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Book Reviews
Brain Games for babies, toddlers & twos
Since I have been librarian, two of the most popular books in the library have been "Baby Play" and " Toddler Play". These books describe activities and games to play with your child. Hence when I saw the book "Brain games for babies, toddlers & twos" sitting in the book shop I had to buy it.
This book is true to its title as it starts by describing activities for newborns and ends with children aged 36 months. Jackie Silberg groups the activities into 3 month chunks (i.e. birth - 3 months, 3 months - 6 months etc.) and for each activity you are given its purpose, a simple description (this often includes using a traditional nursery rhyme or song) and some variations.
I have an eight month old daughter and we have enjoyed some of the suggested activities for this age. These include mirror games, puppet peekaboo, as well as introducing different textures and sounds to your baby.
I think that the major strengths of this book are that it goes right from birth to 36 months and also, like Baby Play and Toddler Play, the activities described do not rely on mum and dad purchasing expensive toys. This book is definitely worth a look - especially in preparation for ideas of things to do on those chilly autumn days.
Bestfeeding
Getting Breastfeeding established can be one of the more challenging aspects of looking after a newborn. If you're anything like me, any help and advise was gratefully accepted! One resource I found valuable was this book. It is very "practical". Through the use of text, photographs and diagrams it explains not only how to breastfeed, but also why people breastfeed and describes some of the problems women experience while breastfeeding (such as sore nipples & mastitis).
The aspects of this book that I found especially good were:
- use of case studies. These include the experiences form a woman with twins, a woman with too much milk, and a woman with a colicky baby;
- the way the authors summarize the important points. The "Making sure you've got it right" checklist on page 75 is particularly good example of this. Here the authors put the important points about positioning and feeding into a few short pages; and
- "modern myths" section. When you've just had a baby you get a lot of conflicting advice, and this section helps to dispel a few of the myths that we are told.
I Want My Potty
I Want My Potty uses more of a 'story' to get the concept of using a potty across. 'Little princess' decides that nappies are 'yuuech', so Queen (mum) tells her that 'the potty is the place'. Finally little princess get the hang of the potty, but has a bit of a crisis when she can't find it! This book is a lot of fun, though I think that little girls would probably relate to it better than boys.
It is a sturdy board book. My toddler liked it, and I'd recommend it to all parents who are about to tackle
the challenge of toilet training.
My Potty Book for Boys
This book starts by introducing the potty to the reader. Using photos, it goes through the process of sitting on the potty, doing a wee-wee or poo, using toilet paper, and then washing their hands. I thought this book was great - very simple and my toddler found it easy to understand.
It is sturdy board book. My toddler liked it, and I'd recommend it to all parents who are about to tackle the challenge of toilet training.
Raising Boys
As a mother of a baby boy I, thought that it might be useful to do some research into the mysteries of the male mind, as well as getting some idea of what I should expect in the future from my son.
This book starts by describing what Biddulph calls "The three stages of boyhood" (zero-6, 6-13, and 14 onwards) and what to expect, both physically and mentally, at each stage.
Other chapters focus: on testosterone (when it kicks in and with what effects); relationships with each parent; schooling; and how boy's and girls' brains differ. Written with a sense of humour I found this book easy to read - as well as being practical. So practical in fact that it even reveals how to encourage boys to do housework!
Toddler Play
Have you run out of ideas for things to do with your 2 year old? If this is the case, and you're finding the long summer break hard going, you might want to read Toddler play.
After collecting this book I spent the evening reading it, and felt very enthusiastic after doing so. Aimed at children aged one and over, it describes songs, ball games, bath games & many other activities that you can do with your toddler.
Each activity details what skills are being developed, such as balance, gross motor, language and fine motor. My son Sam loved the tunnel that I made out of a cardboard box - something very simple, cheap and great for pushing his cars and trucks through. We had lots of fun with this book and I'm sure that you and your children will too. Those with younger babies may wish to note that Dr Masi has produced Baby Play which is also available from our library.
