Karin: ‘Becoming a parent is such a privilege and joy. It is also exhausting, overwhelming and unpredictable. The amount of times when I thought I had nailed it, had it under control, knew exactly what to do only for it all to fall apart – that’s often how it felt at the time – I cannot tell you. Our children bring out the best in us and they also know exactly which buttons to press… Oftentimes our journey into parenthood trigger memories or situations from the past, and at times we may find that we need additional support from reading to therapy and everything in between.

I personally found going from one child to two incredibly challenging despite the 5 years between my children. I felt pulled in so many directions and the guilt was even bigger than after having my first.

I love reading and I have found various books that have really helped me know that I am not alone in my worries, that my child is behaving appropriately for their age and so many books have also given me many tips.

Below is a list of books that have made a difference to me in one way or other. There are of course way too many more books out there to mention. I continue reading as my children grow older.’

Pregnancy

• What to Expect When You Are Expecting
• The Queen Charlotte’s Hospital Guide to Pregnancy & Birth
• Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond

Post Birth

• Secrets of the Baby Whisperer
• The Sensational Baby Sleep Plan
• What to Expect – The First Year – website and also a book with the same name
• Your Baby Week by Week

Toddlers and Up

• Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers
• The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems
• New Toddler Taming
• Beyond Toddlerdom
• The Calmer Easier Happier Parenting Books
• There’s No Such Thing As ‘Naughty’
• Happiest Toddler on the Block
• Books by Dr Dan Siegel
• Janet Lansbury has a lot of resources on her website.
• Many people like Gina Ford. Her method was not for Karin, but each to their own.
• Karin’s husband really enjoyed reading Fatherhood by Marcus Berkmann.
• Paul Stallard: Think Good, Feel Good
• Dr Becky Kennedy: Good Inside
• Wendy Mogel Ph.D.: The Blessing of a Skinned Knee

Tweens, Teenagers & General Parenting

• Lorraine Candy: Mum, What’s Wrong With You?
• Michael H. Popkin: Active Parenting of Teens
• Kenneth R. Ginsburg: Building Resilience in Children and Teens
• Paul Tough: How Children Succeed
• Carol S. Dweck: Mindset – The New Psychology of Success
• The Incredible Teenage Brain
• Janey Downshire & Naella Grew: Teenagers Translated
• Books by Steve Biddulph
• Books by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
• Dr Elaine Aron: The Highly Sensitive Child
• Marisa Porges: What Girls Need
• Ian Williamson: We Need to Talk
• Books by Dr Alex George
• William Deresiewicz: Excellent Sheep – although aimed at American elite education, very interesting and insightful
• Dr Elaine Aron: The Highly Sensitive Parent
• Madeline Levine Ph.D.: The Price of Privilege – looking more at American society, but hugely valuable for all parents

Parenting Courses & More

Local parenting expert Rachel Vecht of Educating Matters runs regular parenting courses.

One of our mums, Vera Lakhwani, is the founder of East2WestMama.