Are you feeling overwhelmed by the amount of resources out there to help you prepare for parenting? I hope this list of my favorite books, classes, and apps will help you navigate parenting education.
New Parent Books
“We’re Pregnant!”
This book from Adrian Kulp is a must-read! I started with the What to Expecting book, and was honestly a little overwhelmed with information. Then, I started reading this “First-Time Dad’s Handbook” that I had gotten for Jack, and thought that it was SO HELPFUL in decifiering what the top need-to-knows are for each week. He provides check lists, what to expect at your next doctor’s appointment, and the best part- is pretty funny and written in “dad language.” I.E. “Your baby is the size of a bag of Doritos.” We read this aloud together each week, and takes about 5 minutes to just give us a little progress update and help us feel informed.
Mom’s on Call
So many women have sworn by this book! It offers tips on baby care, but is most known for its sleep training techniques. Their provided feeding/sleep schedule is designed to help your baby sleep through the night by 6/7 weeks old!
Bringing Up Bebe
This is a great book about an American raising her child in Paris and learning about how different cultures raise their children. I highly recommend it for pregnant moms because it gives a great perspective on parenting.
For instance, she said that Americans treat pregnancy like a research project, when French parents generally believe they’ll know what to do once they’re a mother.
Best Online Classes
Labor and Delivery Class
I cannot stress how important it is to take a birth and/or parenting class! I was super against it at first, because I didn’t want to have information overload, and I felt like I had a general idea of what to expect from my regular OB visits. My OB kept encouraging me to take these classes from the hospital, and I am so glad that we did!
Our classes were offered at the hospital where I delivered, St. Thomas Midtown in Nashville, TN. See if your hospital offers a class, or some hospitals offer them online.
The instructor went above and beyond in preparing us, setting expectations, and answering our questions. It is because of this class that I was not anxious, and was instead excited about our upcoming delivery.
This is where you can sign up for the classes from St. Thomas Midtown Nashville, TN, during COVID, they are virtual, so anyone can take them! You also don’t have to deliver there to take the classes.
(Or you can go to this site and search for: “Virtual St Thomas Midtown Hospital Childbirth Education” in the 37209 zip code.)
Parenting Class
Taking Cara Babies! Cara is a neonatal nurse and certified pediatric sleep consultant that offers amazing and informative advice on parenting newborns, but specifically has her A,B,C’s of Sleep.
We took her class for 3-4 month olds when our daughter was struggling with a 4-month-sleep regression. She introduced us to the dream feed and it got her back sleeping through the night within two days!
Cara’s classes are known for being very flexible and encouraging of what works for YOUR family. It’s a much more attainable lifestyle than sticking to a strict schedule, and I found this helpful as a working mom.
Best Apps
There are so many pregnancy apps out there! I like the What To Expect app, because it syncs to my iWatch, so I can get her size, weekly benchmark, development blurb, and a tip of the day right on my wrist!
I’ve also heard that “Glow” is helpful.
Tine Murray 