Categories: uncategorized
Date: 04 November 2005 18:56:17
Author of the inexplicably popular 'Baby goes to Boot Camp' series.
Actually I will confess to owning her weaning book. But mainly because it has some recipes in it and I got it cheap. I think it's the only baby book I actually own. And I've ignored most of it.
Here are my top tips regarding navigating the mass of information suddenly flung at you when you are pregnant/have a baby:
1. Borrow some books. For goodness' sake don't part with money at this stage*. People will be thrilled to lend to you.
2. If possible read at least three with different points of view. Add your own thoughts to these three and you have four ways of approaching the matter.
3. Make the decision that whatever you do, you'll be wrong according to at least 75% of the options you're aware of, so you might as well just make it up as you go along.
4. If there's a particular book with an approach that works for you, by all means buy it, but bear in mind that what works at three months may not at nine.
*I will admit to taking the 'not buying' part of the plan to some lengths. Last month baby b started to wake strangely early every morning. Last weekend I spent ten minutes in our local bookshop looking up 'early waking' in the index of three books. Chose an approach. Problem now solved.
I'll admit that baby b is so far very straightforward and content, so it's not as if we've had major problems to contend with, but as Jack said, the way some people out there seem to be profiting from parents' anxiety does annoy me rather.