The Continuum Concept by Jean Leidloff (Arkana, 1989)
Back-to-basics approach advocating attachment parenting whereby babies are held constantly, share the bed with parents and are breastfed exclusively for the first six months. The author takes her inspiration from Amazonian tribal life.
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Dr Spock's Baby and Childcare by Dr Benjamin Spock (Simon and Schuster, 2005)
Fully revised edition of this trusted guide for parents. Emphasises that every infant is different and that it's impossible to spoil a baby. Also advocates ripping up the rulebooks and trusting one's instincts.
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The Feeding and Care of Baby by F. Truby King (Macmillan, 1913)
Advocates strict routine based methods, showing baby who's boss, with plenty of fresh air, limited physical contact and the baby sleeping in its own room.
(out of print, but may be available from second-hand bookshops)

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A Step-by-step programme for a good night's sleep by Marc Weissbluth (Vermilion, 2005)
Leading paediatrician offers a groundbreaking approach to solving and preventing children's sleep problems from infancy. His step-by-step regime focuses on the child's natural sleep cycles and is backed up by research.
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The NCT Book of Sleep by Penny Hames (HarperCollins, 1999)
Looks at several different ways of solving sleep problems and helps you choose the method that is right for you.
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The New Contented Little Baby Book by Gina Ford (Vermilion, 2006)
An experienced maternity nurse, Ford is against on demand feeding, and believes in the necessity of waking a sleeping baby in order to establish a daily routine. Her book provides a guide on how to get a new baby into a routine, with feeding and sleeping schedules based on a baby's age.
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The New Father: A Dad's guide to the first year by Armin Brott (Mitchell Beazley, 2005)
A month-by-month handbook on all aspects of fatherhood during the first year, complete with sound advice, valuable information, and tips from top researchers in the parenting field.
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Paranoid Parenting by Frank Furedi (A Cappella Books, 2002)
Hardly a day goes by without parents being warned of a new threat to their children's well-being. This book suggests that parental anxieties themselves are the worst influence on children. Based on new sociological research and interviews with parents and experts, this book will bolster parents' confidence in their own judgments and enable them to bring up confident, imaginative, and capable children.
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The Scientist in the Crib: What early learning tells us about the mind by Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl (HarperCollins, 2001)
This book gives us a new view of the inner life of children and the mysteries of the mind. It discusses important discoveries about how much babies and young children know and learn, and how much parents naturally teach them. According to the authors, babies are like scientists in how they try to understand the world around them.
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The Social Baby: Understanding babies' communication from birth by Lynne Murray and Liz Andrews (CP Publishing, 2005)
This book argues that every baby is a unique individual from the moment of birth, with their own likes and dislikes, strengths and sensitivities. Only by being finely tuned to a baby's communications can an adult fully understand that baby and provide appropriate care. Rather than being a 'how to' guide, this book provides a window into the rich and complex social world of babies.
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Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber (Simon & Schuster, 2002)
Based on Ferber's research as director of a paediatric sleep disorders unit, the book is a practical, easy-to-understand guide to common sleeping problems for babies and children. The method involves controlled crying and feeding schedules.
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Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach (Dorling Kindersley, 2003)
This leading expert on childcare writes from the baby or child's perspective and information is organised by age, from pre-birth to pre-school. She provides an insight into your child's first years of life – their needs, thoughts and behaviours, which will help you really communicate together.
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