Looking for the best baby books for parents of all time? You’re in the right place!
Whether you’re struggling with sleeping at night, baffled by breastfeeding, floundering in the fourth trimester or just looking for some help raising your little one, you’ll find all the information you could need in the list of best books for new parents below.
Bonus: You might also like these best books on pregnancy and this list of the best parenting books of all time.
The 25 Best Baby Books For Parents Of All Time
Why these books about babies and not others? The best baby books for parents below are the top picks from my master database, ranked by a combination of Goodreads rating, the number of Goodreads reviews and first publication date. The goal is to balance what’s most loved, what’s most popular and what’s proven timelessly relevant advice.
Think something’s missing? Leave a comment or email me and I’ll add it to the next round of updates. I honestly love hearing from you so please, do get in touch!
- The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (1958), La Leche League International
463 pages. Rated 4.2 over 8,300 reviews on Goodreads. - The Baby Book (1993), William Sears
Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two
784 pages. Rated 4.2 over 7,100 reviews on Goodreads. - Brain Rules for Baby (2010), John Medina
How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five
305 pages. Rated 4.3 over 9,800 reviews on Goodreads. - The Nursing Mother’s Companion (1985), Kathleen Huggins
336 pages. Rated 4.1 over 3,100 reviews on Goodreads. - Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood (2000), Jim Fay
200 pages. Rated 4.1 over 5,400 reviews on Goodreads. - The Attachment Parenting Book (2001), William Sears
A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby
192 pages. Rated 4.2 over 3,200 reviews on Goodreads. - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (1987), Marc Weissbluth
528 pages. Rated 3.9 over 10,300 reviews on Goodreads. - What to Expect the First Year (1989), Heidi Murkoff
832 pages. Rated 3.9 over 15,700 reviews on Goodreads. - Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding (2009), Ina May Gaskin
352 pages. Rated 4.4 over 2,500 reviews on Goodreads. - Becoming Attached (1994), Robert Karen
First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love
512 pages. Rated 4.2 over 1,200 reviews on Goodreads. - Baby 411 (2004), Denise Fields
Clear Answers & Smart Advice for Your Baby’s First Year
512 pages. Rated 4.3 over 2,400 reviews on Goodreads. - Child of Mine (1983), Ellyn Satter
Feeding with Love and Good Sense, Revised and Updated Edition
536 pages. Rated 4.1 over 900 reviews on Goodreads. - Why Love Matters (2003), Sue Gerhardt
How Affection Shapes a Baby’s Brain
256 pages. Rated 4.3 over 1,300 reviews on Goodreads. - The Wonder Weeks (1992), Frans X. Plooij
How to Stimulate Your Baby’s Mental Development and Help Him Turn His 10 Predictable, Great, Fussy Phases Into Magical Leaps Forward
493 pages. Rated 4.0 over 4,500 reviews on Goodreads. - The Happiest Baby on the Block (2002), Harvey Karp
The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer
336 pages. Rated 3.9 over 21,900 reviews on Goodreads. - What’s Going On in There? (1999), Lise Eliot
How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life
544 pages. Rated 4.1 over 1,900 reviews on Goodreads. - Bringing Up Bébé (2012), Pamela Druckerman
One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting
432 pages. Rated 4.0 over 44,700 reviews on Goodreads. - Cribsheet (2019), Emily Oster
A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool
352 pages. Rated 4.1 over 7,100 reviews on Goodreads. - Secrets of the Baby Whisperer (2000), Tracy Hogg
How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
352 pages. Rated 3.8 over 8,100 reviews on Goodreads. - Baby and Child Care (1946), Benjamin Spock
992 pages. Rated 3.8 over 2,000 reviews on Goodreads. - Be Prepared (2004), Gary Greenberg
A Practical Handbook for New Dads
240 pages. Rated 4.1 over 2,300 reviews on Goodreads. - Your Self-Confident Baby (1997), Magda Gerber
How to Encourage Your Child’s Natural Abilities — From the Very Start
256 pages. Rated 4.1 over 800 reviews on Goodreads. - Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby’s First Year (2012), Mayo Clinic
From Doctors Who Are Parents, Too!
576 pages. Rated 4.2 over 900 reviews on Goodreads. - How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids (2017), Jancee Dunn
289 pages. Rated 4.1 over 3,800 reviews on Goodreads. - Heading Home with Your Newborn (2005), Laura A. Jana
From Birth to Reality
306 pages. Rated 4.1 over 1,600 reviews on Goodreads.
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