your Self-Motivated Baby: Enhance Your Baby's Social and Cognitive Development in the First Six Months of Life through Movement. Beverly Stokes, $32.49

A hands-on guide for communicating with babies in their first six months and nurturing their physical, social, and cognitive development, Your Self-Motivated Baby shows parents and other caregivers how to interact with very young infants and understand what they are expressing in their movements. Color photographs throughout the book show babies' motivation in play and how subtle interactions build bonding and encourage development. Following advice from author Beverly Stokes, a seasoned developmental movement educator, adults learn how to relate to babies and communicate effectively with them. Beverly Stokes makes it clear that preverbal babies are giving cues for caregiver participation very early on; it's up to us to try to understand them better. By communicating with babies sensitively in the first six months of their lives, we help them to establish the foundation for a healthy, confident, and joyful life. 

Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science (and What I've Learned So Far). Tracy Cutchlow, $21.95

When you're a new parent, the miracle of life might not always feel so miraculous. Maybe your latest 2:00 a.m., 2:45 a.m., and 3:30 a.m. wake-up calls have left you wondering how "sleep like a baby" ever became a figure of speech — and what the options are for restoring your sanity. Or your child just left bite marks on someone, and you're wondering how to handle it.

First-time mom Tracy Cutchlow knows what you're going through. In Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science (and What I've Learned So Far), she takes dozens of parenting tips based on scientific research and distills them into something you can easily digest during one of your two-minute-long breaks in the day. The pages are beautifully illustrated by award-winning photojournalist Betty Udesen. Whether you read the book front to back or skip around, Zero to Five will help you make the best of the tantrums (yours and baby's), moments of pure joy, and other surprises along the totally-worth-it journey of parenting.