6 Books Every New Mom Needs to Read

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.
Don’t be scared by the size of this big ol’ medical-looking textbook. You won’t need to read most of the information for several years. Focus on whatever age, or sleep issue, you’re dealing with now, and ignore the rest. Doctor Weissbluth breaks down his advice into small, detailed chunks. His “step-by-step program for a good night’s sleep” does not refer only to baby, but everyone in the house. My husband and I followed his guidelines to a T, and it resulted in good* rest for everyone, especially our little guy.
*As good as it can be, given the major life overhaul.

Sh*tty Mom: The Parenting Guide For the Rest of Us, by Laurie Kilmartin, Karen Moline, Alicia Ybarbo and Mary Ann Zoellner
This book never fails to make me laugh, especially when I think I’m about to cry. The four contributors include Emmy Award–winning writers and producers, comediennes, and journalists who have personally experienced the bizarre cultural zeitgeist that is American parenting. Therefore, they know how to send it up, hilariously and accurately. My favorite chapters include: “Someone Stole Your Baby Name: Ballad of the First Aidan Mom,” “How to Leave Your Baby in the Car While You Dash into 7-Eleven,” and “Oh, You Just Had an Epic Meltdown.”

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
This classic children’s book will never be bumped off the bestseller lists, and there’s a reason for that. Soothing, with a gentle cadence and simple concepts, it’s a lullaby in book form. It’s also a product of its era, 1947, but that’s no reason for it to go out of style. (Though if you haven’t read priceless essay “All My Issues With the Goodnight Moon Bedroom,” you should.) As they grow older, babies will enjoy pointing out familiar objects in the room, such as the bright red balloon. It’s also easily memorized, and can be recited even if the book has been, say, lost behind a dresser for months. Hypothetically.

The I LOVE YOU Book, by Todd Parr
I chose this book because it’s bright, adorable, and contains a wonderful message about unconditional love. (Parent loves baby all the time, regardless of whether baby is “stinky,” “crying,” “has hidden the car keys,” “is sad,” “is shy,” “is silly,” “is dancing,” etc.) Best of all, in board book form, it’s indestructible. Baby can hug, drool on, throw, or attempt to eat the book, and you (and the book) will love him or her all the same.

We Are in a Book, by Mo Willems
Rewatch Sesame Street sometime, and you’ll notice the songs and skits are cleverer than you remember. Many of them look and feel like classic SNL sketches. Which helps explain why author Mo Willems, who used to write and direct films for Sesame Street, is such a hoot. In We Are in a Book, Gerald the elephant and his BFF Piggie realize they’re in a book, enjoy a frenetic, giggle-fueled power trip, then panic when their secondary epiphany—that the book will end at some point—sends them into fits of anxiety. Willems’ Pigeon series is equally creative.

Baby’s First Year Photo Gallery, by Abrams Noterie
A brand-spanking-new keepsake board book, Baby’s First Year Photo Gallery provides a gorgeous and easy way to commemorate the first year of your baby’s life. Using 12 pop-out cards that announce baby’s age (“Today I am X months old”), simply place each card beside (or, um, balanced on) baby, take a photo, and paste the photo onto the page reserved for that month. I wish I’d had this book for my son’s first year. Instead of foraging through thousands of digital pics to locate images to fit predetermined descriptions, I could’ve been popping cards and taking photos like a Facebook fiend.
What survival books do you recommend to new parents?