New babies don’t come with a manual, which makes things quite terrifying when you are sent home with your new bundle.
But worry not because there are plenty of top parenting books out there for first-time parents in the UAE that can provide you with the reassurance you need.
We’ve rounded up the top parenting books where you’ll not only find the answers to all your burning questions – How do I put this on? How many of these do I need? Why is its nappy that colour? – but also questions you didn’t even know you needed the answers too.
You got this.
First-Time Parent: The honest guide to coping brilliantly and staying sane in your baby’s first year
By Lucy Atkins
As a health journalist and mother-of-three, Lucy Atkins is familiar with both the medical aspects of childbirth and baby development, and the reality of day-to-day life as an exhausted first-time mum or dad. In her feisty, humorous style, she begins with that first mind-blowing day and addresses the issues unique to the first-time parent who stares at their newborn and thinks “Where are the instructions?” This is the book you really need to help you cope with those first chaotic days and months.
Dhs102. Kinokuniya, The Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, uae.kinokuniya.com.
Happy Mum, Happy Baby: My adventures into motherhood
By Giovanna Fletcher
This book isn’t about creating the perfect family but is an honest and upbeat personal account of her Fletcher’s own experience of being a mum – and with more than two million Instagram followers she clearly has something to say that’s worth listening to. Learning about other mother’s journeys can help shape your own and encourage you to be confident in your skills as a parent.
Dhs66. Kinokuniya, The Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, uae.kinokuniya.com.
The Happiest Baby on the Block
By Harvey Karp, M.D.
If you see a well-rested new parent, they might well credit this book as the cause. Child expert and paediatrician Harvey Karp, M.D. tells parents how to use what he famously calls the “5 Ss” (swaddling, shushing, swinging, sucking, and putting them in a side-stomach position) as ways to put an end to a baby crying. And believe us, you will try absolutely anything to make the tiny tot stop screaming.
Dhs77. Mumzworld, www.mumzworld.com.
The Wonder Weeks
By Frans X. Plooij, Hetty van de Rijt, and Xaviera Plas-Plooij
The Wonder Weeks is one of the most popular books and apps for tracking baby’s cranky phases and mental leaps forward during their first year – along with the challenges that come with them.
Dhs90. Kinokuniya, The Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, uae.kinokuniya.com.
Your Baby Week by Week
By Simone Cave and Dr Caroline Fertleman
Full of reassuring advice, Your Baby Week by Week tells you what to expect before it happens so you needn’t be unnecessarily alarmed. It covers all the simple stuff, like sleep, feeding, washing, crying, play and development, as well as other stuff to look out for like vaccinations and colic.
Dhs58. Amazon, www.amazon.ae.
What to Expect the First Year
By Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
The same way What to Expect When You’re Expecting takes a month-by-month look at your changing body as you navigate the nine months of pregnancy, What to Expect the First Year takes a similar approach to your growing little one. Get the heads up on what behaviour you can look forward to, what milestones your baby should be hitting and when, plus any symptoms you should talk to your doctor about.
Dhs178. Noon, www.noon.com.
